Why this year's Galle Literary Festival is significant | The Hindu

After a gap of four years, the Galle Literary Fest was back
It was worth the wait for Sri Lanka, which is still recovering from the economic crisis, following the Covid pandemic
The festival was held from January 25th to 28th in the picture-postcard town of Galle down south
The timing of the festival got even better with Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka winning the Booker Prize in 2022
According to Karunatilaka, the festival is a sign that the country is rebuilding itself
"What a turbulent history we have had in the last few years… the constitutional crisis [2018], Easter Sunday attacks [2019], the pandemic, then the economic collapse and everything that followed. I think this is a positive sign that Sri Lanka is slowly rebuilding, there is a lot of rebuilding to be done... The Galle Fort is alive, the sun is out, and we have been having very stimulating conversations, that is definitely a positive sign"
The festival's venue, the Galle Fort, had scores of foreign and local tourists during the weekend of the literary fest.
The fort, a favourite tourist spot, was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and fortified by the Dutch in the 17th century
In its eclectic itinerary, this edition of the festival sought to showcase the island’s history, not only in the literary space, but also in food and the arts.
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