VS Naipaul, Elanor Catton set to attend Zee Jaipur Literature Festival

Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul, Booker winner Eleanor Catton, novelist Hanif Kureishi as well as travel writer Paul Theroux are among heavyweights lined up for the eighth edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival.

A total of 77 authors are set to take part in the annual literary extravaganza scheduled in the pink city from January 21-25 in 2015, organisers said in a statement today.

Prominent Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh, current Booker Prize nominee Neel Mukherjee, best-selling novelist Amish Tripathi and celebrated author and translator Arshia Sattar, as well as children's author Cornelia Funke are among participants.

Emphasis on poetry, as well as celebrating South Asia through all genres of writing, say organisers would set tone for the upcoming Zee Jaipur Literature Festival.

A strand of sessions would showcase and celebrate the rich literature of the seven sister states of the North-East.

"Following on from the popular theme of 'Crime and Punishment' from last year, this January's festival will look at writing associated with 'The Seven Deadly Sins', as well as continuing a second strand of celebrated Women Uninterrupted series," organisers said.

Following its debut this year, the 'Jaipur BookMark', a business to business platform is again set for two days from January 21. The platform offers a place for the global publishing community to come together and discuss issues and challenges faced by the industry, as well as the country's rapidly changing digital and print publishing landscape.

Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla, Bangla writer Sangeeta Bandopadhyay, Marathi Dalit woman writer Urmila Pawar and the dramatist Girish Karnad are all scheduled to attend.