Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) edition six kicked off on Saturday at Alhamra Arts Center as large number of people belonging to all walks of life including students, teachers and literary personalities made their way towards the festival.

LLF will include sessions by several noted local and international journalists, actors, historians, book writers, activists, artists, singers among others.

Number of international celebrities including Emmy award winning Hollywood Actor Riz Ahmad, journalist and novelist David Ignatius, historian Audrey Truschke, Booker-winner Ben Okri, activist and urban theorist Arif Hasan, British-Pakistani food writer Sumayya Usmani, Iranian artist and curator Vali Malhouji, Urdu poet and scholar Iftikhar Husain, feminist poet Kishwar Naheed, Somali-British novelist Nadifa Mohamed, short-story writer, critic Aamer Hussein, award-winning Iraqi poet and novelist Sinan Antoon will grace the event with their presence. LLF 2018 will also feature Dastangoi and an evening with Zia Mohyeddin on Shakespeare.

The two day literary saga will also feature speakers included Tariq Ali, Vikram Seth, Tehmina Durrani, Joe Sacco, Abdullah Hussein, Kamila Shamsie, Hari Kunzru, Intizar Hussain, Sana Mir, Romila Thapar, Asma Jahangir, Michael Palin, Mira Nair, Teju Cole, Steve Coll, Ayesha Jalal, Margaret MacMillan, Rasheed Araeen, William Dalrymple and Peter Frankopan.

Talking about the Festival in a press statement, founder and CEO of LLF Razi Ahmad said, “Since its debut edition in 2013, LLF has burnished Lahore’s primacy as the place of civilized discourse and big ideas”. He said, “The festival has engaged students and citizens across the country and it has celebrated thinkers, from Pakistan and abroad, in vibrant discussions across a range of themes.”