New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) More than 1,100 writers of about 170 languages from across the country will take part in the 39th edition of 'Sahityotsav: The Festival of Letters', starting from March 11, the Sahitya Akademi announced on Saturday.
The annual literary gala will showcase lectures and sessions by eminent writers and poets including Gulzar, who will deliver the Samvatsar lecture, Arjun Deo Charan, Oscar Pujol, Paro Anand, Manisha Kulshreshtha, Humra Quraishi, Yatindra Mishra, and Ranjit Hoskote.
The national seminar will be conducted on March 14 on the topic of 'Post-Independence Indian Literature'. While the keynote address will be delivered by Hindi poet and critic Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, English and Hindi scholar Harish Trivedi will deliver the inaugural address.
Talking about this year's Sahityotsav, secretary K Sreenivasarao said this will also be the first time that differently-abled writers will take part in the "world's largest literature festival".
"This year is special in many aspects. Differently-abled writers will participate for the first time in this festival. It will be the world’s largest literature festival and more than 1100 writers will participate in more than 190 sessions," he said in a statement.
The event will also mark the 70 years of the foundation of the Sahitya Akademi.
On March 12, the 24 winners of the Sahitya Akademi Award will also be felicitated at a ceremony that will be attended by noted Odia writer and Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Ray and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chhattisgarh governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, and West Bengal CV Ananda Bose.
The six-day festival will also put a spotlight on writings from the Northeast, tribal regions and LGBTQ community through panel discussions, writers and poets' meets, and book readings.
Children's writers, young writers, short story writers and writers of women literature will also be part of separate panel discussions and meets.
Other writers and poets who will take part in the literature festival include Badri Narayan, Jeet Thayil, Mamta Kalia, Nachhatar, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Damodar Mauzo, Geet Chaturvedi, and Maitreyi Pushpa.
The festival will take place in the Rabindra Bhawan Lawns, Kamani Auditorium, Art Galleries of Lalit Kala Akademi and Sahitya Akademi Auditoriums.
'The Festival of Letters' will come to a close on March 16.