Asia House Literature Festival
Words, stories, ideas from Asia and the diaspora
The Asia House Bagri Foundation Literature Festival 2019
In 2019 we welcomed an eclectic mix of household names and rising stars, from politician and bestselling author Shashi Tharoor to the UK’s most followed poet on social media, Nikita Gill. The breadth of our conversations ranged from key events in 20th Century Chinese history to an examination of British Muslim identity today.
We were once again grateful for the support of our Title Sponsor, the Bagri Foundation, who share our vision to celebrate Asian arts and culture and share it with audiences across the UK.
Tuesday 3 September 2019
19:00
Crusaders: Dan Jones in conversation
Bestselling author and historian returns with a major new history of the Crusades that offers an unprecedented wide scope.
Thursday 19 September 2019
18:45
Stephen Green: The Human Odyssey
A multi-layered exploration of individual, cultural identity and the search for universal human values in our world today.
Tuesday 1 October 2019
18:45
Babita Sharma
Generations Apart? Reflections of a Second Generation Immigrant
An examination of the changing role of the British corner shop and British attitudes towards immigration.
Thursday 10 October 2019
18:45
Azadeh Moaveni
Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS
A gripping account of thirteen women as they joined, endured and, in some cases, escaped life in the Islamic State.
Thursday 17 October 2019
18:45
Hanif Kureishi: What Happened?
Hanif Kureishi returns to Asia House to discuss his new collection of comic, dark and insightful essays and fiction.
Thursday 24 October 2019
18:45
Dom Joly: Hezbollah Hiking Club
A hilarious travelogue in which comedian Dom Joly and his two best friends hike across Lebanon.
Monday 11 November 2019
19:00
Things No One Can Teach Us
Spoken word artist Humble the Poet, shares share raw and honest stories from his own life.
Saturday 7 September 2019
14:00
Great Goddesses: Nikita Gill Book Launch
The UK's most followed poet returns to Asia House to launch her new book, offering empowering life lessons from myths and monsters.
Tuesday 24 September 2019
18:45
British Asian Women and Shakespeare
Shobna Gulati and Dr. Koel Chatterjee will discuss the impact of British Asian women on creating popular culture Shakespeare productions.
Monday 7 October 2019
18:45
Claudia Roden and Yasmin Khan: Exploring Middle Eastern Food and Identity
The renowned food writers will discuss how an understanding of food can reveal rich, nuanced perspectives.
Tuesday 15 October 2019
18:45
The Stories We Tell: Nikesh Shukla, Nish Kumar, Tanika Gupta, Vinay Patel
A discussion on creative freedom, literary acts of defiance, and the stories writers are encouraged to tell.
Saturday 19 October 2019
14:00
Jung Chang in conversation
Bestselling author of Wild Swans returns with a gripping new story Big Sister, Little Sister.
Tuesday 29 October 2019
18:45
Asia House Poetry Slam 2019
Eight shortlisted poets perform for the chance to be crowned the 2019 Poetry Slam champion.
Monday 16 September 2019
18:45
Shashi Tharoor: Books That Shaped My Life
The prominent Indian politician and bestselling author will be discussing the books that have most influenced him in his life.
Thursday 26 September 2019
18:45
Follow Me Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims
Exploring how a new generation of young Muslims are using the internet to determine their religious identity on their own terms.
Wednesday 9 October 2019
18:45
Karl reMarks
The Middle East - A Year in Review
Online satirist looks back at the media's depiction of key moments in the Middle East this year.
Wednesday 16 October 2019
19:15
Poetry, Language and Heritage
An evening of rich multilingual spoken word and storytelling from award-winning poets exploring identity, heritage and the Asian diaspora.
Tuesday 22 October 2019
18:45
Shiv Malik: The Messenger
The true story of an unlikely friendship between a repentant jihadist and an idealistic journalist.
Thursday 7 November 2019
18:45
Superstars of Singapore Fiction
Celebrating contemporary Singaporean writing with authors who have captured the essence of Singapore.
