AKLF 2026 Set to Bring Global Literary Spark to Kolkata

Tapash Roy,kolkata:The 17th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival is gearing up for a dynamic 2026 edition, unveiled at a curtain-raiser at Oxford Bookstore with bestselling author Amish Tripathi headlining a lively conversation on “The Thrill of the Legend.” Scheduled from 9 to 11 January at the historic Alipore Museum, the festival promises three immersive days featuring acclaimed writers, thinkers, artists and public figures from India and abroad. This edition will spotlight conversations spanning mythology, crime, wellness, romance, food culture, cinema, leadership and the supernatural, with a strong emphasis on gender, history, wellness and translation. AKLF will also mark major centennials, including tributes to Mahasweta Devi, filmmaker Raj Khosla and Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann. A key draw will be the Kolkata launch of Dr. Shashi Tharoor’s new book The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism, alongside the 11th Apeejay Jit Paul Memorial Lecture by author and diplomat Pavan K. Varma. The festival will also announce the much-anticipated shortlist for the 11th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize. The programme will run across Alipore Museum, Oxford Bookstore and The Park, featuring sessions such as Aparna Sen Unplugged, Crime and Punishment, Tok Jhaal Mishti, Duty Calls, Surviving the Dark, and On Living, Dying and Everything that Matters. Young readers can look forward to the Oxford Junior Literary Festival, while poetry lovers will be drawn to the Poetry Café at Alipore Museum. Speaking at the launch, Priti Paul of Apeejay Surrendra Group highlighted the festival’s role in nurturing Kolkata’s cultural spirit, while Festival Director Anjum Katyal emphasised AKLF’s commitment to contemporary themes and inclusive dialogue. Supported by a wide network of cultural bodies, publishers, hospitality partners and creative collaborators, AKLF 2026 aims to celebrate the enduring power of literature and the city that inspires it.