Jaipur Literature Festival Names Second Speaker List for Its 20th Edition

The Jaipur Literature Festival has announced its second list of speakers for its 20th edition, which runs from 14 to 18 January 2027 at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur. The new names span fiction and poetry, histories of empire, science, international affairs, wellbeing, food and the arts.

Who is coming

Among the writers are Adania Shibli, the Palestinian author whose novel Minor Detail was nominated for the National Book Award and the International Booker Prize; novelist Claire Messud; Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, whose fiction explores Adivasi identity; poet and novelist Mona Arshi; Malayalam writer and essayist Paul Zacharia; novelist, poet and critic Tabish Khair; Marathi playwright, novelist and theatre director Makarand Sathe; and author and linguist Thangjam Hidustani Devi.

History is well represented. Harvard professor Caroline Elkins, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, joins fellow Harvard historian Sven Beckert, known for his work on capitalism and global economic history. Archaeologist Eric Cline, who studies the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, and Neil MacGregor, art historian and former director of the British Museum, are also on the list, alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Benjamin Moser, scholar Ananya Vajpeyi, classicist Mira Seo and art historian Vishaka N. Desai.

From science and public life come Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, biological anthropologist and broadcaster Alice Roberts, cardiovascular surgeon Shriram Nene, conflict resolution specialist Gabrielle Rifkind, Caste Matters author Suraj Yengde, self-development author Roxie Nafousi, journalist and broadcaster Mishal Husain, and Akshata Murty, known for her work in business and philanthropy.

For the food world, chef and restaurateur Ritu Dalmia, co-owner of the Italian restaurant Diva, is among the speakers.

Twenty years on

Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple said, “When we first began the Jaipur Literature Festival, we could hardly have imagined what it would grow into. India has an extraordinary and very ancient tradition of storytelling, intellectual exchange and public debate, and I think the Festival has helped bring that tradition into conversation with the wider world.”

Co-Founder and Co-Director Namita Gokhale said the edition will carry “a special focus on the multilingual Indian literary landscape, with writers from all the major Indian languages joining us for sessions, panels and readings.”

Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, said, “At a time when the world needs platforms for meaningful dialogue more than ever, we remain committed to bringing people and ideas together across disciplines, cultures and intercontinental boundaries.”

Images: courtesy of Jaipur Literature Festival / Edelman. Benjamin Moser photo © Nan Goldin.