Literary event: Sidhwa to launch Junglewalla at Alhamra on 23rd

LAHORE:

Bapsi Sidhwa will launch Junglewalla, the Urdu translation of her best-selling book The Crow Eaters, at the Lahore Literary Festival being held at the Alhamra Arts Complex on February 23-24.

Sidhwa, 74, who grew up in Lahore and graduated from the Kinnaird College, is flying in from Houston, Texas, where she lives. “We’re thrilled that Sidhwa will be at this year’s festival,” said Razi Ahmed, LLF founder. “There’s great excitement from people keen to hear and meet her and pick up Junglewalla.”
Along with Tariq Ali, Sidhwa is one of the first Pakistanis writing in English to win international acclaim. She has authored five books including Cracking India, which was converted into a film, Earth, by Deepak Mehta. Her books have been translated into several languages including French and Italian.
The author, essayist and playwright was an advisor to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on women’s development, and has taught at the Columbia University, Mount Holyoke, Rice University, Brandeis, and the University of Houston.

Sidhwa is a sister of the late MP Bhandara, who ran Murree Brewery and was a member of parliament.
The LLF is being supported by the Punjab government and the city administration. The festival kicks off on February 23. The open-to-public event will feature some 50 authors over two days at Alhamra Arts Centre.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2013.