Galle Literary Festival announces more speakers for February 2025

Galle Literary Festival announced its second batch of speakers for 2025. From 6?9 February, the Festival will welcome a high-prole cast of local and international authors to Galle Fort. Joining the line-up are prize-winning fiction writers, celebrated historians, renowned broadcasters and talented illustrators.

The list of speakers complements the rst set of names announced in August, completing a line-up that reflects the Festival?s commitment to celebrating global voices. Among the speakers announced are winner of the Women?s Prize for Fiction, VV Ganeshananthan; broadcaster and radio interviewer, Nihal Arthanayake; author and columnist, Ben Macintyre; National Geographic photographer, Catherine Karnow; and historian, Aanchal Malhotra.

One of South Asia?s largest cultural and literary events, Galle Literary Festival in 2025 will host an enriching calendar of conversations, workshops and events. Guests can also expect a vibrant programme of entertainment and experiences, including live music, standup comedy, theatre and dance, as well as immersive culinary evenings.

Galle Literary Festival director, Giselle Harding, said:

?Today?s second speaker reveal builds on the superb response to our rst author announcement in August. Our aim for the next edition of Galle Literary Festival is to champion a diverse catalogue of voices, and to provide a platform for a real range of topics and genres. 2025 will see something for everyone.?

Further details to be announced

The Festival?s full line-up for 2025 can now be found at galleliteraryfestival.com, including biographies and reading list recommendations for every speaker. Tickets are set to go on sale in December, with more details due to be circulated soon. Event tickets will be available to book exclusively through the Festival website.

About Galle Literary Festival

Galle Literary Festival is a non-profit event which has grown since 2007 to become one of the most anticipated arts and cultural gatherings in South Asia. A favourite among authors and attendees alike, the Festival hosts a wide variety of talks, workshops and exhibitions in an intimate, historic setting.

A celebration of the creative arts, the Festival champions the work of writers and poets, as well as giving space to painters, photographers and cinematographers. Through associated culinary events, the Festival also highlights the excellence of local and international chefs.

Held largely within the walls of the centuries-old Galle Fort, the Festival has a strong sense of community at its heart. A UNESCO World Heritage Site on Sri Lanka?s southern coast, the Fort was rst built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch and British. Now home to one of the island?s most diverse communities, Galle Fort?s cobbled streets, hotels and terracotta-roofed houses generously invite local and international visitors to gather for a long weekend intended to inspire, educate and entertain.

Galle Literary Festival returned in 2024 with a renewed commitment to celebrating diverse
voices in literature and the arts. It continues that vision in February 2025.

25 speakers announced: Nihal Arthanayake ? Rosanna Flamer Caldera ? Peter Frankopan ?
V.V. Ganeshananthan ? Peter Godwin ? Romesh Gunesekera ? Ameena Hussein ? Susan
Jung ? Maduranga Kalugampitiya ? Dr Naazima Kamardeen ? Catherine Karnow ? Lalith
Karunatilaka ? Simon Lister ? Ben Macintyre ? Aanchal Malhotra ? Rashmika Mandawala ?
Sharanya Manivannan ? Tasha Marikkar ? Vidusha Nathavitharana ? Dr Eithne Nightingale ?
Simon Parker ? Shyala Smith ? Nicholas Thomas ? Yudhanjaya Wijeratne ? Hajra Williams

(Colombo Gazette)