The Editor Recommends All The Panels That Should Be On Your List For JLF 2024

Poetry lovers, do not miss this. The legendary Gulzar will be in conversation with Pavan K Verma and Rakshanda Jalil. The session borrows its title from Baal-O-Par, a definitive collection of Gulzar sa’ab's poetry. 

With 2024 being an election year, I think it makes sense to hear the former Chief Election Commissioner of India and writer S Y Quraishi, Yascha Mounk; German-American political scientist and author, Anant Goenka; the Executive Director of the Indian Express group, and Mandira Nayar; senior journalist, discuss the complexities of nurturing democratic practices in a world torn apart by war, strife and multiethnic conflict.

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch won the 2023 Booker Prize. I began reading the book last week and love its narrative voice and the focus on life under authoritarian rule. Lynch will be in conversation with Nandini Nair.

This is a session on the craft of writing a political biography. I put this on my list to hear Ben Macintyre, Katherine Rundell, Merve Emre, Peter Moore, and Sushma Jansari talk about how they put someone’s life on paper and the challenges they face. 

The session I would give anything to attend. Hernan Diaz will be in conversation with Katie Kitamura, two authors whose work I love. They’re going to discuss the concept of trust as both a moral quality and a financial arrangement. And trust me, you do not want to miss this. 

I think Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon are icons I’m sure you do too. They're the co-founders of Kali For Women, India's first feminist publishing house. Listen to them discuss their professional journey and how they became the feminist icons of Indian publishing.  

Lovers of words, attend this! Meeta Lall, Diana Mickevičienė, and Oscar Pujol will be in conversation with Udaya Narayana Singh to discuss the art of lexicography. Oof, the nerd in me is so happy.

Bonnie Garmus and Devika Rege discuss the uphill task of writing a debut novel with Merve Emre. I think I’ve died and gone to literary heaven. Please join me there after attending this session. Authors-to-be, do not miss this. 

This year’s top Oscar contender, Oppenheimer, was based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Bird will be in conversation with Jonathan Freedland, author and historian. I’d love to hear about Bird’s writing journey and learn more about writing the kind of book that won the Pulitzer and also inspired Nolan. 

‘How do I sell my book?’ is the most frequently asked question in my inbox. Well, hear industry veterans Aakash Gupta, Ajay Jain, Aditi Maheshwari-Goyal, Vishal Pinjani, Priya Kapoor, in conversation with Rahul Dixit to get your answers. Keep a notepad handy!

Books endure burnings and bans, yet their subversive ideas persist. Mridula Garg, a Sahitya Akademi award-winning Hindi writer, faced arrest for her novel Chittacobra. Kalpana Raina, a translation advocate, co-translated For Now It Is Night. Navdeep Suri translated his grandfather Nanak Singh's banned poems. Together with Merve Emre and Nilanjana S. Roy, this panel will discuss surviving suppression, especially in the times we now live in.

Hear the people who design book covers talk about their creative process. Sunandini Banerjee and Ahlawat Gunjan have designed some of my favourite book covers, and I’m sure yours too. For all those who attend this—I’m jealous of you. 

Seagull Books completed 40 years in India. They bring out some of the loveliest books from all parts of the world in stunning editions. Naveen Kishore, the founder, talks about the publishing house’s journey. He’s brilliant and I cannot recommend this session enough!

You’ve been living under a big fat pile of books if you haven’t read or seen the Thursday Murder Club series. Celebrated television presenter and writer Richard Osman has sold over 3 million copies of his books. I recommend this session to all those who love Osman’s series, fans of mystery books, and those looking to write their own. 

This session too is geared toward readers who one day want to become writers. Or writers who want to gain a deeper understanding of how the world of film options works. Sahira Nair, Anish Chandy, Radhika Gopal, and Anand Neelakantan will be in conversation with Ananth Padmanabhan. Go attend for the excellent insights. 

I don’t know the answer to this question but I’m certain Damon Galgut, Hernan Diaz, Tim Parks, and Katie Kitamura do. I’m willing to risk it all just so I can hear these wonderful authors discuss how they write and how they choose what to write about.

Journalist Sohini Chattopadhyay's book, The Day I Became a Runner explores such interesting themes through the stories of eight female athletes throughout the history of independent India. Attend this session if beating patriarchal norms, forging a sisterhood, and finding freedom in running are of interest to you.

The official JLF programme has this listed but did not give an explainer. It caught my attention only because I care deeply about our right to free speech. Plus, I’d love to hear Pavan K. Varma, Varghese K. George, Pinky Anand, Amia Srinivasan, Marcus du Sautoy, Swati Chaturvedi, and Vir Sanghvi in a debate.

The 2024 JLF line-up is excellent and these recommendations are just the first few chapters of a great book. Since I won’t be there, please send me photos and snippets from the sessions at @theeditorrecommends on Instagram!