The ninth edition of the Goa Arts and Literature Festival (GALF) will be held at the
International Centre Goa (ICG) from December 6 to December 8, 2018.
GALF 2018 will be inaugurated by two of
India’s most celebrated writers. On December 6 at the heritage Maquinez Palace
complex in Panaji, the festival will open with keynote addresses by eminent
novelist and writer, Shashi Deshpande, and the multi-disciplinary literary son
of the soil, Jerry Pinto. The inaugural will also see the unveiling of the
official GALF 2018 artwork, exclusively created by the well-known Goan artist,
VirajNaik.
This year’s edition of Goa’s home-grown arts and literature
bonanza features exclusive book releases by the acclaimed American biographer
Deborah Baker, the celebrated British historian David Gilmour, leading Goan
diaspora author Suneeta Peres da Costa, and several others including
RamachandraGuha and Mustansir Dalvi. The emerging literary star from Thailand,
Prabda Yoon will make his India debut, and renowned Nepali-Canadian author
Manjushree Thapa will also attend GALF for the first time, alongside other
delegates from Bhutan, Singapore and Portugal.
The highlight-filled festival programme on December 7th and 8th
at ICG includes an emphasis on contemporary history, showcasing brilliant
writers like Manu Pillai, Rana Safvi, Shanta Gokhale and Ganesh Saili. Another
parallel theme is GALF’s consistent emphasis on ‘Finding a Voice’, featuring
the newly elected PEN Vice President Perumal Murugan, emerging star Gurmehar
Kaur of Delhi University, the ebullient mainstay of Kannada literature
Vasudhendra, and from the world of Hindi journalism, Anil Kumar Yadav.
A range of exclusive bookstalls – including Broadway, the
official bookstore for GALF 2018 – will offer the broadest selection of books
available in Goa, from local publishers to international, distributed across a
wide range of genres. As previously, Young GALF will present daily programmes
for school children of all ages, every morning on the ICG lawns, featuring
poetry, journalism, art and activities suited for young people.
Entry
to all festival sessions is free and open to the general public.
