Kathmandu, November 4
The inaugural edition of the Shangri-La Literature Festival is set to take place on December 26 and 27 at Hotel Himalaya, Lalitpur, bringing together literature, arts and performance in a celebration of creativity, ideas and cultural exchange.
Organised by the Kathmandu Shangrila Foundation, the two-day festival aims to create a vibrant platform for writers, artists, performers, readers and cultural enthusiasts to engage with diverse voices, discover new perspectives and celebrate the richness of artistic expression.
According to the festival director, Ken Subedi, at least six award-winning authors from India shall be participating in the festival as guest speakers. Some of them include Manu Joseph, Ruchir Joshi, Jerry Pinto and Satish Padmanabhan. The festival will primarily feature interaction panels spanning literature, the visual and performing arts, and conversations around books, film and society. Through discussions, artistic presentations and performances, it seeks to encourage dialogue across disciplines and foster meaningful connections between creators and audiences.
As per the organiser, there shall be panel discussions at two venues simultaneously. The inaugural function will cover cultural dances, while the closing will feature instrumental performances. In addition to the literary discussions, the festival will host book stalls, offering visitors an opportunity to explore and discover books, alongside book signings that will allow readers to meet authors and engage more closely with their work. The discussions shall cover different themes under children’s literature, women’s literature, literature of the margins, youth literature, translations, AI, poetry and so on.
Set against the cultural and natural splendour of Kathmandu Valley, Shangri-La Literature Festival aspires to establish itself as a distinctive meeting point for literary and artistic voices from Nepal and beyond. The festival seeks to nurture a culture of reading, promote creative expression and strengthen cultural exchange through literature and the arts.
By bringing together different forms of storytelling and performance, the festival hopes to make literature more accessible to wider audiences while creating space for fresh ideas, conversations and collaborations.
The organiser announced the two-day festival after organising Shangri-La Sambad, literature-based dialogue events for a year. The inaugural edition marks the beginning of an initiative to celebrate the power of words, art and performance in connecting people, cultures and perspectives.
