The 17th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival unveils its stellar line-up for a Power-Packed 2026 Edition
Kolkata, Jan 06: The Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) is all set to return with its 17th edition, unveiling an exciting and expansive list of speakers who will take center stage at one of India’s most anticipated literary gatherings. Scheduled from 9th to 11th January 2026, the festival will unfold across the majestic Alipore Museum, with select sessions at Oxford Bookstore and The Park, Kolkata, promising three intellectually charged days of dialogue, debate and discovery.
AKLF 2026 brings together a stellar constellation of over 100 voices spanning literature, cinema, politics, journalism, wellness, academia and popular culture. The line-up features an exceptional mix of acclaimed writers, actors, thinkers, cultural commentators and public intellectuals, including Amit Lodha, Anand Neelakantan, Aparna Sen, Arunava Sinha, Bachi Karkaria, Benyamin, Brinda Karat, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Dr. Alka Pande, Raju Raman, Riri G Trivedi, Shaun Kenworthy, Madhabi Mukherjee, Moon Moon Sen, Sayantan Maitra, Ushoshi Sengupta, Jeet Thayil, Jerry Pinto, Luke Coutinho, Mallika Dua, Pamela Philipose, Pavan K. Varma, Priyambada Jayakumar, Ratnaboli Ray, Poulami Chatterjee Bose, Ruchir Joshi, Satyarth Nayak, Shobhaa De, Sundar Sarukkai, Usha Uthup and Vijender Chauhan, among many others from India and across the world. Together, they promise a festival that is as diverse in thought as it is rich in literary and cultural depth.
Adding to the global resonance of the festival, AKLF 2026 will also host international writers and scholars, reinforcing its reputation as a platform for cross-cultural literary exchange and globally relevant conversations. The programme reflects a bold curatorial vision, bringing together perspectives that engage with both enduring literary traditions and pressing contemporary concerns.
The three-day festival will feature a wide-ranging and thoughtfully curated line-up of sessions, including Aparna Sen Unplugged, Quo Vadis?, The Dark Side, Motherlode: Mining the Myths, Duty Calls, The Sun God & Other Stories: Entering the World of Myths, Celebrating the City: An Adda, Kolkata Stories Then & Now, Tok Jhaal Mishti: What Sets Bengal’s Cuisine Apart, and On Living, Dying and Everything that Matters, among many others. The 11th Apeejay Jit Paul Memorial Lecture further strengthening the festival’s curatorial vision to thought leadership and literary excellence. The festival will also announce the much-awaited shortlist for the 11th Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize, celebrating design and visual storytelling in publishing. Special tribute to literary and cultural milestones with centennial commemorations of Mahasweta Devi, and legendary filmmaker Raj Khosla, offering reflective sessions that honour their enduring legacies. Together, these sessions promise an engaging blend of literature, history, cinema, wellness, politics, food culture and social commentary.
The 17th edition of the festival opens with an inauguration featuring Usha Uthup and Madhabi Mukherjee, followed by the launch of Mukherjee’s memoir. Key sessions on the first day include Shalini Modi and Lopamudra Maitra on mythology, Aparna Sen’s unplugged cinematic journey, and a wellness talk by Luke Coutinho. On January 10, the programme continues with Priyambada Jayakumar and Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan discussing M.S. Swaminathan’s legacy alongside Brinda Karat discussing her new book with Subhashini Ali. International perspectives are showcased through a Goethe-Institut session marking milestones in German poetry, followed by a discussion with French writer Neige Sinno on her award-winning book Sad Tiger.
The final day, January 11, features crime thriller insights from Amit Lodha and Rudraneil Sengupta, Jerry Pinto reflecting on life and death, Shobhaa De exploring The Sensual Self, and Jeet Thayil discussing The Elsewhereans. Ushoshi Sengupta in conversation with Sayantan Maitra and Moon Moon Sen examines the evolution of Durga Puja in Bengal—from craft and creativity to tradition and experimentation, and from religious fervour to social activism. The festival concludes with the Kolkata launch of Dr. Shashi Tharoor’s new book, The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism, at The Park, Kolkata.
The Oxford Junior Literary Festival (OJLF) at Oxford Bookstore, Kolkata offers a vibrant programming for young readers and verse enthusiasts at the Oxford Bookstore and Alipore Museum respectively. Storytellers and authors at OJLF include Himanjali Sankar, Hemangini Dutt Majumder, and Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, alongside interactive sessions with Anita Nair, Savie Karnel, and Jael Silliman. Meanwhile, the Poetry Café presented in collaboration with Alliance Française du Bengale set against the evocative backdrop of the Alipore Museum in Ward No. 5, will bring together established and emerging poets such as Bashabi Fraser, Saheba Singh, and Anjana Basu, with special tribute to Rahim’s Dohas led by Chandan Sinha. Other participating voices include Ramanjit Kaur, Baisali Chatterjee Dutt, Arundhati Ghosh, Sufia Khatoon, and Debasish Lahiri, Vinay Sharma ensuring a rich multilingual and multi-generational celebration of words.
With its rich programming, landmark tributes and an exceptional line-up of speakers, the 17th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival promises an edition that is bold, thought-provoking and deeply rooted in Kolkata’s cultural ethos, further cementing its place as a cornerstone of the city’s annual cultural calendar.
About Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival: Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, India’s only literary festival created by a bookstore and Kolkata’s first literary festival, mirrors the city’s rich cultural and intellectual legacy. It celebrates literature as part of our tangible and intangible heritage, bringing together books, music, art, film and ideas at the city’s magnificent heritage venues. For more details, visit www.aklf.in