The Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) is the largest literary event in the country with over half a million attendees over four dynamic days. Founded in 2016, KLF is organised by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation and co-promoted by DC Books. The Festival is held annually on the beaches of Kozhikode, India’s first-ever UNESCO City of Literature. The 8th edition of the festival will be held from 23rd January to 26th January 2025. France is the guest of honour for this edition of the festival with 15+ French authors and 8+ representatives of French publishing houses present.
The programme will include exclusive sessions by French authors as well as interdisciplinary programmes such as musical readings, live drawing concerts, film screenings and curated exhibitions.
For the first time, the Kerala Literature Festival will host the Publishers’ Meet, a two-day professional event gathering French and Indian publishers for round-tables and B to B meetings. French publishers include Gallimard (represented by Tiffany Gassouk)  Flammarion (represented by Mélody Enjoubault), Humensis (represented by Sandrine Paccher), Sabine Wespieser (represented by herself), Emmanuelle Collas (represented by herself), ABC Melody (represented by Stéphane Husar), Ægitna Literary Agency (represented by Raphaël Thierry), Editions Desjonquères (represented by Isabelle Jaitly) and Mediatoon (represented by Shashank Gupta).
The 8th edition of the festival will also host an impressive gathering of Francophone authors, who together with celebrated writers from India will engage in vibrant discussions, workshops, and creative collaborations.
French authors participating include GauZ’ (award-winning satirical novelist and journalist), Johana Gustawsson (critically acclaimed crime writer), Philippe Claudel (award-winning novelist and filmmaker), Ira Mukhoty (narrative historian), Chowra Makaremi (anthropologist and filmmaker), Pierre Singaravélou (global historian and scholar), Esther Duflo (Nobel-winning economist and author), Cheyenne Olivier (geometric and social illustrator), Karthika Naïr (poet and epic re-imaginer), Timothée de Fombelle (beloved children’s author), Julie Stephen Chheng (innovative AR designer), ALFRED (award-winning graphic novelist), Fred Nevché (lyrical poet and musician), and Zeina Abirached (Illustrator and graphic novelist).
This initiative is supported by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Institut Français as part of the strategy for exporting Cultural and Creative Industries internationally.
Musical reading of The Prophet by Khalil Gibran by Zeina Abirached
Renowned Franco-Lebanese graphic novelist and illustrator Zeina Abirached will present a unique and captivating musical reading of her illustrated version of The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. Collaborating with a musician and a poet, this performance seamlessly weaves together art, poetry, and music, breathing fresh life into Gibran’s timeless masterpiece. Don’t miss this extraordinary celebration of literature and melody!
Pardon My French! Exhibition
Books and ideas transcend frontiers and continents through translations, made possible by the tireless dedication of translators and publishers around the world. Organized at the French Pavilion, this exhibition is a trip around the world & beyond through 30Â iconic French literary works of the 21st century on display. Titles from the exhibition will be available to read in French, English, and if available in Malayalam, inviting you to embark on a journey of discovery through words.
Live Drawing Concert on the life and work of Alexandre Dumas
French Poet and musician Fred Nevché associates with award-winning artist ALFRED to offer a retelling of the life of Alexandre Dumas and his most famous character, the Count of Monte Christo. This one-hour dramatic performance mixes live-drawing, music and original text for a complete immersive experience. Indian poet Jeet Thayil will accompany them.
Augmented Reality Treasure Hunt
URAMADO is a treasure hunt route in augmented reality by Julie Stephen Chheng. It tells the story of Tanukis which are spirits of the forest waking up in the city. Animal stickers are placed in different places and as they are discovered one by one by the participants, the spirits come to life, bewildered, and ask questions to the participants. Uramado is an invitation to question our differences and our own reality in a poetic and playful way.
Cine-concert: The Three Musketeers
Young d’Artagnan leaves Gascony for Paris where he hopes to become a Musketeer of the Guard. He does meet three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, but totally by chance and for… a duel against them! But he soon befriends them and follows them in their adventures, notably on a secret mission to uncover a plot contrived against the Queen by Cardinal Richelieu.