OREANDA-NEWS. November 1, 2011. The Tata group and Literature Live! have come together to bring Mumbaikars this year’s literature festival. The 2011 Tata Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest will be held from November 3 to November 6, 2011, at the National Centre for Performing Arts, Nariman Point.

Bringing the written word to life, the Tata Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest’s 2011 edition will provide Mumbaikars the opportunity to meet a galaxy of acclaimed writers, both domestic and international, and across the four verticals of literature — fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays.

Among the many authors attending will be Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and author of The World is Flat; Siddhartha Mukherjee, who recently won the Pulitzer for his ‘biography’ of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies; Shashi Tharoor, diplomat and writer; novelists Shobhaa De, Chetan Bhagat, William Dalrymple and Farrukh Dhondy, and film-makers Ashutosh Gowariker and Sudhir Mishra.

Among the books to be released are David Davidar’s novel, Ithaca; Vikram Seth’s latest book of poetry, The Rivered Earth; Nihal Singh's memoirs, Ink in My Veins; Mark Tully’s Non-Stop India; andCY Gopinath's The Book of Answers.

With a view to honour individuals who have made their mark in the field of literature, the Tata group has instituted two special awards for Indian authors, which will be given out at the festival. The awards are theTata Literature Live! First Book Award and theLandmark Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards event will take place on November 6, 2011, at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA.

The festival will also feature literature-based performances and dramatisations such as The Last Mughal (based on William Dalrymple’s book), Finkelstein's Castle (racy, rollicking story-telling with a cello), Whale Song (a jugalbandi of poetry and music), Ramprahar (a dramatisation of Vijay Tendulkar’s writings), and Spent (an award-winning Canadian comic play on the financial crash).

“The overwhelming response and participation received from Mumbaikars during last year’s three-day LitFest was truly enthusiastic. It was clear from a widely-expressed wish for more such events that Literature Live! was answering a long-felt need,” says Anil Dharker, festival director, Literature Live! He adds, “We are happy that a prestigious group like the Tata group has chosen to sponsor the LitFest. This sponsorship will further strengthen the relationship this city shares with literature and other art forms. We aim to make each session accessible, and erudite without being academic, engaging the audience in a lively interaction.”

Atul Agrawal, vice president, corporate affairs, Tata Services, said, “The Tata Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest is a wonderful and unique platform for promoting and fostering the love of literature and writing, with a number of Indian and international authors participating in the festival. The Tata group is happy to be associated with this literary fest as a prestigious event which has gained popularity with the folks of the city.”

All Tata Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest sessions are non-ticketed and will be open to all.