400 global voices to converge at upcoming Kerala Literature Festival

The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) will be held from January 22 to 25 at the Kozhikode beachfront, the city recognised as India’s first Unesco City of Literature. Since its inception in 2016, KLF has grown into one of Asia’s largest and the world’s most attended literary conclave, attracting more than 6,50,000 visitors and over 600 speakers in its previous edition, and becoming one of India’s most anticipated cultural gatherings where literature, ideas, art, music, cinema, and performance come together in an open and inclusive space.

The 2026 edition will feature over 400 speakers and 250 sessions spread across seven parallel tracks, with 10 sessions per track each day, 15 participating countries, followed by evening performances and musical events on Kozhikode beach.

The festival will host a gathering of Nobel Laureates, Booker Prize winners, historians, scientists, philosophers, activists, filmmakers, and artists, creating hundreds of sessions that explore both the familiar and the new. The conversations will span fiction and non-fiction, politics and history, folklore and contemporary culture, science and philosophy.

Confirmed speakers include Nobel Laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah, Olga Tokarczuk, and Abhijit Banerjee, Olympian Ben Johnson, business leader Indra Nooyi, artist and illustrator Cheyenne Olivier, writer Gabriela Ybarra, economist Arvind Subramanian, linguist and author Peggy Mohan, author and columnist Shobhaa De, writer and former diplomat Amish Tripathi, actor and singer Piyush Mishra, curator Helen Molesworth, writer and activist Banu Mushtaq, along with writer and journalist Deepa Bhasthi.

“KLF has evolved into a platform where literature and art coexist with science, cinema, and social thought. Every year, it becomes a meeting point for some of the most creative and courageous minds from around the world. The 2026 edition will continue this journey by deepening the exchange of ideas and celebrating cultural diversity,” said Ravi Deecee, chief facilitator, Kerala Literature Festival.

Germany has been announced as the Guest Nation for KLF 2026, bringing with it a programme of diverse literary, artistic, and cultural expressions.

“Germany shares a close cultural relationship with Kerala, and we are excited to reaffirm this relationship through our programming for Kerala Literature Festival,” said Dr Michael Heinst, director of Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore. “As the Guest Nation, the German participation will feature a dedicated pavilion, a writing residency in Vagamon for German writers as well as a creative writing workshop for young creatives writing in Malayalam,” he added.