Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 Unveils Exciting Delhi Preview: A Taste of Literary Excellence

New Delhi, Dec 19: The Jaipur Literature Festival, presented by Vedanta and widely regarded as the “greatest literary show on earth,” will return for its 19th edition from 15th to 19th January 2026 at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur. Ahead of the Festival, Teamwork Arts, the producers of the Festival, hosted the Delhi Preview on December 17th, 2025 at The Leela Palace, New Delhi, offering a glimpse of the Festival’s expansive programme and reaffirming its place as one of the world’s most influential platforms for ideas, dialogue, and cultural exchange.

The 19th edition will bring together an extraordinary range of voices from across the world, including eminent thinkers, writers, artists, policymakers, and cultural leaders such as Abhishek Singh, Ali Eslami, Alice Oswald, Alok Vaid-Menon, Anamika, Andrew Graham Dixon, Anne Applebaum, Anuradha Roy, Arvind Subramaniam, D. Y. Chandrachud, Edward Luce, Ella Al-Shamahi, Esther Duflo, Fara Dabhoiwala, Fintan O’Toole, Fredrik Logevall, Gaur Gopal Das, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Janina Ramirez, Javed Akhtar, Jimmy Wales, Kiran Desai, Leo Varadkar, Maharaja Gaj Singh, Marcia Langton, Megha Majumdar, Nicholas Stern, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Percival Everett, Rachel Clarke, Richard Flanagan, Richard Horton, Shikhar Dhawan, Stephen Fry, Sudha Murty, Tanya Talaga, Tim Berners-Lee, Tom Freston, Ussama Makdisi, Vir Das, Vishwanathan Anand, William Sieghart, Yoshitoki Ōima, and many others, making it a truly global celebration of ideas, literature, and dialogue.

Inclusivity lies at the heart of the Festival’s ethos, reinforced through sign language interpretation in collaboration with Nupur Sansthan, ensuring wider accessibility. Running alongside the Festival, Jaipur BookMark, South Asia’s leading publishing conclave, marks its 13th edition focusing on Marathi language, translations, emerging storytelling innovations, and AI in publishing, with The Royal Norwegian Embassy as its Country Partner. Jaipur BookMark continues its joint initiative with the British Council: the India-UK Publishing Fellowship, expanding global exposure for independent publishers. Session Partners include the Tamil Nadu Textbook Bureau, Sage Publications, and The Department of Marathi Language, Government of Maharashtra.

Extending the Festival’s cultural canvas, Jaipur Music Stage returns from 15th to 17th January 2026, presenting a dynamic line-up of contemporary musicians and genre-blending performances, and remains one of India’s most anticipated live music platforms within a literary festival. The preview also featured Nizami Bandhu, renowned Qawwali singers from the Sikandra Gharana, continuing a four-century-old tradition as Darbari singers of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Hazrat Amir Khusro.

William Dalrymple, Co-Founder and Festival Co-Director, said,

“The Jaipur Literature Festival has stood at the confluence of literary brilliance, scholarship, and global currents of thought. The 2026 edition brings together some of the finest minds on the planet — Nobel laureates, pioneering scientists, historians, philosophers, novelists, poets, and performers. What excites me most is the extraordinary range of dialogues and conversations that will unfold — from reimagined classics, debates on geopolitics and AI, luminous poetry, bold fiction, to groundbreaking developments in the humanities. The Festival celebrates the many ways words shape our understanding of the world.”

Namita Gokhale, Co-Founder and Festival Co-Director, added,

“The Jaipur Literature Festival is an annual pilgrimage for lovers of literature. The 2026 edition will explore our world through the lens of arts, sciences, books, debate, poetry, fiction, and the creative imagination.”

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, said,

“The Festival has grown into a global platform rooted in openness and exchange, bringing together voices from different disciplines, geographies, and perspectives.”

Preeta Singh, President, Teamwork Arts, said,

“As we celebrate 19 years of the Jaipur Literature Festival, we extend gratitude to all partners, especially Vedanta as presenting partner. Supported by Infosys Foundation, MSF Foundation, HSBC, HUL Taj Tea, Planet Wheeler Foundation, Vedica, and Rajasthan Tourism. New partners include Groww, First India News, Pocket FM, Prestige Group, The Observer, Shrewsbury International School. Media partners: Business Standard, Dainik Bhaskar, Sakal, iNext, Punjab Kesari, and Jio News continue to amplify the Festival’s reach and impact.”