3 of the biggest names to come to the Emirates LitFest 2021

Our friends at the Emirates Literature Foundation are gearing up for LitFest 2021…

Here at the Emirates Literature Foundation, we are beyond excited to have finally announced the line-up for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2021!

Taking place across three fantastic venues, Jameel Arts Centre, InterContinental Dubai Festival City and Alserkal Avenue, and across three weekends from 29 January to 13 February, the Festival promises to bring together some of the hottest writers today.

Here are three books by three of the biggest names you can look forward to seeing.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, by Elif Shafak

From one of the best-loved writers of our time, this novel was shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize and it is easy to see why.

“In the first minute following her death, Tequila Leila’s consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away…”, it begins, and in the 10 minutes that follows, we get to know Leila and her friends through her memories. Reading Elif Shafak is a full sensory experience, as well as a powerful commentary on the big topics of our time: hypocrisy, misogyny, and poverty.

My Name is Why, by Lemn Sissay

This is a tragic story of a child ‘in the system’. From neglect, cruelty and misfortune to determination and triumph, Lemn’s memoir is a harrowing read with a moving, lyrical voice that carries you through to adulthood.

Lemn was already 17 when he learned that his name had been changed as he was taken from his mother as a child. He found out that she had been asking for his return ever since, so why had he been in care? Who was supposed to be looking out for him? Exploring race, family and the meaning of home, this powerful, moving book makes us all join the author and ask Why.

I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” Malala was that one voice when the Taliban took control of her home town, and banned girls from school. Fighting for her right to education, she became a target for the extremists and in 2012, she nearly paid the ultimate prize. She was shot at almost point-blank range as she was on her way home on the school bus. Against all odds, she survived. She has gone on to become a global symbol for peaceful protest and standing up for what is right, becoming the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. This is her story.

We can’t wait to hear from her at the Festival and find out will she do next.

Book now for the Emirates LitFest 2021

See the full line-up for the Emirates LitFest 2021 on the website, and buy your tickets here.

You can also tune in to the Boundless Book Club podcast, where you’ll find the team talking in greater detail about some of the great books by authors coming to the Festival; you can find it here, and on all your favourite podcast platforms.