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Wikipedia

Dhaka Lit Fest

December 15, 2023

Dhaka Lit Fest (also known as Dhaka Literary Festival or DLF) is an annual literary festival held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Since 2012, it has been held every November in the grounds of Bangla Academy with sessions held over three days, primarily in English.

Opening of the Dhaka Lit Fest 2018 with chief guests Adam Johnson, Nandita Das and Asaduzzaman Noor.

History edit

Dhaka Lit Fest began as The Hay Festival Dhaka with the support of the British Council Dhaka in 2011.

In 2015, its current three directors, Sadaf Saaz, Ahsan Akbar and Kazi Anis Ahmed, renamed the festival as "Dhaka Lit Fest" to "mark its commitment to promoting Dhaka, and Bangladeshi literature and culture to the world."[1][2]

After the July 2016 Dhaka attack, the festival suffered 19 international cancellations.[3] Despite that, the organizers held the festival to show that Bangladesh could still hold an international cultural festival in the face of terrorism.[4] Casey Quackenbush wrote that, "Bangladesh, where independent bloggers and journalists have increasingly become targets of violence, the Dhaka Literary Festival has become a symbol of defiance."[5] That year, the headline author was the Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul.[6]

In 2017, Dhaka Lit Fest was chosen to host the awarding of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.[7] The winner was Anuk Arudpragasam for his novel, The Story of a Brief Marriage.[8]

Organizers edit

The festival was initiated by Bangladeshi writers Sadaf Saaz, Tahmima Anam, Ahsan Akbar and Kazi Anis Ahmed as Hay Festival Dhaka.[2] As of 2015, its directors are Sadaf Saaz (also producer), Ahsan Akbar and Kazi Anis Ahmed.[1]

Notable guests edit

Notable international guests include V. S. Naipul, Adunis, Shashi Tharoor, William Dalrymple (historian), Tilda Swinton, Marcel Theroux, Lionel Shriver, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Mohammed Hanif, Nandita Das, Monica Ali, HM Naqvi, Tishani Doshi, Swapnamoy Chakraborty, James Meek (author), Jude Kelly, and Jon Snow (journalist), among many others.

Prominent Bangladeshi guests include: Asaduzzaman Noor, Syed Manzoorul Islam, Imdadul Haq Milan, Kaiser Haq, Selina Hossain, Aly Zaker, Shaheen Akhtar, Nishat Majumdar, Raja Devasish Roy, and Muktasree Chakmaamong, among many others.

Reception edit

DLF has been praised both locally and internationally for its commitment to cultural exchange, freedom of expression and a balance of international and Bengali cultures.[3][9][10][11][4] The festival's sponsors have been commended for ensuring DLF is free to attend and well-organized.[12]

Some observers have described DLF organizers as Anglophile bourgeois who are the agents of neo-imperial western hegemony in Bangladesh and speculate that they initiated the event to promote themselves as writers in English and groom their own fandom in Dhaka.[13][14][15][16][17] In response, the organizers point to the significant number of Bengali-language (and other local indigenous Bangladeshi languages[18]) panels, the fact that attendance is free, as well as its celebration of local Bangladeshi literary figures and publishing houses.[19] This view is supported by guests and journalists attending the festival.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Our Story. "Dhaka Lit Fest". www.dhakalitfest.com. from the original on 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  2. ^ a b "Dhaka Lit Fest: The Gathering of Literary Minds". The Daily Star. 27 November 2015. from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  3. ^ a b "The Dhaka Literary Festival Defies Attacks on Free Speech". Time. from the original on 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  4. ^ a b "The Importance of a Lit Fest in Dhaka". Pandaemonium. 2 November 2019. from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  5. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest 2016". Dhaka Tribune. 5 September 2016. from the original on 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  6. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest 2016: VS Naipaul raises the curtains". Daily Star. 17 November 2016. from the original on 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  7. ^ "2017 DSC Prize winner to be announced at Dhaka Lit Fest". The Times of India. from the original on 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  8. ^ . The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  9. ^ "Shashi Tharoor: New Bangladesh holds on to Tagore's memory, even if it's a century-old visit". The Print. 14 November 2019. from the original on 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  10. ^ "What Dhaka Lit Fest 2015 Offered". The Daily Star. 22 November 2015. from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  11. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest: The Gathering of Literary Minds". The Daily Star. 27 November 2015. from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  12. ^ "I'm in Bangladesh as I needed to put a few thousand miles between myself and the Hovel". The New Statesman. from the original on 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  13. ^ (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
  14. ^ "ঢাকা লিট ফেস্ট : বাংলাদেশের জনবিচ্ছিন্ন এলিটদের উৎসব". 22 November 2017. from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  15. ^ . Bangladesh Study Forum (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 26 May 2018.
  16. ^ 'ঢাকা লিট ফেস্ট'-এর পৃষ্ঠপোষকতা ও ইংরেজিকে 'লিডিং' অবস্থানে নিয়ে যাওয়ার ব্যবস্থা! | মতামত. bdnews24.com (Opinion) (in Bengali). 2018-11-12. from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  17. ^ . Shampratik deshkal Print Version. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  18. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest 2019 ends in November drizzle". Prothom Alo. from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  19. ^ "Our Story". Dhaka Lit Fest. from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  20. ^ "Literary festivals are not a luxury, a bauble for the middle classes". The Guardian. from the original on 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  21. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest and Literary Concerns". Daily Sun. from the original on 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  22. ^ "Dhaka Literature Festival 2015 - An Overview". The Luxembourg Review. 7 April 2016. from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  23. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest: The Gathering of Literary Minds". The Daily Star. 27 November 2015. from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  24. ^ "Dhaka Lit Fest to widen horizon of Bangla literature". Daily Sun. from the original on 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  25. ^ "Curtain falls on Dhaka Lit Fest". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  26. ^ "Forums like Dhaka Lit Fest give space for people to meet, interact". The New Nation. from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  27. ^ "Dhaka: where a literary festival can still make a difference". The Independent. 16 October 2019. from the original on 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2019-11-29.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dhaka Lit Fest.
  • Official website  

December 15, 2023
dhaka, fest, also, known, dhaka, literary, festival, annual, literary, festival, held, dhaka, bangladesh, since, 2012, been, held, every, november, grounds, bangla, academy, with, sessions, held, over, three, days, primarily, english, opening, 2018, with, chie. Dhaka Lit Fest also known as Dhaka Literary Festival or DLF is an annual literary festival held in Dhaka Bangladesh Since 2012 it has been held every November in the grounds of Bangla Academy with sessions held over three days primarily in English Opening of the Dhaka Lit Fest 2018 with chief guests Adam Johnson Nandita Das and Asaduzzaman Noor Contents 1 History 2 Organizers 3 Notable guests 4 Reception 5 References 6 External linksHistory editDhaka Lit Fest began as The Hay Festival Dhaka with the support of the British Council Dhaka in 2011 In 2015 its current three directors Sadaf Saaz Ahsan Akbar and Kazi Anis Ahmed renamed the festival as Dhaka Lit Fest to mark its commitment to promoting Dhaka and Bangladeshi literature and culture to the world 1 2 After the July 2016 Dhaka attack the festival suffered 19 international cancellations 3 Despite that the organizers held the festival to show that Bangladesh could still hold an international cultural festival in the face of terrorism 4 Casey Quackenbush wrote that Bangladesh where independent bloggers and journalists have increasingly become targets of violence the Dhaka Literary Festival has become a symbol of defiance 5 That year the headline author was the Nobel laureate V S Naipaul 6 In 2017 Dhaka Lit Fest was chosen to host the awarding of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 7 The winner was Anuk Arudpragasam for his novel The Story of a Brief Marriage 8 Organizers editThe festival was initiated by Bangladeshi writers Sadaf Saaz Tahmima Anam Ahsan Akbar and Kazi Anis Ahmed as Hay Festival Dhaka 2 As of 2015 update its directors are Sadaf Saaz also producer Ahsan Akbar and Kazi Anis Ahmed 1 Notable guests editNotable international guests include V S Naipul Adunis Shashi Tharoor William Dalrymple historian Tilda Swinton Marcel Theroux Lionel Shriver Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay Mohammed Hanif Nandita Das Monica Ali HM Naqvi Tishani Doshi Swapnamoy Chakraborty James Meek author Jude Kelly and Jon Snow journalist among many others Prominent Bangladeshi guests include Asaduzzaman Noor Syed Manzoorul Islam Imdadul Haq Milan Kaiser Haq Selina Hossain Aly Zaker Shaheen Akhtar Nishat Majumdar Raja Devasish Roy and Muktasree Chakmaamong among many others Reception editDLF has been praised both locally and internationally for its commitment to cultural exchange freedom of expression and a balance of international and Bengali cultures 3 9 10 11 4 The festival s sponsors have been commended for ensuring DLF is free to attend and well organized 12 Some observers have described DLF organizers as Anglophile bourgeois who are the agents of neo imperial western hegemony in Bangladesh and speculate that they initiated the event to promote themselves as writers in English and groom their own fandom in Dhaka 13 14 15 16 17 In response the organizers point to the significant number of Bengali language and other local indigenous Bangladeshi languages 18 panels the fact that attendance is free as well as its celebration of local Bangladeshi literary figures and publishing houses 19 This view is supported by guests and journalists attending the festival 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 References edit a b Our Story Dhaka Lit Fest www dhakalitfest com Archived from the original on 2018 05 26 Retrieved 2018 05 26 a b Dhaka Lit Fest The Gathering of Literary Minds The Daily Star 27 November 2015 Archived from the original on 2017 10 12 Retrieved 2017 10 12 a b The Dhaka Literary Festival Defies Attacks on Free Speech Time Archived from the original on 2018 06 11 Retrieved 2018 05 26 a b The Importance of a Lit Fest in Dhaka Pandaemonium 2 November 2019 Archived from the original on 2019 12 18 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka Lit Fest 2016 Dhaka Tribune 5 September 2016 Archived from the original on 2017 12 11 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka Lit Fest 2016 VS Naipaul raises the curtains Daily Star 17 November 2016 Archived from the original on 2017 05 13 Retrieved 2019 11 29 2017 DSC Prize winner to be announced at Dhaka Lit Fest The Times of India Archived from the original on 2017 11 22 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Anuk Arudpragasam Wins the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2017 The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature Archived from the original on 2017 12 15 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Shashi Tharoor New Bangladesh holds on to Tagore s memory even if it s a century old visit The Print 14 November 2019 Archived from the original on 2019 12 01 Retrieved 2019 11 29 What Dhaka Lit Fest 2015 Offered The Daily Star 22 November 2015 Archived from the original on 2018 01 31 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka Lit Fest The Gathering of Literary Minds The Daily Star 27 November 2015 Archived from the original on 2020 08 14 Retrieved 2019 11 29 I m in Bangladesh as I needed to put a few thousand miles between myself and the Hovel The New Statesman Archived from the original on 2018 05 26 Retrieved 2018 05 26 ঢ ক ল ট ফ স ট প ওয ন প ওয র খত য ন শ ষ প ত Weekly Shampratik Deshkal in Bengali Archived from the original on 2018 01 25 Retrieved 2018 01 25 ঢ ক ল ট ফ স ট ব ল দ শ র জনব চ ছ ন ন এল টদ র উৎসব 22 November 2017 Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 Retrieved 25 January 2018 ঢ ক ল ট ফ স ট এব ক ব একট ফ সমন তর Bangladesh Study Forum in Bengali Archived from the original on 26 May 2018 ঢ ক ল ট ফ স ট এর প ষ ঠপ ষকত ও ই র জ ক ল ড অবস থ ন ন য য ওয র ব যবস থ মত মত bdnews24 com Opinion in Bengali 2018 11 12 Archived from the original on 2018 12 20 Retrieved 2018 12 19 ঢ ক ল ট ফ স ট প ওয ন প ওয র খত য ন শ ষ প ত Weekly Shampratik Deshkal Shampratik deshkal Print Version Archived from the original on 2018 01 25 Retrieved 2018 12 19 Dhaka Lit Fest 2019 ends in November drizzle Prothom Alo Archived from the original on 2019 11 11 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Our Story Dhaka Lit Fest Archived from the original on 2019 11 15 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Literary festivals are not a luxury a bauble for the middle classes The Guardian Archived from the original on 2019 11 13 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka Lit Fest and Literary Concerns Daily Sun Archived from the original on 2019 03 24 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka Literature Festival 2015 An Overview The Luxembourg Review 7 April 2016 Archived from the original on 2020 03 05 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka Lit Fest The Gathering of Literary Minds The Daily Star 27 November 2015 Archived from the original on 2017 10 12 Retrieved 2017 10 12 Dhaka Lit Fest to widen horizon of Bangla literature Daily Sun Archived from the original on 2019 04 09 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Curtain falls on Dhaka Lit Fest Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Archived from the original on 2020 10 28 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Forums like Dhaka Lit Fest give space for people to meet interact The New Nation Archived from the original on 2019 11 06 Retrieved 2019 11 29 Dhaka where a literary festival can still make a difference The Independent 16 October 2019 Archived from the original on 2019 10 22 Retrieved 2019 11 29 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dhaka Lit Fest Official website nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dhaka Lit Fest amp oldid 1188561754, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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