Journalism of Courage
Ninth Edition of The Kerala Literature Festival: The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) will be held from January 22 to 25, 2026, at the Kozhikode beachfront, the city recognised as India’s first UNESCO City of Literature. (Source: Photo by PR handout )
Asia's Largest Literary Festival and World's Most Attended Conclave: Since its inception in 2016, KLF has grown into Asia’s largest and the world’s most attended literary conclave, attracting more than 650,000 visitors and over 600 speakers in its previous edition and becoming one of India’s most anticipated cultural gatherings where literature, ideas, art, music, cinema, and performance come together in an open and inclusive space. (Source: Photo by PR handout )
2026 Edition Set for a Wider Range of Voices: The 2026 edition is set to be even more dynamic, presenting a wider range of voices and experiences that reflect the evolving landscape of global thought and creativity. Over four days, the festival will feature over 400 speakers and 250 sessions spread across seven parallel tracks, with ten sessions per track each day, 15 participating countries, followed by evening performances and musical events on Kozhikode beach. (Source: Photo by PR handout )
What to Expect: Building on this expansive format, KLF 2026 will host a remarkable gathering of Nobel Laureates, Booker Prize winners, historians, scientists, philosophers, activists, filmmakers, and artists, creating hundreds of sessions that explore both the familiar and the new. The conversations will span fiction and non-fiction, politics and history, folklore and contemporary culture, science and philosophy, reflecting the festival’s core belief that the exchange of ideas is the most powerful form of creativity. (Source: Photo by PR handout )
Speakers to Look Out For: Among the confirmed speakers are Nobel Laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah, Olga Tokarczuk, and Abhijit Banerjee, Olympian Ben Johnson, business leader Indra Nooyi, artist and illustrator Cheyenne Olivier, writer Gabriela Ybarra, economist Arvind Subramanian, linguist and author Peggy Mohan, author and columnist Shobhaa De, writer and former diplomat Amish Tripathi, actor and singer Piyush Mishra, curator Helen Molesworth, writer and activist Banu Mushtaq, along with writer and journalist Deepa Bhasthi. (Source: Photo by PR handout )
Guest Nation for KLF 2026: As the Guest Nation of KLF 2026, the German participation will feature a dedicated pavilion, a writing residency in Vagamon for German writers, as well as a Creative Writing Workshop for young creatives writing in Malayalam. Together with our partners, the German Consulate in Bangalore and the Goethe-Zentrum in Trivandrum, we will bring German authors and artists to the warm sands of Kozhikode beach." (Source: Photo by PR handout )
Massive Success of the Previous Edition: Founded in 2016, the Kerala Literature Festival has become a landmark event where literature intersects with art, music, cinema, and philosophy. The festival is promoted by DC Kizhakemuri Foundation and supported by the Government of Kerala. The 8th edition in 2025 hosted over 600 speakers, 15 countries, and 650,000 visitors at Kozhikode Beach, reaffirming Kerala’s place on the global cultural map. KLF is part of the tourist calendar of the region, with participation from across India and from other parts of the world. (Source: Photo by PR handout )
