THE George Town Literary Festival 2022 (GTLF), which runs from today until Nov 27, is back with various spectacular programmes this year.
Taking place physically after the Covid-19 pandemic, GTLF returns for its 12th edition this year while it is the seventh time the festival is produced by the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB).
This year, it welcomes 80 writers from 21 countries across the globe. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Taming the Wild’ as it explores the complex relationship between Wilderness and Human Nature.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who was present for the opening ceremony, said the state was committed to support arts, culture, and community participation in the event.
“GTLF is Penang’s one-of-a-kind literary festival and the country’s biggest literary festival. Over the years, the festival has turn itself into a platform for writers, poets, publishers, readers, and book enthusiasts to present their works and exchange ideas.
“There are various participants around the globe joining this year’s event.
“It is my utmost wish that Penang becomes a cosmopolitan powerhouse that continues to stimulate public discussions and discourses,” he said in his speech during the festival’s opening ceremony at the Majestic Theatre in Jalan Phee Choon today.
Chow was delighted that GTLF serves as an unofficial mini-reunion for the winners and writers who have been shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.
They are Malaysian National Laureate Zurinah Hassan, the first prize winner of the Huazong Literary Award, Fang Lu, B. Jeyamohan, who is the Tamil writer as well as screenwriter in the South Indian movie industry and Malaysian-born Daryl Kho, who received the 2022 Singapore Book Award for Best Young Persons Title.
Chow expressed his gratitude to PCEB for organising the event.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin was dedicated to turning Penang into a cultural hub where people may come to learn and celebrate their tradition and history.
“This is our commitment to support the event,” he said.
A renowned Indian novelist and International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree will give a lecture on the intersections of writing, freedom and language.
Malaysian writer Eddin Khoo and Indonesian poet Nirwan Dewanto will be present to speak as well.
For more information, visit https://www.georgetownlitfest.com/the-festival/festival-programme
Also present during the opening ceremony were PCEB chief executive officer Ashwin Gunasekeran, ambassador of Ireland to Malaysia Hilary Reilly, High Commissioner of Canada to Malaysia Wayne Robson and George Town Literary Festival director Pauline Fan.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat
Video by Darwina Mohd Daud