Oct 2-3, Kanakakunnu Palace, Trivandrum
Making an opportunity to meet and chat with some important writers around the world, the third Kovalam Literary Festival-2010 has concluded in Trivandrum City with raising some serious issues about sub-continental writing.
South African author and journalist Zubeida Jaffer (Love in the Time of Treason), Pakisthani Writer Mohammad Haneef (A Case of Exploding Mangoes), Deborah Baker (The Convert), Chinese Author Lijiya Zhang (Socialism is Great-A Worker’s Memoir of the New China), Manu Joseph ( Serious Men), Graphic Novelist Sarnath Banerjee ( The Corridor), Daman Sigh ( Nine By Nine, The Sacred Grove), Mridula Koshy,Amish Tripathi, Ira Trivedi, Sashi Tharoor, Jnanpith- designate Prof. ONV Kurup, Paul Zakeriah, were participated in the Festival.
Cultural Minister Sri: M A Baby has inaugurated two-day long Kovalam Literary Festival, Jnanpith-designate O.N.V.Kurup in his presidential address, said that poetry firmly grounded on earth and fiction that depicts true life will withstand the test of time.Writer Paul Zacharia and B.Rajskrishnan also spoke. Prof.O.N.V. presented the festival’s award for emerging writers to Saheera Thangal. Binu John welcomed. The inaugural function was followed by reading sessions
Zubeida Jaffer talked her experience as a journalist who jailed and tortured during the Apartheid regime. Writer and daughter of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Daman Singh, present her book ‘The Sacred Grove’ Manu Joseph author of Serious Men talked about his work. He said took three years for Manu to finish ‘Serious Men’. Manu says he likes the logic of a screenplay. So, ‘Serious Men’ will be made into a movie? “There are some discussions abroad, but I don’t want it to be made into an English movie,” he says.
The first graphic novelist of the country, Sarnath Banerjee is rather perverse to the idea of being known as one. He prefers a comic writer tag than any other labels, and thinks the term “graphic novel” was conveniently devised by publishers to shelf books like his. His first book, ‘Corridor’, was much acclaimed for its witty take on life in the streets of Delhi, the protagonist being a second-hand book seller. His works show a dark sense of humour and satire on urban life. For him, it’s his love of telling stories that comes first rather than beautiful wording or illustrations.
There were also reading sessions, talk by eminent journalist Satish Jacob and discussions about Indo-Pak relations.
