iterature no longer exerts the influence it once did on contemporary culture and often relies on support from other art forms for its survival. This explains why most literary festivals have become cultural extravaganzas rather than pure celebrations of the written word. Steered by neoliberal impulses, these festivals try to cater to a much wider demographic, so as to not come across as too niche.

The Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is also a prisoner to this practice and has, therefore, attracted diverse audiences year after year. Be that as it may, the organisers continue to strike a fine balance between literary discussions and talks dealing with the realms of politics, culture and the social sciences.

A similar balancing act was witnessed at the 16th edition of the festival held at the sea-facing Beach Luxury Hotel last weekend. However, this time, Oxford University Press, the organisers, made a concerted effort to make it easier for audiences to differentiate between literary and non-literary events.

The eight-page printed schedule included a colour-coded strip above every session.

Literary events were listed under a light-blue strip, while sessions about culture, education and public interest were earmarked in green, orange and yellow, respectively. Even a cursory glimpse at the programme revealed the preponderance of blue strips a clever move to remind audiences that literature is the lifeblood of the festival.

This year, the sessions revolving around literary pursuits appeared topical andintriguing. Established authors and scholars discussed the literary legacy of Bapsi Sidhwa, who passed away in December 2024.

Speaking at the commemorative session, Uzma Aslam Khan recalled how Sidhwa was the `first living Pakistani author` she knew who wrote about Partition. The novelist drew attention to how Sidhwa belonged to the microscopic Parsi community in Pakistan and went on to settle in the US, where shewas also a minority. The deceased author, Khan said, `wrote from the edges` of society throughout her life.

Saba Pirzadeh, an academic, commended Sidhwa`s The Ice-Candy Man as a feminist historiography that explored the experiences of women during Partition, which is usually overlooked in official narratives. `[The novel] reveals how borders are formed, policed and controlled,` Pirzadeh said.

During the mandatory Q&A section, an audience member asked the panellists about Sidhwa`s first novel, The Bride. None of them were able to answer the question. Their inability to address the questionshouldn`t be construed as a sign of their ignorance, but a reminder of how an author`s legacy is always linked to their entire oeuvre.

Anglophone literature remained at the heart of several lively discussions and debates. In a panel discussion moderated by curator and writer Nusrat Khwaja, novelist Shazaf Fatima Haider spoke about the negative perceptions held about Pakistani Anglophone literature at home and abroad.

Separately, a group of Pakistani authors appraised the future of Anglophone writing in the 21st century. The conversation predictably shifted towards the ways in which literary endeavours would be affected by artificial intelligence.`Just because AI can generate content, it doesn`t mean it has the soul of a writer,` said author Omar Shahid Hamid. Writer and publisher Maniza Naqvi pointed out how we continue to `hand things over to AI` despite expressing grave concerns about its growing influence on our lives.

When asked whether hope is essential to the art of writing, Naqvi commented on how written history is about `murder and an attempt to erase that murder.` She added, `Fiction is an attempt to resist that erasure... The novel is a form of resistance.

In a well-attended session chaired by journalist Tooba Masood-Khan, writer and policeman Omar Shahid Hamid explored the differences between writing about crime and the actual business of crime-fighting. `I hold back in a sense when I`m writing about crime,` he said. `I have to make the text palatable, as my readers aren`t criminal investigators and won`t be interested in the boring details of a case.

A large number of books were launched at this year`s festival, including Saba Karim Khan`s Home: #Its Complicated, Salman Tarik Kureishi`s Coming of Age, Umber Khairi`s Akbar in Wonderland and Tariq Alexander Qaiser`s Soliloquies? Existing on Earth: In Verse.

A new volume on Anglophone Pakistani literature, titled In the New Century: An Anthology of Pakistani Literature in English, was also released at the festival. Muneeza Shamsie, who has compiled and edited the anthology, explained that the book includes some captivating specimens of life-writing as well as fiction and excerpts from novels.

The esteemed critic also shared the stage with her daughter, the celebrated author Kamila Shamsie, to reflect on their respective literary journeys. Muneeza spoke about her initial forays into journalism that led her to conduct literary interviews. Meanwhile, Kamila recalled how she and her friend decided to write a book together at the age of 11. `By the time I was 15, I knew that if I didn`t write, I wouldn`t be happy,` she said.

In another session, Kamila examined how her writing has been shaped by the cities where she has lived.

In addition, she discussed how writing an essay about cricket led her to adopt a different approach to writing about the Karachi of her youth.

Many non-fictional texts were also launched at the KLF, including broadcaster Mishal Husain`s Broken Threads: My Family from Empire to Independence. Speaking at the launch session, the BBC journalist spoke about the circumstances that propelled her to write about a generation for whom the 1857 revolt was a `living memory.

The launch of Nadeem Farooq Paracha`s new book, Of Reason, Romance and Ruin, began with an intriguing discussion about Iqbal, Maulana Maududi and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan`s influence on Pakistan`s ideology. Two books pertaining to art Amin Gulgee`s No Man`s Land and Waqas Khan`s A Man with a Pen were also launched at the extravaganza.

Discussions on Urdu poetry and prose were sparse in comparison to those about English literature. Even so, an attempt was made to showcase the contributions of established littérateurs and artistes. The customary mushaira brought together young voices from contemporary Urdu poets. Some of the most insightful discussions includedthose about the Urdu translation of Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang`s The Vegetarian and a collection of translated North American women`s poetry by Zeenat Hisam. These sessions emphasised the need for a cross-cultural exchange of ideas a motif that can be tapped further during subsequent editions of the festival.

Barring a discussion on Sufi poets Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Sachal Sarmast and Bedil Saami, few sessions focused on the country`s regional languages and heritage.

Sceptics believe that a vast majority of festival-goers aren`t interested in attending sessions. Instead, they are more interested in gorging on street food at the stalls established in the car park of the Beach Luxury Hotel, feel the sceptics. Mercifully, this assumption proved to be incorrect, as countless people thronged the book stalls adjoining the hotel`s bustling garden.

Now in its 16th edition, the KLF has become a fixture in the city`s social calendar. It remains to be seen what new directions the organisers will take this crucial literary extravaganza in as it approaches the end of its second decade of existence.

The writer is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Typically Tanya and No Funeral for Nazia.

X: @ TahaKehar