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APJ Abdul Kalam, Jung Chang, Naseeruddin Shah among 234 speakers at Zee Jaipur Literature festival

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The world's largest free literature festival - the Zee Jaipur Literature festival announced their list of speakers and events at its curtain raiser on Tuesday at Taj Mahal hotel, New Delhi. Festival Co-Directors William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale revealed the final line-up of authors, themes and sponsors of the Zee Jaipur Literature scheduled to take place between January 21-25, 2015. 

This year the festival will have 234 speakers and 117 musicians, artists and speakers. China born British author Jung Chang, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, actor Naseeruddin Shah in the five day literature festival next month.

Chang, whose memoir of growing up in Mao's China, "Wild Swans", which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide as well as Lucy-Hughes Hallett, British biographer and winner of last year's Samuel Johnson Prize are among the final list of participants at the literary carnival.

Former President and distinguished scientist, APJ Abdul Kalam is scheduled to share his vision for India, discussing on the crucial issues the country faces with festival audiences. "We have two missions at Jaipur- to showcase Indian writing to the world and to bring the greatest writers in the world to India. This year's programme will achieve this better than ever and it looks like a particularly vintage year," said William Dalrymple, author and festival co-director.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah will bring a flavor of Bollywood to the Festival as he discusses his delightfully frank autobiography And Then One Day with actor and playwright Girish Karnad who will talk about his highly acclaimed play Boiled Beans on Toast. Vishal Bhardwaj is lined up to speak about Shakespearean deconstructions in Indian reality present in his celebrated recent film "Haider". Scriptwriter Basharat Peer and renowned theatre director Tim Supple join him in discussions. Actor Waheeda Rehman, is set to look back at her life and career with biographer and film historian Nasreen Munni Kabir whilst Prasoon Joshi, a festival favourite is set to speak to poet and mythologist Yatindra Mishra about the Indian traditions of popular music and poetry.

Previously announced speakers include Nobel laureate VS Naipaul, Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, renowned contemporary travel writer Paul Theroux, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist Hanif Kureishi. Sessions include those on Lawrence of Arabia, tigers, Buddhism, detectives, pirates, aesthetics, science, bumble bees, statistics and the Simpsons.

The co-directors also gave out other details for their followers on social media

At the curtain raiser hosted by Teamwork Arts, a debate themed on "This house proposes the centre of literary action is moving from the novel to non-fiction" was conducted with panelists including Shashi Tharoor, Navtej Sarna, Anuja Chauhan and Urvashi Butalia. The debate revolved around recent trends in publishing across South Asia, and argued why readers are increasingly consuming more and more non-fiction.

Namita Gokhale, author and co-Director, said, "The literature festival in its many avatars has been described variously as a literary Woodstock, a Sahityik Kumbh Mela, and a spreading Banyan tree with both aerial and earth roots."

The speakers will join the illustrious list that includes Nobel laureate VS Naipaul, Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, renowned contemporary travel writer Paul Theroux, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri, acclaimed author of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist Hanif Kureishi to complete the line up for next month’s festival. 

The festival will also celebrate and honour 50 years since the publication of "A House for Mr Biswas", perhaps one of the best loved English novels ever. The sheer range and diversity of the programme is unprecedented with session on Lawrence of Arabia, tigers, Buddhism, detectives, pirates, aesthetics, science, bumble bees, statistics and the Simpsons all scheduled.

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