Jhumpa Lahiri, Kiran Desai among 100+ speakers at Kolkata Literary Meet 2026

Kolkata is gearing up for the 14th edition of the Kolkata Literary Meet (KaLaM), a vibrant five-day celebration of literature, ideas, and culture, scheduled from January 22 to 26, 2026.

The festival takes place primarily at the Agri-Horticultural Society of India in Alipore, with sessions spread across multiple stages including the Grand Lawns, HSBC Piazza, KaLaM Lawns, and Courtyard, alongside additional venues like Kala Mandir and Bengal Club. This year's line-up features over 150 speakers from India and abroad, with standout international names including Pulitzer Prize-winning Jhumpa Lahiri, who inaugurates the event discussing her works like Roman Stories and her Italian connections; Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, marking her return with sessions on her latest novel and a joint conversation with Lahiri on 25 years of storytelling; and acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver, appearing with her daughter Lily to explore literary influences and climate themes.

Other global voices include Geoff Dyer, Deborah Baker, Daisy Rockwell, and Lucy Hannah. On the Indian side, hometown favourite Amitav Ghosh anchors discussions on climate, ghosts, and global shifts, joined by writers like Manu Joseph, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Megha Majumdar, Rana Dasgupta, and translators such as Arunava Sinha. The programme richly integrates Kolkata's cultural ecosystem, featuring poet-lyricist Srijato, singer Anupam Roy, filmmakers Goutam Ghose, Srijit Mukherji, Nandita Das, and Saeed Mirza, alongside Javed Akhtar's poetry session, Piyush Mishra, Rujuta Diwekar, fashion designer Prabal Gurung, and performers like Rupam Islam and Sourendra-Soumyojit.

Special themes highlight centenaries of Mahasweta Devi, Ritwik Ghatak, and Guru Dutt, a focus on Maharashtra's literary and musical legacy, Partition's impact, rivers as muse, and broader explorations of dystopia, mythology, and India's Republic through personal histories. The festival also includes film screenings, an expanded Junior KaLaM for young readers, a central Story Stall for author signings, and evening AfterWords musical performances. The concise day-by-day highlights are as follows: On January 22, the inauguration begins in the afternoon with readings from Mahasweta Devi, followed by Jhumpa Lahiri on Roman Stories and Banu Mushtaq on Heart Lamp, closing with AfterWords featuring Sourendra-Soumyojit. January 23 offers sessions on Maharashtra's musical legacy with Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Anupam Roy, Javed Akhtar's poetry, Barbara Kingsolver on Demon Copperhead, and Amitav Ghosh on Ghost-Eye, ending with Rupam Islam unplugged. January 24 includes Maharashtra stories and theatre, Mahasweta Devi at 100, cinematic discussions with Nandita Das and Srijit Mukherji, Ritwik Ghatak at 100, and Upamanyu Chatterjee, with AfterWords by Hal Cazalet. January 25 features Rana Dasgupta, Manu Joseph with Snigdha Poonam, Deborah Baker, Shobhaa De, Sarnath Banerjee, and a Rangakarmee play as AfterWords. The finale on January 26 showcases Kiran Desai on her new novel, a special conversation between Jhumpa Lahiri and Kiran Desai, Amitav Ghosh on the changing world order, and closes with a grand musical performance by Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash.