PVLF 2026

Kerala Literature Festival 2026 to Spotlight Germany as Guest Country

KLF 2026 returns to Kozhikode with Germany as guest nation, uniting global voices in literature, culture, and dialogue from Jan 22–25.
on Sep 16, 2025

Asia's largest literature festival, Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), is getting ready for its ninth edition with Germany as the guest country. From 22 to 25 January 2026, the festival will feature an exceptional line-up of world thinkers, writers, performers, and artists from around the globe.

From Goethe to Daniel Kehlmann, Germany is internationally renowned for its rich literary heritage. At KLF 2026, eminent German writers, poets, translators, and philosophers will come together for dialogue cutting across literature in translation, post-colonial and post-war fiction, identity, memory, and literature's role in informing public awareness. Such dialogues are an initiative to cross linguistic and cultural divides and engage German and Indian literary traditions with each other in a meaningful exchange.

Germany's contribution will bring a dynamic cultural aspect to the festival with much more to it than literary debates. The audience can look forward to a vibrant series of installations, theatre events, musical concerts, film shows, gastronomic workshops, etc., conducted by German artists. Aiming to promote cultural dialogue, these activities will serve to showcase the interaction between Germany and India at the cultural, literary and social levels.

With thousands of tourists on Calicut (Kozhikode) beaches, Germany will be in the center of the festivities, presenting a glimpse into its culture, literature, and ideas in a way that can be rarely seen, while forging a lasting link with India's artistic and literary community.

The 2026 festival is set to intensify its engagement with conversation on different genres and fields, gathering voices from around the globe who are defining new thought and cultural expression.

This year, KLF will host discussions on literature as well as pressing global issues, including environmentalism, sustainability, feminism, human rights violations, cyber security, and more. The line-up of guests includes Abhijit Banerjee, Pico Iyer, Shobha De, Banu Mushtaq, Deepa Bashti, etc.

A specially designed platform for children, the Children's Kerala Literature Festival (CKLF), has been a thrilling new element of the festival in recent years and increasing in scope and vision. Designed especially for kids and young adults, CKLF aims to encourage curiosity, imagination, and a lifelong passion for reading and learning. Last year, CKLF partnered with Karadi Tales, Pratham Books, Tulika Books, and others to reach famous authors and stories to readers in Kerala.

Organized by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation, a non-profit institution established as a befitting tribute to the founder of DC Books, the late D C Kizhakemuri, a freedom fighter, social activist, writer, and publisher, and also a Padma Bhushan awardee.

Total recall

The earlier editions of KLF also had international speakers, such as Nobel Laureates, Booker Prize winners and popular celebrities. The latest edition was extra special as it had six Booker prize-listed writers, such as Jenny Erpenbeck, Georgi Gospodinov, Paul Lynch and others. It also had Nobel laureates Venki Ramakrishnan and Esther Duflo among several other famous guests.

Then there were other famous authors like Dr. Abraham Verghese, Angela Saini, GauZ, Sophie Mackintosh, Christian Kracht, etc.

France was the visiting country in the previous edition, presenting French experiences. through cultural events, experience centre, special children activities, etc.

Kerala Literature Festival has been featured in several international journals like The New York Times.

With a half-million footfall, KLF has turned into a household name and one of the biggest cultural events in India, with international speakers and delegations descending on the city to see the event at its best.

By the way, UNESCO had already christened Kozhikode as India's first City of Literature in 2023, and KLF was the major driver in securing this accolade. The festival saw 330 sessions spread over seven different tracks commemorating literature, art, and culture.