As our global community continues its journey through these extraordinary times, great literature still has the power to bring us together. After the success of the first virtual edition in 2020, Asia Society New York is again partnering with Teamwork Arts and the Consulate General of India in New York to bring JLF NYC online. We will celebrate the unique culture, diversity, and energy  with heady freedom of the virtual world through a series of livestreamed and on-demand events. Everything else remains the same — the camaraderie, the caravan of ideas, and the magical flow of conversations.

Program:

12:00 PM TO 01:00 PM ET | 09:30 PM - 10:30 PM IST

 Inaugural Address: Imagine

Namita Gokhale, William Dalrymple, Sanjoy K. Roy

 1:00 PM TO 1:45 PM ET | 10:30 PM - 11:15 PM IST, 

What Happens In Kabul Doesn’t Stay in Kabul

Husain Haqqani, Negina Sultani, Qais Mowafaq and Kenneth I. Juster in conversation with TCA Raghavan

The rapid transition in Kabul raises new questions about US power, competence, and credibility. There are also questions on whether radical Islam has now recieved its most potent booster shot yet or whether the Afghanistan drama is unique to it and an outcome of a specific history and circumstance. A session which examines the ripple effects of the swift changes in Afghanistan and the changing notions of being an American ally.

 2:00 PM TO 2:45 PM ET | 11:30 PM - 12:15 AM IST

 Acrobat

Nandana Dev Sen in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy

Celebrated actor, screenwriter, author, and child-rights activist Nandana Dev Sen takes us through a lyrical journey of poetry, memory, and identity. Her latest poetry collection, Acrobat, is a translation of her mother Nabaneeta Sen’s work, an intricate thread on womanhood, intimacy, body politics, and motherhood. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Sen discusses her inspirations and process behind this translation and her own prolific career.

 03:00 PM TO 03:45 PM ET, OCTOBER 20 | 12:30 AM TO 01:15 AM IST OCTOBER 21 

 The Fortune Men

Nadifa Mohamed in conversation with Abeer Y. Hoque

Writer Nadifa Mohamed's book The Fortune Men, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2021, is an unsettling account of postcolonial prejudice, injustice, and the fight for dignity. Based on the real events surrounding the imprisonment and execution of a Somali man in Cardiff in the 1950s, her vivid narrative style humanizes the accused's aspirations and vulnerabilities, and observes the process of his belief in the British justice system slowly fade and be replaced by spiritual contemplation and urgency. Brutal and equally compassionate the compelling novel shines an essential light into a neglected period of British history. In conversation with writer Abeer Y. Hoque, Mohamed explores the nuances of bringing this haunting tale to life and gives us a glimpse into her writing process.

4:00 PM TO 04:45 PM ET, OCTOBER 20, 2021 | 01:30 AM TO 02:15 AM IST, OCTOBER 21, 2021 

A Time Outside This Time

Amitava Kumar in conversation with Sabrina Dhawan

Amitava Kumar’s latest book, A Time Outside This Time, is an Orwellian adventure steeped in moral dilemmas, disinformation, and discord. An academic’s attempt to put pen to paper at an artists’ retreat is plagued by the noise of the outside world. Surrounded by the venom of 24 hour news and social media, the narrative is a sharp portrait of the post-truth era where misinformation is gospel. In conversation with renowned film-writer and professor at New York University, Sabrina Dhawan, Kumar discusses the ways in which truth gives way to fiction and gives us a glimpse into his writing process. ​