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Dhaka Lit Fest

Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF or Dhaka Literary Festival), held at the historic premises of the Bangla Academy every year since 2012, marks a resurgence of Bangladeshi literary culture while vigorously engaging other cultures far beyond our own borders. Dhaka Lit Fest began its journey with a pilot event in 2011 under the aegis of the world famous Hay-on-Wye festival. 

The British Council has been collaborating with the Dhaka Lit Fest since its inception as part of Hay Festival International in 2011, and we have been pleased to watch it grow into an independent festival hosted on the historic Bangla Academy grounds, bringing together Bangladeshi and international literary influencers to an audience of 20,000 annually. As the largest international literary platform in Bangladesh, the Dhaka Lit Fest builds on 2,000 years of literary and cultural heritage through encouraging new writers and readers, creating a safe space for all kinds of discussion and dialogue and creating catalyst for future literary endeavours through showcasing and connections. 

The British Council continued its collaboration with Dhaka Lit Fest through a fringe event and roadshow by bringing British authors for talks and workshops in Chittagong and in Dhaka. By working with Dhaka Lit Fest we aim to enrich the next generation of Bangladeshi leaders and strengthen their link with the UK, while making Bangladeshi literature accessible in the UK by bringing authors and discussions to our premises, we hope that like Dhaka Lit Fest, our sites will be seen as safe spaces for dialogue, critical thinking and freedom of expression. 

Programme Details at the British Council stall 

  • Storytelling 
  • Interactive activities
  • Coding workshop 
  • Digital Library
  • Science talk from FameLab
  • Flash Poetry by Versemongers
  • Active Floor
  • Scholarship Bites

Date:     8–10 November 2018

Venue:  Bangla Academy, Suharwardy Udyan Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

We organised several workshops and talks with three UK authors who are coming at the Dhaka Lit Fest 2018. Learn more about the UK authors we are supporting in the Dhaka Lit Fest 2018 below.

Richard James Beard

Richard James Beard’s six novels include Lazarus is Dead, Dry Bones and Damascus, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His most recent novel Acts of the Assassins was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize, and he is the author of four books of narrative non-fiction, including his memoir The Day That Went Missing which won the 2018 PEN Ackerley Award for literary autobiography. He opens the batting for the Authors XI cricket team.

Workshop topic Date Time Venue
Report writing for social action 6 November 2018 10:30 AM - 01:30 PM

Bistaar Arts Complex, 688/C, Mehedibag Road, Chittagong

Workshop topic Date Time Venue
How to teach the basics of creative writing 6 November 2018 03:00 PM - 06:00 PM

 Southern University, 739 /A Mehedibag, Road, Chittagong 

Jaishree Misra

Jaishree Misra has written eight books of fiction, published by Penguin & Harper Collins in the UK. Her most recent book is non-fiction (A House for Mr. Misra) which offers a light-hearted look at the two years she spent in Kerala, trying to build a house by the sea. She has also edited an anthology on 'Motherhood' for Save the Children. She has worked in special needs, broadcasting and as a film classifier at the British Board of Film Classification.

To attend the workshop please mail to: bistaar@yahoo.com

Workshop topic Date Time Venue

Creative writing

11 November 2018 11:30 AM - 01:30 PM

Bistaar Arts Complex, 688/C, Mehedibag Road, Chittagong

Workshop topic Date Time Venue

Creative writing

11 November 2018 3:00 PM - 06:00 PM

British Council, Rafique Tower, Floor 8, 92 Agrabad, Chittagong

Sally Pomme Clayton

Sally Pomme Clayton is a pioneering storyteller and writer. She brings fairytales, forgotten myths, and epics to new life. Sally Pomme co-founded The Company of Storytellers with Ben Haggarty and Hugh Lupton (1985). They created ground-breaking performances, spearheading storytelling across the UK. Sally Pomme creates and performs stories for everyone from: Soho Theatre to The British Museum; The London Gypsy Orchestra to The London Philharmonic Orchestra; Royal Opera House to Royal Shakespeare Company; Athens Storytelling Festival to Hakaya Storytelling Festival, Jordan. She has published more than ten children’s books, her latest 'The King with Dirty feet' (Otter-Barry Books 2018) inspired by a folktale from Bengal and a poem by Tagore. Her next book is ‘The Phoenix of Persia’ (Tiny Owl Books, 2019). During 2018 she was commissioned by Thames Festival to create 'Mother Danube'  which was performed in unusual locations on the River Thames. She is currently touring her hybrid collaboration 'The Frog Princess Punked'  a feisty Russian fairytale with a girl punk band. Sally Pomme is an experienced and inspiring educator, teaching practical workshops in storytelling and creative writing.

 

Workshop topic Date Time Venue

Story telling

12 November 2018 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

British Council, 5 Fuller road, Dhaka University

Performance Date Time Venue

Performance by Sally Pomme

12 November 2018 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM

British Council, 5 Fuller road, Dhaka University