The 13th annual JLF London at the British Library was opened on Friday 5th June by Festival co-directors, William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale, British Library Chair Dame Carol Black and Teamwork Arts Managing Director Sanjoy K. Roy, marking a triumphant start to the festival. The weekend unfolded as a powerful and distinctive celebration of international writers and thinkers, featuring vital dialogues on colonial legacies, environmental futures, and the evolving role of the arts.
Following the inaugural address, a special session commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passing of Agatha Christie took place with Lucy Rowland, curator of the British Library’s exhibition, Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery (opening 30th October, 2026); Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard; and bestselling author Lucy Foley, who is also author of the new Miss Marple novel , Murder at the Great Alpine Hotel, in conversation with journalist and historian Shrabani Basu, focused on the life and legacy of the Queen of Crime. On the topic of modernising language, James Prichard said, “This is an issue that was being addressed even during her own lifetime. She was, first and foremost, an entertainer, and she wouldn’t have wanted language which is no longer acceptable to get in the way of her books being accessible to people. Changing a few words doesn’t alter the narrative, or the story, and so we will continue to address this issue to ensure everyone is able to enjoy her books.”
Over the course of the weekend, the festival welcomed a host of inspirational speakers for talks, debates, conversations and performances covering subjects from poetry, theatre and cinema, art and food to history and geopolitics. Beyond literature and culture, pressing geopolitical questions also took centre stage at the festival. The challenge to the global order and the retreat of the West was a recurring topic of discussion at the festival. British politician Vince Cable, Financial Times journalist Martin Wolf and geopolitical expert Sanam Vikal discussed the reshaping of the global balance of power in China, Iran and the Future Balance of Power, examining China’s rise, Iran’s strategic positioning, and the shifting dynamics challenging Western dominance in an increasingly multipolar world, particularly in light of the worst energy crisis in history. In The Indian Era: A Growing Economy, Jaideep Prabhu, Lord Jitesh Gadhia and Swati Dhingra, in conversation with broadcast journalist Vishnu Som, discussed the global impact of the oil shortage and the need to reimagine what jobs of the future will be.
The programme also included a session titled 250th Independence Day: America’s Unfinished Revolution, where political scientist Bruno Maçães, academic Sarah Churchwell and historian Fredrik Logevall reflected on the evolving and contested narratives of American democracy and the idea of its revolution as the United States approaches 250 years of independence. Alongside discussions on global power shifts, speakers reflected on the enduring influence of culture, history and civilisation, exploring the place of India in a changing world – In Search of Greater India, featuring Bruno Maçães, former diplomat Gopalkrishna Gandhi and historian Shruti Kapila in conversation with Manasi Subramaniam, put the spotlight on the Hindu tradition, examining how its civilisational identity coheres in art, literature, religion and philosophy.
The true costs and consequences of worldwide conflict was discussed in The Aftermath: The Wages of War, with BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, human rights activist and author Noa Avishag Schnall, Palestinian-born academic Ghada Karmi, historian, biographer and Harvard academic Fredrik Logevall and former diplomat Navtej Sarna. They spoke about the corrosive aftermath of all wars and how the ripples of conflict reverberate across generations. Sessions exploring global literature and storytelling traditions included The Narrative Arc: South of South, where writers Tash Aw, Tahmima Anam and Somnath Batabyal explored fragile inheritances, discussing resistance, displacement and the pull of the South in their writing; and Desi Noir, which saw writers Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee along with Shrabani Basu examining Britain and India’s intertwined history through crime fiction, as ‘the best way to teach readers about their history is by killing people’. In Once Upon A Time, writer Namita Gokhale, historian Marina Warner and storyteller Ben Haggarty were in conversation with publisher Manasi Subramaniam, looking at the rich universe of myth, folklore and storytelling traditions, and how collective memory and the pull of fantasy have converged across cultures since the dawn of history.
Other panels spotlighted varied themes across literature, culture, geopolitics, AI and technology, including the legacy of the Brontë sisters that had academic Deborah Lutz, whose work illuminates the short but momentous life of Emily Brontë, playwright Samantha Ellis, who has recorded the poignant and surprising life of Anne Bronte in her play, and British Library curator Lesley Ruthven, along with journalist and author Bee Rowlatt; a session on the life of John F. Kennedy featured his acclaimed biographer Fredrik Logevall. Google DeepMind Research scientist Ali Eslami, Women’s Prize longlisted novelist Sheena Khalayil, and writer and filmmaker Ruchir Joshi added to the list of stalwart speakers. Alongside conversations, the festival also featured Poetic Imagination, a powerful poetry performance featuring Tishani Doshi, Jeet Thayil, and Vayu Naidu where poetry became a space for exploring love, loss, desire and belonging through distinct yet resonant voices. Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, and William Dalrymple delighted audiences with their discussion around the humour in crime fiction and the surprising success of McCall Smith’s Really Terrible Orchestra, an orchestra for enthusiastic amateur musicians.
Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts Pvt Ltd, said “JLF London at the British Library is a platform bringing together voices that help us make sense of a rapidly changing world. Each edition reminds us that literature is not separate from life, but one of the most powerful ways we understand it. What continues to define the festival is the openness of conversation and the belief that dialogue itself is a form of cultural connection.”
Namita Gokhale, Co-founder and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said “The 2026 edition of JLF at the British Library examined our many colliding worlds through the lens of literature and philosophy, history and geopolitics, music and mindfulness. We had an extraordinary range of stellar speakers and amazingly engaged audiences. Their faith in books and ideas, in stories and shared histories, sustains festivals such as ours and reminds us why such spaces remain necessary.”
William Dalrymple Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival: “JLF London at the British Library has always sought to bring together the finest writers, thinkers and public intellectuals from across the world. This year’s edition reflected the importance of creating spaces where ideas can be exchanged freely and where literature serves as a bridge between cultures, histories and perspectives.”
Jon Fawcett, Head of Events at the British Library, said: “The British Library was thrilled to once again host JLF London. As the UK’s national library, our collection of 170 million items is ever growing and events such as this encourage people to explore this freely accessible knowledge held by the British Library. It was also a delight to hear such a wonderful discussion about the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, from experts including the Library’s Lucy Rowland, ahead of our next exhibition Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery, which tickets are now on sale for.”
The festival concluded on Sunday with historian William Dalrymple and journalist Anita Anand in conversation with British Library Cultural Events Producer and writer Bee Rowlatt at The Empire Podcast: How Empires Fall, as they reflected on how the legacy of the British Empire reshaped the modern world, tracing histories of resistance, upheaval and transformation, and its continuing influence on global politics, identity and intellectual thought.
JLF London at the British Library was made possible by a range of esteemed partners including AU Small Finance Bank as the Official Banking Partner, Tech Mahindra as the Innovation Partner, and Rajasthan Tourism as the International Tourism Partner, Aga Khan Foundation as the Session Series Partner, KIIT as University Partner, and British Council. Further partners include University of York as Session Partner, Here & Now as Partner, and Cobra Beer as Beer Partner. The festival is supported by the British Library, London and The Teamwork Fine Arts Society.