Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is an annual international literary festival held in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It is the first festival of its kind in Pakistan. It is one of the world's youngest and fastest growing literary festivals. Till 2019, ten festivals have been held.

About Karachi Literature Festival

The First Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) was organised by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(Pakistan) in collaboration with

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

in March 2010. Inspired by the success of the first two festivals (2010 and 2011), the Children's Literature Festival (CLF) was launched at the end of 2011. Thus the momentum that began in Pakistan with KLF leading, also saw the Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) being launched in 2013, further followed by the Teachers' Literature Festival in 2014, and many others following their example. This momentum reflects the depth of Pakistan's literary and cultural roots, and the desire and energy to celebrate the pursuit of knowledge, understanding, and creativity. In celebration of Pakistan's 70th birthday, and for the first time, KLF was held outside Pakistan, in London, in May 2017 at the Southbank Centre as part of the Alchemy Festival, in partnership with Oxford University Press Pakistan, the Southbank Centre, Rukhsana Ahmad, and Bloomsbury Publishing (Pakistan) (whose KLF London team were Nadir Cheema, Nigham Shahid and Tariq Suleman).

Organisers

It is organised by

(Pakistan) and the festival co-founders Amina Saiyid,

Asif Farrukhi Asif Aslam Farrukhi ( ur, ; 16 September 1959 1 June 2020) was a Pakistani writer, translator, and literary critic active in both Urdu and English. He was also a public health expert and polyglot. He translated books from English into Urdu, ...

.The power of words: City gears up for 5th annual Karachi Literature Festival
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 24 December 2013, Retrieved 4 June 2020

Mission

KLF seeks to create an intellectual space in which the diversity and pluralism in Pakistan's society and this is expressed by the authors from literary and cultural traditions beyond Pakistan's borders are freely accessible to people in an open and participatory manner.

Objectives

* To represent intellectual traditions and cultural diversity through languages and academic disciplines. * To create a forum for intellectual dialogue and inter-cultural harmony through celebration of writing, publications, and performing arts. * To provide opportunities through which the world can see and connect with the literature, culture, and social ethos of Pakistan, and from which Pakistan can encounter what is happening in the world. * To promote artistic expression and emerging Pakistani and international literary talent * To encourage counter narratives, cross-pollination of ideas, and apolitical views * To reclaim public space in Karachi for literary and cultural exchanges

Format

The festival consists of literary discussions, book launches, and creative writing workshops. There is also an opportunity to meet a galaxy of authors, get some book signings done and visit a book fair.

Dates

* 2010: March: 20 & 21 * 2011: February: 5 & 6 * 2012: February: 11 & 12 * 2013: February: 15, 16 & 17 * 2014: February: 7, 8 & 9 * 2015: February: 6, 7 & 8 * 2016: February: 5, 6 & 7 *2017: February: 10, 11 & 12 *2018: February: 9, 10 & 11 *2019: March: 1, 2 & 3

Award

In 2011, the festival organisers announced the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) Prize for Best Non-Fiction Book in English. The book has to have been published in the preceding year. The award carries a monetary award of Rs. 100,000. In 2014, the award was raised to Rupees 150,000.

2011

* Jury:

Zubeida Mustafa Zubeida Mustafa (born 1941) is a freelance journalist from Pakistan. She became one of the first woman to work in the country's mainstream media, when she joined the Dawn newspaper in 1975. Early life Born in British India, Zubeida Mustafa mov ...

Ghazi Salahuddin Ghazi Salahuddin (born 1939) (Urdu: غازى صلاح الدين), is a Pakistani journalist, writer, literary figure, and the scholar of political science. He is brother of renowned educationist and Pakistan’s first woman to do PhD in nuclear ...

and Dr Jaffer Ahmad. * Winner: 'The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan (1947-2008)’ by Ilhan NiazWith a bang, not a whimper the Karachi Literature Festival comes to an end
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 7 February 2011, Retrieved 4 June 2020 – Published by: Oxford University Press, Karachi 2010.

First Festival (2010)

The inaugural event was held on 20 March 2010. Amongst the writers who participated were:

Aamer Hussein Aamer Hussein (born 8 April 1955, Karachi) is a Pakistani critic Biography
Aamer Hussein official website. ...

; Mohammad Hanif;

Mohsin Hamid Mohsin Hamid ( ur, محسن حامد; born 23 July 1971) is a British Pakistani novelist, writer and brand consultant. His novels are '' Moth Smoke'' (2000), '' The Reluctant Fundamentalist'' (2007), ''How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia'' (2 ...

;

Samina Quraeshi Samina Quraeshi (1944-2013) was an award-winning educator, designer, artist and author. Life She was raised in Karachi, Pakistan and lived in Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html ...

, Fahmida Riaz and

Bapsi Sidhwa Bapsi Sidhwa ( ur, بیپسی سدھوا; born 11 August 1938) is a Pakistani novelist of Gujarati Parsi Zoroastrian descent who writes in English and is a resident in the United States. She is best known for her collaborative work with Ind ...

. Also featuring noted poets and authors like Iftikhar Arif and Intezar Hussain,

and journalists like

Mujahid Barelvi Mujahid Barelvi ( ur, ), is a Pakistani journalist. As of 2015, he appeared on a daily show, ''Doosra Pehlu'', for CNBC Pakistan. He has traveled extensively worldwide.Aamer Hussein Aamer Hussein (born 8 April 1955, Karachi) is a Pakistani critic Biography
Aamer Hussein official website. ...

; Mohammad Hanif;

; Sara Suleri; Tahira Abdullah; Muneeza Shamsie; Noorjehan Bilgrami; Bina Shah; Zahida Hina;

Kamila Shamsie Kamila Shamsie FRSL (born 13 August 1973) is a Pakistani and British writer and novelist who is best known for her award-winning novel '' Home Fire'' (2017). Named on ''Granta'' magazine's list of 20 best young British writers, Shamsie has be ...

;

Anita Ghulam Ali Anita Ghulam Ali (1934–2014) was an educational expert in Sindh, Pakistan. She was a recipient of Pride of Performance Awards (1999) and Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Early life Anita was born on October 2, 1934, in Karachi, Pakistan. Her father was Feroz ...

; Daniyal Mueenuddin;

Yasmeen Hameed Yasmeen Hameed ( ur, ) is a Pakistani Urdu poet, translator and an educator. Career Yasmeen Hameed has more than thirty years of experience in the fields of education, literature and art. She was the Founding Director of Gurmani Centre for Sou ...

; Maleeha Lodhi, Ayesha Siddiqa; Kishwar Naheed; Asif Noorani;

Sheema Kirmani Sheema Kermani (also spelled Kirmani) (Urdu: ; born 16 January 1951) is a Pakistani dancer and social activist. She is the founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women's Movement). She is also an exponent of Bharatanatyam dance. She ...

; Madeeha Gauhar; Imtiaz Hussain; Zehra Nigah; H. M. Naqvi; Ali Sethi; Amjad Islam Amjad;

Hassan Dars , native_name = , native_name_lang = sd , image = , imagesize = , caption = , pseudonym = , birth_name = Muhammad Hassan , birth_date = , birth_place = Village Hoothee Mashaekh, Tando Allahyar District ...

; Ali Akbar Natiq; Mudassar Bashir; Attiya Dawood and Jean-Luc Racine. The plenary session was conducted by

Karen Armstrong Karen Armstrong (born 14 November 1944) is a British author and commentator of Irish Catholic descent known for her books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic religious sister, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and ...

. With 2011 declared 'Year of

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

', the festival paid tribute to him. The poet's grandson, Ali Madeeh Hashmi, talked about him as did the writers Zehra Nigah and Ali Sethi. The band Laal closed out the festivities.

Fifth Festival (2014)

This year's participants included the famous historian from India

Rajmohan Gandhi Rajmohan Gandhi (born 7 August 1935) is an Indian biographer, historian, and research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US. His paternal grandfather is Mahatma Gandhi, ...

, keynote speaker was author

Robert Fisk Robert Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was a writer and journalist who held British and Irish citizenship. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. His stan ...

along with over 100 Pakistani writers and 30 international writers from eight countries. It saw the launch of 30 books by many noted authors.

Thirteen Festival (2022)

The inaugural event was held on 04 March 2022. The 13th edition of the KLF held at the Beach Luxury Hotel is a three-day event on 4, 5, and 6 March. The theme of 13th edition is Separation, Belonging and Beyond: 75 years of Pakistan.

References

External links

*
1st Karachi Literature Festival
All Things Pakistan website {{DEFAULTSORT:Karachi Literature Festival Book fairs in Pakistan Literary festivals in Pakistan Recurring events established in 2010 2010 establishments in Pakistan Culture of Karachi Annual events in Karachi