khilitfest2012

The festival remains an oasis for people who love reading in this surreal, violent and sometimes insane city.

I was glad the organisers did not invite high-profile officials since their security details usually sour such events.

In an ideal world one would want some kind of dialogue between the two sides, or tolerance for each other’s opinions.

Role of weapons solicits more questions than answers.

Scholars yearn for ‘natural conclusion’ to Arab Spring – secular democracy.

Early morning discussion over the emergence of Bangladesh turns into a snooze-fest.

Foreign Correspondents’ Burden mulled over at local festival.

British writer expresses excitement for the new generation of Pakistani writers.

The scholar dwells on the importance of critique in religion, actually an Islamic tradition.

Not many people can even read the Urdu literature properly, let alone comprehend it, says Iftikhar Arif.

We have been given a blinkered view of the past, say scholars and experts.

Bhalla, simply put it, literary criticism helps discriminate between what matters and what doesn’t matter.

Editor Dr Ayesha Jalal says the country needs to outline its parameters for history.

Yaqoob Bangash presents solution: engage the Baloch and admit your mistakes.

From the two-nation theory to post-Partition literature - a historian, former minister and academic dissect the past.

Khaled Ahmed attempted to identify, as best as he could in a five-minute slot, minorities in Pakistan.

Your can’t dislkike him - even when he’s discussing rhyme and metre with enthusiasm.

No, Salman... don’t do this to me. I was looking forward to listening to your inane ramblings.

What happens when you get three gods of satire in one room?

Karachi Literature Festival’s literati list was enough to leave even most jaded of literary enthusiasts star-struck.

The incorrigible Indian writer talks about breaking stereotypes and challenging gender biases.

Author discusses his work of fiction, ‘The Collaborator’ and the banality of violence.

The scholar talks about his new book on power and resilience in Pakistan.

Living next to the graveyard of empires is no picnic.

Fahmida Riaz did not talk about the pros and cons of translation, instead she focused on poetry.

Ali Akbar Husain talks about a heritage long forgotten.

Dr Haq claims that post-modernism presents old ideas as new.

The lack of narrative history, and his love for the city, led the historian to undertake White Mughals.

Arif Hasan, Roland deSouza, HM Naqvi mull over some of the ways in which the city is being rent apart.

On the first day of KLF, “the rockstar of Pakistani literature” faced a hall packed with fans.

Ayesha Jalal talks about Manto’s friends, passions and his deep love for humanity.

Egged on by the moderator, Kureishi rehashed his biography.

Economists seemed somewhat cheerier than journalists, but it was largely depressing all around.

Art, here, is a medium that not only remains out of sight, but also out of mind for the majority of the public.

The author of The Beautiful and the Damned uncovers corruption.

With 150 names to choose from in just two days, The Express Tribune gives you the low-down on the high brow.

Festival launches third ediction of two-day literary marathon with high society chronicler Shobhaa De.

We may not be able to compete with the likes of the Jaipur Literature Festival, but we are surely getting there.

Shobha De, Vikram Seth, Hanif Kureishi, Mohammad Hanif, Anatol Lieven part of the big-ticket line-up.