A literary affair at Jetwing Lighthouse

22 January 2010 05:36 am Views - 11320

With the opening of the box office, the countdown for the 'Galle Literary Festival 2010' has begun.
A picture perfect beach splashed by the sparkling waters of the Indian Ocean and inland, architecturally the most beautiful hotel in Southern Sri Lanka, the Jetwing Lighthouse will once again play  'Platinum' host to one of world's best literary festivals for the fourth consecutive year.

Forty eight of the world's most popular and celebrated writers will be in Galle from the 28 January to 1 February. The Galle Literary Festival, which is one of Sri Lanka's most fabulous inventions, will be given the allure of the perfect destination once more by the iconic Jetwing Lighthouse, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

European bestselling author Antony Beevor of D - Day Battle for Normandy fame,   Rana Dasgupta author of Tokyo Cancelled(2005) and Solo (2009) Poetess Wendy Cope with three published books of poetry to her credit and who was also voted the listeners' choice in a BBC Radio 4 poll to succeed Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate are among the writers listed this year.

On Saturday, 30 January,  Channa Daswatte, student of the famed architect Geoffrey Bawa will walk  through a series of architecturally designed  houses and discuss the peculiar task that architects face when  designing houses for themselves. As if on cue, the ethereal Jetwing Lighthouse will continue to hum a hushed thank you to Geoffrey Bawa, for the pristine home he has created for many guests at Jetwing Lighthouse.



It is no wonder the British Council in Sri Lanka has preferred to find a haven at Jetwing Lighthouse for some of its more prominent writers attending the Galle Literary Festival this year. For instance, Louise Doughty, a novelist, playwright and critic, whilst being pampered by the tailor-made hospitality of Jetwing, will speak about a 'unique heritage and a hidden history' on the 31st January at the Maritime Museum.
Jetwing Lighthouse the official platinum sponsor of the Festival, for the fourth consecutive year, will be house -full during the festival with literary enthusiasts. Rana Dasgupta considered as the most unexpected and original Indian writer of his generation will speak at the Cinnamon Terrace at Jetwing Lighthouse on Saturday. This is one of the rarest opportunities to listen to Rana in person, as he speaks on his second novel, Solo (2009), which has received great critical acclaim.

The festival party, one of the key meeting points of literary lovers will be held at the thoroughly sociable Jetwing Lighthouse on Saturday 30 January .

Lighthouse will be host to Shyam Selvadurai, a celebrated repeater to the Galle Literary Festival, considered as the one who pioneered a new era of contemporary Sri Lankan writing in English. Participants of his talk on Sunday 31st January at the Cinnamon Terrace at Jetwing Lighthouse, will get the opportunity to a sneak preview of two of his new books, based on the Buddhist Jataka tales.

Among the band of celebrities who are expected to experience the understated luxury of Lighthouse is Ian Rankin, an award winning Scottish crime writer. His well-known series of Inspector Rebus novels are best-sellers on several continents. The author of highly acclaimed biographies of Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Pepys, Mary Wollstonecraft and Katherine Mansfield, Claire Tomalin and her husband Michael Frayn, the brain behind the famous screen play "Towards the end of the morning" will also be hosted by the British Council at Jetwing Lighthouse during the Galle Literary Festival.

Each prestigious writer will be welcomed in a special way at Jetwing Lighthouse and they will be among other distinguished guests, some of whom are members of the Jetwing Club, the loyalty programme of Jetwing Hotels, which guarantees a place just for you at Jetwing.