Irrawaddy Literature Festival 2013
“I am delighted to lend my support and personal participation to this first Irrawaddy Literary Festival. Literature has always been a big part of my life and I hope this festival, which brings together some of the finest talent from Burma, the UK and elsewhere will encourage more people to explore the world of literature and further their understanding of the English language …
While some of the recent political and social reforms in Burma are shadowed with skepticism (see the recent government crackdown on protesters at the Latpadaung copper mine in Monywa) the creation of Burma’s first international, English language literary festival is without doubt a step forward in the right direction.
Scheduled to be held at the Inya Lake Hotel in Rangoon between the 1st and 3rd of February 2013 and patronised by Daw Suu herself, the festival has already booked the likes of William Dalrymple, Jung Chang, Fergal Keane and Nick Danziger. Let’s hope they add more Burmese authors to the list as at the moment only Pascal Khoo Thwe and Thant Myint U are flying the flag for the Burmese literature community.