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The three-weekend festival in Dubai will welcome Malala, Amin Maalouf, Elif Shafak, Lemn Sissay, and more
3 January 2021
| Last updated on 19 January 2021
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is always a much-anticipated celebration of the written and spoken word, bringing in some of our modern literary greats from all genres – and for its 2021 run, the Festival is unlikely to be any different.
The full guest list for this year's Emirates Literature Festival has been announced, and the exciting three-week programme will have you pocketing your phone away to immerse yourself in an event like no other.
Nobel prize winner Malala and authors Elif Shafak, Amin Maalouf, and Lemn Sissay are among the big names announced by the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature this year, happening from January 29 to February 13.
Readers and non-readers alike can now look forward to a mix of live appearances and virtual sessions featuring literature, art, science, current affairs, film, food, and performance. Many sessions will also be livestreamed.
In addition to these and other big names, the Festival has invited fresh voices and new talent, with many programmes under the 2021 Festival theme, ‘Change the Story’, defining the spirit of the current times.
Pictured: Elif Shafak in Frankfurt, Germany 2019
Activist and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai, will be heading to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature to share her story and mission for the future.
Elif Shafak, one of the most influential novelists writing today, will be exploring her writing and the importance of bridging the gap between the East and West.
Acclaimed author and journalist Amin Maalouf will be discussing his timely work, 'Adrift: How Our World Lost Its Way', examining recent history, the reasons why civilisations have drifted apart, and how this impacts global threats.
You will also hear from Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, an educator, author, and the co-founder and board member of the Malala Fund, which champions girls' rights to education all over the world.
Ahlam Bolooki, festival director for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature said: "Although circumstances have meant that some of the usual elements of our Festival are not possible for 2021, we are thrilled to be able to stage live sessions again."
"We’re looking forward to a better future, and a more hopeful, more accepting and more empathetic world. We all want to make more positive choices in our lives, while being entertained and having some fun. The New Year brings a new beginning. I hope it enables us all to ‘Change the Story’ for 2021, and our Festival to bring a big dose of optimism for the future," Bolooki added.
Book your tickets
Ticket prices start at AED 60 for adult sessions, AED 40 for children’s sessions, and AED 100 for a digital pass to watch live-streamed sessions from home.
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