Georgetown University in Qatar Georgetown University in Qatar
عربي Main Menu

Jaipur Literature Festival Features GU-Q Affiliated Public Figures and Scholars

Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF)

For the first time, the world-renowned annual Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) will be taking place in Qatar between December 12-14 at the iconic Qatar National Library under the theme “Each Other’s Stories”. The Festival, a celebration of literature and dialogue, traditionally takes place in the Indian city of Jaipur each January, but since 2014, the JLF has toured through several international venues, including London, Belfast, New York, Boulder, Houston, Adelaide, Toronto and now Doha.

In the tradition of the JLF’s international vision, the Doha edition of the festival will continue to highlight South Asia’s unique literary heritage, while celebrating the literary contributions of Qatar, and exploring the ideas and issues critical to the past, present, and future.

Several GU-Q-affiliated figures and academics are joining the list of globally-celebrated authors and thinkers in this year’s JLF program for talks, panels, and readings on topics that reflect a wide variety of scholarly interests and specialties.

For the full program please visit http://jlflitfest.org/doha/schedule

December 12, 2019, 6:40-7:15pm

Inaugural Address  “Each Other’s Stories”

Speakers include:

  • H.E. Lolwah Rashid Al Khater

           MOFA Spokesperson, State of Qatar

          Joint Advisory Board Member, GU-Q

  • H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari

         Minister of State, State of Qatar

         Ambassador in Residence, GU-Q

December 13, 2019, 4:30-5:15pm

“Djinns, Mermen and Stories Within Stories” – A session on the essence of storytelling as exemplified in oral and written literatures of Urdu, Persian and Arabic.

Speakers include:

  • Amira El Zein

        Associate Professor, GU-Q

  • Mohamed Reza Pirbhai

        Associate Professor, GU-Q

December 13, 2019, 6:20-7:05pm

“Writing Conflict”- In a world fraught with conflict, eminent writers speak of how they make sense of the disturbances and dystopias around us.

Speakers include:

  • Dr. Ahmad Dallal

         Dean, GU-Q

December 14, 2019, 10:40-11:25am

“Of Empire” –  James Onley, historian and director of Historical Research at the Qatar National Library, and William Dalrymple, historian and iconic writer, in conversation with Uday Chandra on empire, its origins, and its lasting impact.

Speakers include:

  • Uday Chandra

         Assistant Professor, GU-Q

December 14, 2019, 4:45-5:30pm

“Istanbul Calling” – In conversation with Firat Oruc, author Buket Uzuner discusses the changing face of the city she calls home.

Speakers include:

  • Firat Oruc

       Associate Professor, GU-Q

December 14, 2019, 4:45-5:30pm

“The Poetic Imagination” –  What are the sources, inspirations, and philosophy of the poetic imagination? Multivocal readings where different languages and styles converge in a joyous celebration with the poets introducing and reading from their work.

Speakers include:

  • Amira El Zein

         Associate Professor, GU-Q