Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 announces its biggest edition with 500+ speakers and 300 sessions
The Jaipur Literature Festival 2026, presented by Vedanta, returns from 15–19 January with its most ambitious edition to date. Hosting 500+ speakers across 300 sessions, the world’s largest free literary gathering will take place across its iconic venues and feature a vibrant programme spanning literature, history, politics, science, technology, climate action, global affairs, poetry, and performance.
Key highlights include Kiran Desai discussing The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Gopalkrishna Gandhi reflecting on India’s past and future, and International Booker winner Banu Mushtaq sharing insights from Heart Lamp. Conversations with Devesh Kapur & Arvind Subramanian, K.R. Meera, Stephen Fry, and Viswanathan Anand will explore creativity, identity, and India’s evolving cultural landscape. Global names such as Percival Everett, Gaur Gopal Das, Rujuta Diwekar, Vir Das, Richard Flanagan, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Jimmy Wales, and Leo Varadkar add further depth to this year’s programming. Sessions on visual and poetic storytelling will feature Yoshitoki Ōima, Alice Oswald, Jeet Thayil, Megha Majumdar, and Ian Hislop, alongside a strong lineup of global thinkers such as Esther Duflo, Anne Applebaum, Stephen Greenblatt, and Fredrik Logevall, and leading Indian writers including Sudha Murty, Amish, Shobhaa De, Prasoon Joshi, and Anuradha Roy.
The programme also explores intersections of creativity and technology with Safeena Hussain and Google DeepMind’s Ali Eslami. Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale said, “The Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 carries forward the spontaneity and spunk that have defined us since 2008. This year, we deepen our commitment to multilingualism, global storytelling, and the exploration of subjects ranging from AI to folk traditions. Each edition is a rediscovery of the world through books, and 2026 promises an expansive canvas of ideas and imagination.”
Co-Director William Dalrymple added, “This may be our most daring programme yet. We bring together Nobel laureates, pioneering scientists, historians, philosophers, and literary giants to create a crucible of debate, creativity, and intellectual wonder. JLF remains a global meeting point for the world’s greatest minds.” Producer Sanjoy K. Roy noted, “With speakers from over 25 countries, JLF 2026 reaffirms the power of cultural exchange. Our aim is simple: to inspire, challenge, and broaden perspectives through meaningful public dialogue.”
