DHAKA: The fifth edition of ‘Dhaka Lit Fest’ has begun on Bangla Academy premises in city on Thursday.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith inaugurated the three-day event in the morning. The festival will remain open for visitors from 8:30am to 7:30pm everyday.

More than 250 participants from 14 countries will join the festival.

This year’s event is featuring Nobel laureate Dr Harold Varmus, the cancer researcher and author of ‘The Art and Politics of Science’. He is expected to give a lecture around 5:00pm today.

The event will also include noted India litterateur Nayantara Sahgal, bestseller Shobhaa De and writer Ramachandra Guha, Pakistan human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir and British journalist Jon Snow.

International talents of diverse origins and genres, including top Cuban science fiction writer Yoss, Kenyan children’s storyteller Muthoni Garland, Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan, Indian novelist Amit Chaudhuri and poet Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, and acclaimed British filmmaker Leslee Udwin will attend the event.

Writer and one of the festival directors Kazi Anis said, “We wanted to build a bridge between the world and our literature”.

Interested persons were advised to visit http://dhakalitfest.com website for free registration and more information.

BDST: 1258 HRS, NOV 19, 2015
SR/RR/SMS