Jaipur Literature Festival 2020: Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Greenblatt, Suketu Mehta, Asma Khan among speakers announced

The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2020 has announced its first list of 25 speakers out of the nearly 250 figures who will be attending the literary extravaganza at the Diggi Palace Hotel. Festival producer Teamwork Arts unveiled the line-up which includes among others the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stephen Greenblatt. To be held from 23-27 January 2020, the JLF will also be attended by Anand Neelakantan, author, columnist and screenwriter; Asma Khan, the first British chef to feature on Netflix’s famed show, Chef’s Table; writer Chitra Mudgal, the first woman to be the recipient of the Vyas Samman for her acclaimed novel Avaan; and Frank Dikötter, the 2011 winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. [caption id=“attachment_7546851” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Greenblatt and renowned author Suketu Mehta will be among those attending the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020.[/caption] Historian William Dalrymple, co-director of the festival said of the line-up, “This is unquestionably one of the best lists we’ve ever gathered: five days of non-stop genius.” Also speaking at the event will be Howard Jacobson, recipient of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for his work The Finkler Question; KR Meera, the winner of the Kendra and Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards for her novel, Aaraachaar; and Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. Award-winning journalist Raj Kamal Jha, veteran Hindustani vocalist, Shubha Mudgal, renowned author Suketu Mehta and well-known film director and composer Vishal Bhardwaj are also among the speakers scheduled to attend the 2020 edition of the JLF. As well, the line-up includes Anosh Irani, Ben Judah, Brian Aivars Catlos, Hallie Rubenhold, Jung Chang and Keki N Daruwalla among others. “Vision 2020 will be a new voyage of discovery to help us understand and reflect on the ever-changing world around us,” said Namita Gokhale, writer and co-director of the event. Through each edition, the festival brings to the table a diverse mix of writers, politicians, humanitarians and leaders to foster thoughtful debate and dialogue. In September 2019, the literature festival conducted its North America tour through New York, Houston and Colorado and also presented a rendition in Adelaide. The JLF, which is often described as the  ‘greatest literary show on Earth’ did rounds in Belfast and London in 2019.  The festival also added Toronto to its roster this year hosting notable figures such as Shashi Tharoor, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Devyani Saltzman in the line-up of speakers. With every edition, the event attracts a steady stream of some of the most prominent figures in the literary world while maintaining its core values of serving as a non-aligned, democratic platform offering free and fair access.