Festival Opening & Launch	6.00pm
Event Code: 001 Price: USD 15.00 (Limited Tickets)

Join us in the newly restored Law Court Square in Galle Fort for the grand opening of the inaugural Galle Literary Festival.
The festival will be opened by patrons & dignitaries and Elmo Jayawardena will give a tribute to one of Sri Lanka’s leading authors, the late Nihal De Silva. The winner of the Southern Province AdoptSriLanka Children’s Creative Writing Competition will get the chance to present their work and much more.

Brief Bagatalle	10.00am – 11.15am
Event Code: 002 Price: USD 10.00

Listen to two Bawa experts, architects David Robson & Channa Daswatte, as they entertain us with stories and anecdotes as they bring us into the world of the Bawa brothers; Geoffrey & Bevis.  David Robson’s monograph Geoffrey Bawa – The Complete Works is possibly one of the most comprehensive books on him. Channa Daswatte who trained under Geoffrey Bawa is one of Sri Lanka’s foremost architects, and also writes frequently for international and local journals and magazines.

Conversations on the Writing Life featuring Yasmine Gooneratne	11.30am - 12.45pm
Event Code: 003 Price: USD 10.00

University professor, literary critic, editor, bibliographer, award-winning novelist, essayist and poet, Yasmine Gooneratne will give us insights into her life as an author having published over 16 books in her career, many of which are internationally commended such as The Pleasures of Conquest which was short listed for the 1996 Commonwealth Writers Prize.

Moderator: Deepika Shetty

Have your own picnic in the magnificent 15-acre, Italian-inspired garden at Lunuganga or
join us for a superb culinary literary lunch

When the Setting is the Story	2.15pm - 3.15pm
Event Code: 005 Price: USD 10.00

Join author, gastronomic expert & revered actress Madhur Jaffrey and intrepid foreign correspondent Christopher Kremmer as they share with us their favourite place, where they both grew up in very different ways, and how this has influenced them both now and then.
Madhur Jaffrey is one of the world’s greatest authorities on Indian food and author of over 15 cookery books and a memoir, Climbing the Mango Tree. Christopher Kremmer is one of Australia’s most accomplished and popular writers of narrative non-fiction. He has authored three commended books, his latest being Inhaling the Mahatma.

Moderator: Deepika Shetty

Bawa and Beyond	3.30pm – 4.45pm
Event Code: 006 Price: USD 10.00

Come & join a lively discussion with prized Sri Lankan & international architects C Anjalendran, Madhura Prematilleke, Anura Ratnavibushana & Kerry Hill, as they discuss the influences of Geoffrey Bawa on their own work and the future of the Bawa legacy in architecture.

Moderated by David Robson

Garden Walking Tour	4.45pm – 5.30pm
Event Code: 007 Price: USD 10.00

Gain an insight into the incredible vision that Geoffrey Bawa had for the magnificent gardens at Lunuganga with Bawa expert Channa Daswatte.

Re-reading Jane Austen	9.30 – 10.30am
Event Code: 009 Price: USD 10.00

Join two Jane Austen experts, notable Sri Lankan author Yasmine Gooneratne and Australian author “Another Lady” share with us the secrets behind the female & male relationships in the works of Jane Austen.
Yasmine Gooneratne has written extensively on Jane Austen & is the patron of the Jane Austen society of Australia. “Another Lady” completed Jane Austen’s unfinished fragment Sanditon to critical acclaim.

Moderator: Nury Vittachi

Language and Writing Life	11.00am - 12.15pm
Event Code: 010 Price: USD 10.00

Join three Gratiaen Prize-winning authors, Carl Muller, Elmo Jayawardena and Tissa Abeysekara as they talk about writing as a profession, winning awards and what they see as the future of writing in English in Sri Lanka.

Carl Muller is a poet, novelist, historian and one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific authors, Elmo Jayawardena is an author of Sam’s Story and The Last Kingdom of Sinhalay and Tissa Abeysekara is a distinguished actor, scriptwriter, poet & author of Bringing Tony Home and In the Kingdom of the Sun.

Moderator: Rohan Ponniah

The Outside Inside – Sri Lankan Literature & Beyond	12.30pm – 1.45pm
Event Code: 011 Price: USD 10.00

Belonging to the literary dynasty of the Vittachis, Sri Lankan-born Nury Vittachi takes us on a fascinating journey of Sri Lanka’s contribution to world literature. Following in the footsteps of his famous father, Tarzie Vittachi, Nury who has published extensively in different languages explores the crucial contribution of literature to Sri Lanka and to the world.

Moderator: Richard Simon

The First Word: Breaking the Ice	2.00pm - 3.15pm
Event Code: 013 Price: USD 10.00

First time, yet highly-celebrated Sri Lankan writers, discuss the highs & lows of writing their first books. Enjoy Ashok Ferrey, author and best-seller Colpetty People, David Blacker, author of A Cause Untrue and Manuka Wijesinghe, author of Monsoons & Potholes.

Moderator: Ameena Hussein 

East meets West	3.30pm - 4.45pm
Event Code: 014 Price: USD 10.00

Join former BBC India Correspondent & author Mark Tully as he discusses his new book which focuses on what India can teach the West. During his 22-year tenure as the BBC's India Correspondent, Mark Tully became familiar to viewers and listeners throughout the world for his incisive and thought-provoking reports. Whether dodging bullets during skirmishes which bubbled up from time to time on the India-Pakistan border, describing the effect of absolute poverty on Calcutta's street beggars or detailing the horrific aftermath of the Bhopal chemical disaster, he gave a unique insight into the life of the subcontinent.

Moderator: Christopher Kremmer

Telling the tale: Fact or Fiction	5.00pm – 6.15pm
Event Code: 015 Price: USD 10.00

Marquez, Faulkner and Joyce have all transformed family stories and first hand experiences into rich myths of their own. Now listen to three authors of world renown talk about their ability to blend reality, magic and imagination to create prize-winning works of deep, rich meaning. The 2006 Man Booker Prize Winner – Kiran Desai, Booker Prize Nominee & Sri Lankan Romesh Gunesekera and 2005 Pulitzer Prize Finalist Suketu Mehta.

Moderator: Nury Vittachi

Join the expert on the history of Dutch Forts Rajpal de Silva as he gives you a presentation and takes you on a walking tour of the UN World Heritage Site of Galle Fort , taking you back in time as he unfolds his passion for forts with interesting stories of the past.
Meeting Point – The Fort Gallery, Church St, Galle Fort

Its not just Cricket!	9.30 – 10.30am
Event Code: 018 Price: USD 10.00

Romesh Gunesekera, will share with us why playing the game of cricket is only half the story in his latest book The Match.
Romesh is the author of Reef, which was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1994, Monkfish Moon, a collection of short stories, The Sandglass, a novel published in 1998 and Heaven's Edge.

Moderator: Christopher Kremmer

The Last Mughal	11.00am - 12.15pm
Event Code: 019 Price: USD 10.00

Award-winning author William Dalrymple will discuss his most recent book, The Last Mughal, taking you on a dramatic journey through the Indian rebellion of 1857–8 and the deposition of the last Mughal Emperor.

Four ways forward	2.00pm -3.15pm
Event Code: 021 Price: USD 10.00

Join four writers who talk to us about their particular use of language in their writings. Pradeep Jeganathan, Lal Medawattagedera,  Jagath Kumarasinghe & Madhubashini Ratnayake talk to us about the use of the vernacular in their writing and how it shapes Sri Lankan writing in English.

Moderator: Neloufer de Mel

In the Spotlight	3.30pm - 4.45pm
Event Code: 022 Price: USD 10.00

The 2006 Man Booker Prize Winner Kiran Desai introduces us to her award winning novel The Inheritance of Loss and talks about issues such as globalisation, multiculturalism, inequality and the different forms of love that influenced her writing.                           

Unveiling the Woolf!	5.00pm – 6.00pm
Event Code: 023 Price: USD 10.00

Distinguished biographer, critic, broadcaster and novelist, Victoria Glendinning, brings to life the formidable publisher & author Leonard Woolf in her latest biography Leonard Woolf – A life. Victoria will share with us Woolf’s 7 years in Ceylon & how this period of his life influenced his writing.

Moderator: Ashley Halpe.

Join Rory Spowers, owner and founder of Samakanda, author of Three Men on a Bike - a bizarre tale of cycling through Africa, critically acclaimed Rising Tides - a history of environmentalism and his latest book soon to be released, A year in Green Tea & Tuk Tuks and Libby Southwell author of the best selling book Monsoon Rains & Icicle Drops as they share excerpts from their books about living in Sri Lanka.

Moderator: Richard Simon

A walking tour of Samakanda with Rory Spowers, covering the seven ‘zones’ of the project and highlighting the key elements of each, from the concepts of the forest garden to renewable energy systems.

Join in on a panel discussion with Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, one of Sri Lanka's most prolific nature photographers and writers, Rukshan Jayewardene, full time wildlife photographer and co-author of the first publication dedicated to Leopards in Sri Lanka & Dr Ranil Senanayake environmental scientist and one of Sri Lanka’s experts on Ecologically Sustainable Development, as they passionately discuss key environmental issues facing the tourism industry.

Moderated by Rory Spowers

What makes Sri Lankans one?	9.30am – 11.00am
Event Code: 029 Price: USD 10.00

Join Neela Marikkar, president of Sri Lanka First, a powerful group of business leaders that advocate for a negotiated settlement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Namini Wijedasa, journalist & winner of the 2005 Natali Prize for Human Rights, Kumi Samuels who is known for her work in the area of women and peace, fiction writer David Blacker and actor Rohan Ponniah, as they discuss what unites Sri Lankans.

Moderator: Tissa Jayatilaka

An Englishman Abroad	11.15am - 12.30pm
Event Code: 030 Price: USD 10.00

Fasten your seatbelts for the grand finale of the festival where three highly-commended authors will compare notes on living in distant corners of the globe. Notable author of novels & science fiction Arthur C Clarke, world renowned former BBC Indian correspondent & author Mark Tully, & celebrated author & historian William Dalrymple.

Moderator: Nury Vittachi