The Asia House Festival of Asian Literature, is the first and only Literary festival in the UK dedicated to writing about Asia.[1]
The Festival focuses on the newest and best books about Asia or Asians in an annual series of talks and discussions. Featured are fiction and non-fiction, written by Asians or non-Asians, covering a broad selection of Asian countries from The Gulf in the West, to Indonesia in the East.
Believing that the most accessible way to understand a culture is through its literature, The Asia House Festival of Asian Literature offers a forum for the people of Britain to gain greater understanding of Asian cultures and of the Asian communities around them at home.[2]
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The first Asia House Festival of Asian Literature was held at Asia House in Central London, in May 2007.[3] Founded by Adrienne Loftus Parkins, its current Director, it grew as a natural progression of an on-going literature programme which has been running at Asia House since 2001. The Times has been the media partner of the Festival since its inception, and is now joined by The Standard Chartered Private Bank as the lead sponsor. The Festival is also supported by The National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The Festival showcases both high-profile and emerging authors. Since its inception, the Festival has hosted authors such as: veteran writer/broadcaster Sir Mark Tully, Man Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, Pankaj Mishra, Xiaolu Guo, Romesh Gunesekera, Mohsin Hamid, Mohammed Hanif, Sarfraz Manzoor, Michael Wood, Will Hutton, William Dalrymple, Amitav Ghosh, former UN Under-Secretary of State Shashi Tharoor, Xue Xinran, Gautam Malkani, Rob Gifford, Duncan Hewitt, Charles Allen, John Gittings and Chinese dissident writer Ma Jian.
Features include "Meet the Author" receptions after each event, Panel Discussions, Podcast of all events, Children in Asia Series.
Debates and discussions in 2009 cover China in the 21st Century, War & Terrorism in Central Asia, Politics and Place in Fiction, and Global Corporations in India.
The Festival has grown to include events for both adults and children and encompassing music, travel, politics, business, cooking as well as fiction. Authors appearing in 2009 are: Man Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga, Azar Nafisi, Tash Aw, Amit Chaudhuri, Sir Mark Tully, Pankaj Mishra, Ziauddin Sardar, Kenan Malik, Alice Albinia, John Man, Jonathan Fenby, Martin Jacques, Guo Yue, Kamila Shamsie, Nadeem Aslam, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Nirmalya Kumar, Patrick Cockburn, Christina Lamb and BBC broadcast journalists/authors Frank Gardner, John Simpson, David Loyn, and Hardeep Singh Kohli.
Guo Yue, Clare Farrow, Seema Anand and Christopher Corr
The 2009 Asia House Festival of Asian Literature will run from 11- 22 May, 2009 at Asia House. Pre Festival events take place on 7 & 21 April and 7 May, 2009.
Asia House is the home of The Festival of Asian Literature. Founded in 1996, it is the leading Pan-Asian organisation in the UK. A non-profit, non-political body, its geographical remit extends from The Gulf in the West to Indonesia in the East.[4]
Its mission is to “prepare the peoples of the UK for the Century of Asia” by promoting a greater understanding of the distinctive and varied cultures, arts, religions and commercial opportunities presented by the growing and vibrant countries of Asia.
Based in a listed John Adam style 18th century townhouse in Marylebone, Central London, featuring a Gallery, Library, Café, and three Fine Rooms, it provides a focal point for people to meet and exchange ideas.
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