Bibliofile

The much-awaited second round of the Neemrana literary conclave is finally happening. But be warned: this is going to be a "serious" affair, according to ICCR chief Pavan Varma. As if the theme wasn't daunting enough (Continents of Creation—Legacy, Identity, Assertion), we are told that this African Asian Literary Festival is being held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. In time-honoured sarkari tradition, the celebrations are a year late. Alas, there will be no V.S. Naipaul to shake the deliberations out of their customary stupor. But Vikram Seth, Ben Okri and Arundhati Roy are expected, along with regional bigwigs like U.R. Ananthamurthy and Sunil Gangopadhyay and Namdeo Dhasal. Writers from 15 countries in Africa and Asia have accepted the invitation to Neemrana so far. The surprises include film lyricist Javed Akhtar and sociologist Ashis Nandy.

With sponsors on the hunt for celeb writers, a little-known festival in Jaipur hasn't done too badly. Thanks perhaps to William Dalrymple's unstinted support, the Jaipur lit-fest (Jan 21-23) has collected its quota of stars: Dalrymple, of course, but also Hari Kunzru, Tarun Tejpal and Shobhaa De. Hindi writer Alka Saraogi, who seems to be making a fest-hopping career out of her debut, Kalikatha: Via Bypass, will hop from Jaipur to Neemrana.