The George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) in Penang has unveiled its first wave of writers and participants, setting the stage for a must-attend literary gathering from Nov 27-29.
The well-established festival, now in its 16th edition, explores the theme "Cosmopolises", examining cities as places where languages, faiths and layered histories find common ground.
"Cities are often treated as points on a map, defined by borders, skylines, and statistics. Yet they are also crossings – of languages and faiths, of labour and longing, of memory and possibility. A cosmopolis is not simply a large city, nor a polished global hub. It is a lived condition: where difference is ordinary, where strangers learn to dwell together, and where histories overlap rather than replace one another," reads a festival statement.
"At a time when identities are increasingly policed and borders newly hardened, Cosmopolises asks how shared worlds are nonetheless made. Through literature, translation, history, and foodways, it turns our attention to coexistence as a daily practice – unfinished, fragile, and profoundly human."
Bringing together Malaysian authors and literary voices from across Asia and beyond, the festival programme reflects the region's interconnected histories and evolving identities through conversations on cultural heritage, migration and memory, alongside fiction rooted in multilingual and multicultural realities.
Arriving with new works and ongoing projects, homegrown writers Janet Tay, Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Samantha Chong and Martin Vengadesan will share the stage with Gaea Schoeters, Sam Sussman, Olivier Hein, Christopher Chu, Maggie Hoi Pui Man, Tuan Phan, Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho, Anitha Devi Pillai and Xu Xi, reflecting the festival's strength as a platform where local and international literary perspectives converge.
The Letters Of The Penang Diaspora programme also provides historical context to George Town’s rich past. Selected letters will be presented through a curated reading session during the opening ceremony of GTLF 2026, enabling these personal narratives to be experienced within a public and shared setting.
More writers and programme details will be unveiled in the lead-up to the festival.
Founded in 2011, the GTLF is now organised by Penang Institute, a cultural and policy research organisation based in the heart of George Town.
The main GTLF precinct is centred along Gat Lebuh China, with additional events taking place throughout the surrounding areas of George Town. The main venues are the UAB Building and Wisma Yeap Chor Ee.
