Galle Literary Festival opens celebrating past, inspiring future

Aitken Spence Hotel Managements Jt. Managing Director Susith Jayawickrama (second from left) with (from left): Aitken Spence Hotels Vice President – Supply Chain Dinali Alexander, GLF Festival Director Giselle Harding, and GLF Festival Curator Saskia Walker 

Galle Literary Festival: Cultural renaissance for Sri Lanka

By Tyron Devotta 

The highly anticipated Galle Literary Festival (GLF) 2025 officially commenced yesterday with dinner and cocktails held at the historic Atapattu Walawwa. 

The launch event, hosted by Heritance Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Aitken Spence Hotels, marked the festival’s 12th edition, promising another immersive four-day celebration of literature, art, and culture that would attract over 5,000 visitors to the historic Galle Fort.

The Atapattu Walawwa, a meticulously preserved ancestral property in Galle, provided a fitting setting for the elegant evening. The Colombo Oriental Choir, popular for its South Asian music, formed part of the entertainment. 

As the festival unfolds over the next four days, Galle Fort will once again transform into a vibrant hub for literary enthusiasts, featuring renowned authors, thought-provoking discussions, and a celebration of Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage.

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening event, Aitken Spence Hotels Joint Managing Director Susith Jayawickrama said: “Hosting this event within the heritage-rich surroundings of Galle Fort truly enhances the cultural fabric of the city. The GLF doesn’t just bring people in for a quick visit – it encourages them to linger, to immerse themselves in the vibrant, festive atmosphere created by the myriad literary events scattered throughout the Fort. It’s a space buzzing with creativity and intellectual engagement, and this perfectly aligns with the concept of soft power at work in Galle.”

Jayawickrama said while none of the events were taking place at their hotels, this isn’t about direct business opportunities. “It’s about brand alignment and reinforcing our values. At Heritance, our brand is deeply rooted in the preservation and celebration of Sri Lanka’s rich heritage. We inherit what is ours, and we strive to protect and honour it. Our portfolio includes some of the country’s most iconic properties, such as Heritance Kandalama, Heritance Ayurveda, and Heritance Ahungalla, all landmarks in their own right. The GLF, set within the historic Fort – a UNESCO World Heritage site – resonates deeply with what Heritance stands for. Literature, much like our hospitality philosophy, is about preserving stories, histories, and cultural identities while fostering new ideas and voices. This intersection of heritage and contemporary thought makes our partnership with the GLF a natural fit.” 

The Joint Managing Director says the company first partnered with the festival last year, and it was a meaningful collaboration. “We actively sought to continue this relationship because the GLF embodies the same principles we hold dear – celebrating the past while inspiring the future. That’s why we are proud to be part of this year’s opening night and to support an event that enriches both the cultural and intellectual landscapes of Sri Lanka.”

The interdisciplinary collaborations and cultural dialogues are filled with panels, workshops, and performances that merge literature with visual arts. The workshops include “How to Write a Children’s Book” by Shyala Smith, “Writing a Crime-Thriller: Creating a Storyboard” by Greg Mosse, and “The Art of Poster Design Mads Berg Workshop and Creative Writing” by Nadeesha Paulis. 

Key panels include “AI in Writing: Friend, Foe or Tool?” with panellists Adam Rutherford and Yudhanjaya Wijeratne with Mangala Karunaratne, “Fusing Fact with Fiction in the Historical Novel” with panellists V.V. Ganeshananthan and Aanchal Malhotra with Artika Bakshi, “LGBTQ+ Identities On and Off the Page” with panellists Saraid de Silva, Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, and Shyam Selvadurai with Kalpanee Gunawardana, “The Stuff of Legend” with panellists Sunela Jayewardene and Devdutt Pattanaik with Asoka de Zoysa, “Repatriation: Objects of Empire” with panellists Naazima Kamardeen, Sathnam Sanghera, and Nicholas Thomas with Georgina Godwin, and “Understanding Sri Lankan Identity through Novels” with panellists V.V. Ganeshananthan, Ameena Hussein, and Shyam Selvadurai with Maduranga Kalugampitiya.

Photography and film will play an integral role in the GLF 2025, with exhibitions “Vietnam through Time: A Nat Geo Photographer’s 25-Year Journey” by Catherine Karnow and a “Soviet Bus Stops” screening, blending history, architecture, and photography. 

Literary dinners include meets with Philippe Sands, Afua Hirsch, Peter and Georgina Godwin, Peter Frankopan, and a Gourmet Galle Dinner by Ravinder Bhogal at Radisson Collection. A dinner meet on the subject of “Sustainably-Conscious Architecture” with Channa Daswatte, Sunela Jayewardene, and Shiromi Pinto is also on the agenda.

There are 11 free events which include “Connecting Cultures: The Art of Literary Translation” by Michael Hofmann, Rashmika Mandawala, and Aube Rey Lescure with Amita Arudpragasam, “Climate Crossroads: The Imperative to Act” by Peter Frankopan, Sunela Jayewardene, and Philippe Sands with Amita Arudpragasam, “Discover Your Voice” by Ashanthi de Alwis, and “Child Migrant Voices” by Eithne Nightingale and Hajra Williams with Marguerite Richards.

Art Trail by ARTRA will host a series of Art Exhibitions, Art Walks and Meet the Artist sessions alongside the launch of ARTRA Magazine’s South Asian Contemporary Art Edition 68 (2025). The program will feature revered contemporary artists from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh including Ali Kazim, Tayeba Begum Lipi, and Anoli Perera, whose works are part of seminal collections around the world including the Tate, Qatar Museums, and Guggenheim. Art Trail will also feature the works of Pushpakumara Koralagedara, a key contemporary artist in Sri Lanka’s 90s trend art movement addressing the brutality of the civil war – a parallel reading to political cartoonist Gihan de Chickera’s segment on comics and satirical drawings. Additionally, emerging artists Rajani Serasinghe and Kopalapillai Mathiskumar in their respective mediums of mosaic, sculpture, and mixed media explore rapture and ruin, while photography by Anush Wijesinha, Nishan Perera, and the Streets of Colombo Collective craft and critique natural and urban landscapes framing the artistic multitudes of Art Trail 2025.

In addition to art, the GLF partners with Gourmet Galle, a culinary event offering exclusive dining experiences with world-renowned chefs at stunning coastal venues. The Children’s Festival at the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum is another event that will provide young participants with interactive workshops, performances, and storytelling sessions designed to inspire creativity.

The festival’s social events – such as yoga sessions by the Indian Ocean, guided heritage walks, and the Mayhem Past Midnight party – ensure that attendees experience the full spectrum of Sri Lanka’s culture.