Safe harbours and stardust in Kozhikode

{ REPORT } KERALA LITERATURE FESTIVAL, 2026

- Saurabh Sharma

Atthe ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, India’s first Unesco City of Literature, there was much excitement around the presence of astronaut Sunita Williams.

She didn’t have a book out but highlighted something that remains a concern of all of literature: What do we mean by home, and what does it mean to belong? “From up above, the view makes you question what people are fighting for,” she said at a press conference.

Large billboards on the road running along the festival's beach venue did scream out other names: Nobel laureates, Booker winners, and bestselling authors. What stood out was the level of engagement and critical thinking. Visitors to this event never shy away from asking the difficult questions.

Whether openly identifying as queer while asking questions to Suvir Saran, who was in conversation with Sharmila Sen about his book Tell My Mother I Like Boys, or checking with Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, about “safe harbours” and the authenticity of the information on the portal, readers in Kozhikode continue to steal the limelight from panellists.

This year’s guest nation was Germany, and select conversations were staged to emphasise the country’s interest in revisiting its past and signal its openness to literary collaborations.