he spectre of a new dark age is haunting our bleak world. Books have become an anathema and few among us would deign to attend a festival that solely focuses on literary pursuits. In these dismal times, we cannot begrudge the organisers of literary festivals for their deviation from their original intentions to promote literature and allowing these annual extravaganzas to become dynamic celebrations of the arts. The fourteenth edition of the Karachi Literature Festival adhered to this tried-and-tested formula. It boasted a rich repertoire of enlightening debates and discussions.

The seaside metropolis prepared for the much-awaited three-day event with the gusto it has mustered for over a decade. The crowning glory of KLF 2023 was that the organisers invited some international speakers with formidable credentials, including two Booker Prize winners, Shehan Karunatilaka and Damon Galgut. Complemented by some distinguished speakers from our local literati, the guest list showed tremendous promise.

The first day brought with it an unexpected predicament as Karachi gave the festival’s international guests a traumatic taste of its chaotic spirit and characteristic resilience. On the evening of February 17, as the KLF’s inauguration ceremony was in full swing at the sea-facing Beach Luxury Hotel, the city was paralysed by a terrorist attack. Even so, people cast aside their qualms about security threats and trickled into the venue over the next two days. This in itself serves as a testament to the abiding significance of the festival in Karachi’s cultural milieu.

A quick glance at the festival’s three-day programme revealed that the pervasive political disharmony, educational deficits and economic crises were the lifeblood for a vast majority of sessions. The inclusion of these debates can be justified on the grounds that literary festivals cannot afford to exist in isolation and must maintain an interdisciplinary focus. Many of these panel discussions yielded fresh insights into complex issues. The theme for the fourteenth edition of the festival was People, Planet and Possibilities. This opened the portals for some vital deliberations on climate-related concerns. The panel discussions on climate justice weren’t just an embodiment of this year’s theme but also served as a distressing reminder of how vulnerable the world is to environmental disasters.

Be that as it may, the true yardstick of a successful literary festival is the extent to which it prioritises the written word. The festival organisers ought to be commended for creating space for new poetic voices in a session titled Reverberations: Poetry in English. The Urdu mushaira, too, proved to be a superlative feat.

This year, a large number of non-fiction books were launched at the three-day extravaganza. Many of these books offered insightful glimpses into Pakistan’s complex socio-political milieu. For instance, Shahbaz Taseer launched his gut-wrenching memoir, titled Lost to the World: A Memoir of Faith, Family and Five Years in Terrorist Captivity, that turns an intimate gaze on the years he was held captive by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. In a no-holds-barred conversation with Ayesha Tammy Haq, Taseer revealed that he had a “love-hate relationship” with his captors. At one point during his long confinement, he expressed a desire to write and was given a notebook where he could pen down his observations. “I eventually wrote six diaries that documented my time in captivity,” he said. Those diaries proved to be an indispensable resource as he wrote about that dark chapter of his life.

Writer and literary critic Muneeza Shamsie chaired a scintillating discussion with David Waterman about his book History, Memory, Fiction: New Dimensions in Contemporary Pakistani and Kashmiri Writing. Waterman’s latest offering is a strong testament to his abiding interest in Pakistani Anglophone writing. The author spoke about his passion for historical fiction. He also drew attention to why he chose to draw upon the works of Basharat Peer, Mirza Waheed and Soniah Kamal, who have put Kashmir’s woes on the literary map. Tariq Rahman’s new treatise on the wars that Pakistan has fought became the subject of an intriguing debate. In another session, historian Humera Naz spoke about her immaculately researched account on Sindh during the Mughal Empire.

In a light-hearted discussion about food, Shanaz Ramzi spoke to Rumana Husain about her new book on Pakistani cuisine. “I embarked on this project because I was told Pakistan didn’t have a companion or reference book that focused on its cuisine,” she said. Ramzi also highlighted the challenges she faced in finding a suitable set of contributors to share their insights on the subject.

Author and podcaster Rabia Chaudhry launched her memoir Fatty Fatty Boom Boom, which is imbued with insights on her lifelong struggle with her weight. “This is a story that resonates with many people,” Chaudhry told her audience. “Such stories are especially important at a time when social media has made it difficult to encourage body-positivity.” The author revealed that she was often given nicknames as a child that were “attached to her weight.” “The title of my book is derived from one of many childhood nicknames I was given,” she added. Separately, Imrana Maqsood spoke along with her husband, celebrated showman Anwar Maqsood, about a book she has penned about her family.

Only a handful of novels were launched at this year’s festival, which made the session about the late Mushir Anwar’s novel A Piece of the Moon all the more enriching. In a lively session on his Booker Prize-winning novel The Promise, Galgut spoke about the genesis of the novel and how his preoccupation with the concept of time and experiences in script-writing altered the course of his narrative.

Another insightful conversation brought together Galgut, Karunatilaka and acclaimed poet Sinan Antoon in a compelling discussion about their literary motivations.

Though developments within Pakistan’s literary scene weren’t at the heart of most discussions, the local literary set figured prominently at this year’s festival. Moni Mohsin was at her creative and satirical best in a lively conversation about her work. Various awards were announced to honour literary accomplishments within the country. Kamila Shamsie’s Best of Friends won the KLF-Getz Pharma Prize for Best Fiction while Shanawar Ishaq’s Mudfoon Aadmi ki Diary clinched the KLF-Getz Pharma Urdu Poetry Award. A series of awards were also announced for literary excellence in Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashto and Balochi.

The fourteenth edition also brought with it some delightful surprises, such as a session on Karachi’s influence on Balochi literature. The most remarkable facet of this discussion was that it was conducted in Balochi – a nod to the city’s multifaceted linguistic traditions. Language remained at the forefront of other conversations as well. An informative talk about Urdu’s lexicography presented some refreshing perspectives on linguistic developments.

Now in its fourteenth edition, the KLF has managed to retain its status as one of the country’s leading literary conferences. This year’s event added fresh dimensions to ongoing debates on critical issues and brought to the fore some illuminating discourses on creativity.

The writer is a freelance journalist and the author of Typically Tanya