Friday, November 2, 2012

Suu Kyi to lead Burmese literary festival

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Friday, 02 November 2012 13:58

Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will be one of several famous authors participating in the first ever English-language literary festival in Burma early next year.

Suu Kyi is also patron of the Irrawaddy Literary Festival, which is scheduled to take place at Rangoon’s Inya Lake Hotel on February 1- 3, 2013.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

“I am delighted to lend my support and personal participation to this first Irrawaddy Literary Festival,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said. “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.”

The festival will feature a book fair, authors’ readings, puppet shows, workshops and photo exhibitions.

Among the authors who will speak or appear at the event are: Fergal Keane, an award-winning BBC correspondent who chronicled the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s; Jung Chang, the author of bestselling novel Wild Swans; Delhi-based Scots novelist William Dalrymple; and Belgian photo-journalist Thierry Falise.

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