PVLF 2025

What to Expect at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2024 from Da Vinci, Raja Ravi Varma, Oppenheimer, and Irrfan

Explore the brilliance of Da Vinci, Raja Ravi Varma's legacy, and insights into Irrfan Khan's life at Jaipur Literature Festival 2024. Discover literary gems and cultural narratives.
on Dec 15, 2023

The biennial Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) will be held from February 1 to 5. According to co-director William Dalrymple, it will be "our finest festival yet."
The complexities of Leonardo Da Vinci's inventiveness, Raja Ravi Varma's legacy, and peeks into the lives of Irrfan Khan, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Pranab Mukherjee will be among the promising sessions at the Jaipur Literature Festival, which will take place in February next year.

Teamwork Arts, the festival's producer, revealed some of the subjects that would be addressed at the 17th edition of JLF, which will be held in Jaipur from February 1 to 5.

At the ceremony, it was also announced that Crossword would be the official bookstore for JLF in 2024.
In his address to the audience, novelist, historian, and festival co-director William Dalrymple stated that the event strives to "raise the bar" each year and that 2024 "will be our finest festival yet."

"At the Jaipur Literature Festival, we inspire people through the power of stories," said Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director (MD) of Teamwork Arts. It is an opportunity to interact with a diverse range of artists, knowledge, and creativity... a celebration of the joy of literature."

What lies ahead?

Two novels from Ganesh V. Shivaswamy's six-volume series Raja Ravi Varma: An Everlasting Imprint will be discussed in a session, with the focus on Raja Ravi Varma's artistic journey's everlasting impact.

Luke Syson, museum curator, art historian, and Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, will speak about Leonardo da Vinci's reputation as an inventor and scientist, as well as the complexity of his creativity and personality, which have sometimes overshadowed the importance of his aims and techniques as a painter.

With his critically acclaimed Leonardo da Vinci – Painter at the Court of Milan, Syson has made an effort to comprehend the intricate character of one of the Renaissance's most sought-after artists.

A workshop on Shubhra Gupta's Irrfan: A Life in Movies, a cinema critic and writer, is also scheduled. The book is a compilation of interviews with the late actor's friends and colleagues, detailing their recollections of him.

In another session, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Kai Bird will discuss his writing life and creative path. Bird co-wrote American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer with the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, was inspired by the book.

The memoir Pranab My Father: A Daughter Remembers by Sharmistha Mukherjee will also be included during the 17th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, providing an intriguing peek into the distinguished life of the late Pranab Mukherjee, India's thirteenth President.

There will also be a session on poet Gulzar's writings, facilitated by translator and writer Rakhshanda Jalil's Baal O-Par, a six-volume complete compilation of Gulzar's oeuvre.

Another session will focus on fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani's global travels. Journey to India Modern, a book co-written with writer Alia Allana, will show the paths he went for his craft, as well as the significance of his luxury design firm in today's globe.

Several publications on the hallowed terrain of the high Himalaya and the everlasting traditions of spiritual and mystic adventures would be discussed in the spiritual history section.

Mary Beard's recent book, Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern, which investigates how Roman art has affected the Western world's understanding of power for over two millennia, will also be available.

She will address evolving identities, deliberate misidentifications, and the often-uncertain portrayals of authority in conversation with historian, writer, and podcaster Tom Holland.

This year, the festival is also providing an exclusive Friend of the Festival (FOF) package, which includes admission to a special lounge where attendees may relax and mingle with speakers. Lunches and dinners are also included, as well as preferential access to select workshops and admission to live music performances at the Jaipur Music Stage.

'Friend of the Festival' packages can be reserved by following this link:

https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/friendsofthefestival-registration

For more information on the Festival, go to:

https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/