It's not often one has the time to really slow down and sit and listen — and learn — for days, rather than minutes, at a time. Especially not on a tropical island.
Which is why it felt incredibly spoiling to have spent the last week at JLF Soneva Fushi surrounded by a group of such fun and fascinating people.
JLF is a festival that brings authors from different backgrounds together to share ideas: diplomats and novelists speaking to mathematicians about the future; historians exploring topics like war and climate change with journalists; novelists and poets sharing their sources of inspiration with directors and artists.
The talks will be online soon but in the meantime here's a taster — some of the highlights from the sessions:
- Radhika Raje and I exploring some of the Maharajas' jewels in the context of the historic links between East and West; influencers then and now, and the question of inspiration vs. appropriation
- Marcus du Sautoy speaking to scientist Roger Highfield about whether AI can ever be as creative as humans (what happens when you ask a computer to write the next Harry Potter novel?)
- William Dalrymple diving into the world of espionage with Ben Macintyre
- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Road, quizzing David Wallace-Wells on climate change and whether the future is as bleak as his book The Uninhabitable Earth suggests
- Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of Pain, sharing views on leadership and overcoming obstacles with Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's chief of staff and author of Both/And
- Shobhaa De speaking to Vikas Swarup, author behind the film Slumdog Millionaire, on coping with the ramifications of political incorrectness in India
- André Aciman chatting to Sanjoy K. Roy about the surprising story behind his novel — and later film — Call Me By Your Name
JLF in the pink city of Jaipur has a brilliant, intense, all-encompassing energy. This was different — calmer, more intimate — but just as magic, even if it was the rainy season and our plane couldn't land on the first day. As my budding writer daughter said: "That's a great start to a story, mum — a secret magical island protected by a storm…"
Image Gallery
