Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob 2023: Celebrating the Bengali Literary Festival

Explore the vibrant world of Bengali literature and culture at the 9th Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob, starting November 24, 2023. Join renowned personalities in insightful discussions, streamed live for global audiences. A literary extravaganza curated by Oxford Bookstores.

on Nov 23, 2023

Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob 2023: Celebrating the Bengali Literary Festival | Frontlist

Kolkata, 22 November 2023: The ninth edition of India’s first Bengali literary festival, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) curated by Oxford Bookstores is all set to commence on November 24 at the Oxford Bookstore, Park Street. The three-day long literary extravaganza will host some of the most prominent names in Bengali literature and culture who will present their perspectives on all aspects of "Bangali aana" (Bengali culture) and literature.

Speaking about the ninth edition of the Sahitya Utsob, Swagat Sengupta, Festival Director and CEO of Oxford Bookstores said, “Following the phenomenal success last year, the 9th edition of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob will enrich the literary landscape of Kolkata once again, from November 24th to 26th. Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob curated by the iconic Oxford Bookstores has consistently hosted renowned creative luminaries of Bengal in the last eight editions. For its 9th edition, ABSU has assembled notable personalities and finest minds from diverse spheres, who will engage in 22 meticulously curated sessions spanning a wide range of topics – to name a few like translations, politics, Bengali comics & graphic novels, women's writings and Literature of Bangladesh. Moreover, to foster accessibility and active participation, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob will once again be hosted at the iconic Oxford Bookstore, Kolkata. The centenary old bookstore will provide the perfect backdrop for stimulating discussions, insightful exchanges, and a celebration of the written word.”

Keeping its global popularity in mind, ABSU 2023 will be streamed LIVE on the Facebook Page and YouTube channel of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) on all three days - November 24, 25 and 26. This will ensure that Bengali literary enthusiasts from all over the world can immerse themselves in this literary and cultural extravaganza transcending time and geography.

Conceptualized in 2015 at Oxford Bookstores, the first Bengali literary festival of India will celebrate Bangla Sahitya (Bengali literature) through discussions on a vast array of subjects including literary fiction and non-fiction to science fiction, history, mythology, women’s literature, translations, comics and graphic novels, humour and poetry. Spread over 3 days, the literary festival with 22 enriching discussion sessions will feature an interesting line-up of speakers from across the world, consisting of authors, poets, directors, psychiatrists, playwrights, actors, journalists, bureaucrats, researchers, academicians, musicians, cultural icons and recipient of major literary awards. This edition will also highlight new and upcoming voices of Bangla writing while continuing with its legacy of celebrating literary voices from across the world.

ABSU 2023 Speakers:

The ninth edition of ABSU will host eminent personalities like Joy Goswami, Pracheta Gupta, Satyam Roychowdhury, Arindam Sil, Binod Ghoshal, Sadat Hossain, Himadrikishore Dasgupta, Anjan Dutt, Mir, Srijato Bandopadhyay, Saikat Mukhopadhyay, Ashoke Viswanathan, Chinmoy Guha, Aveek Majumder, Debashis Sen, Hamiruddin Middya, Nalini Bera, Swapnamoy Chakraborty, Indranil Sanyal, Sujog Bandyopadhyay, Noor Islam, Tilottama Majumdar, Ullas Mallick, Raja Bhattacharya, Debjyoti Bhattacharyya, Anuttama Banerjee, Amar Mitra, Debasis Mukhopadhyay, Prasadranjan Ray, Anita Agnihotri, Dipanwita Ray, Soumyaditya Mukherjee to name a few. This eclectic curation has been done under the stewardship of Saikat Mukhopadhyay and Subhankar Dey.

ABSU 2023 Partners:

To contribute to the success of the ninth edition of ABSU, the festival will be supported by ZEE 24 Ghanta as Television Partner and Anandabazar Patrika Online and The Telegraph- My Kolkata as Digital Media Partners and Cha Bar as Refreshment Partner. Shabdabaaji, Surojit-O-Bondhura Kobita Club and Exceller Books is also on-board as Session Partners for the ninth edition of ABSU.

About Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU): Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU), India’s first Bangla Literary Festival (ie. Utsob in Bangla) created by the century old Oxford Bookstores in 2015, honours the rich literary tradition of the Bangla language. The objective of ABSU, a prized initiative of Oxford Bookstores, is to make Bangla literature increasingly visible and accessible, build an audience for Bangla books and create a culture of readership and familiarization with Bangla language among the youth. An interactive platform bringing together voices of contemporary Bangla Literature from the national and international stage, ABSU showcases all aspects of Bangla literature and literary expression and their impact on various art forms. ABSU is committed to the journey of Bangla Literature which is both exciting and exhilarating and have brought eminent personalities to grace the Festival in the last eight editions. They include renowned authors like Shirshendu Mukherjee, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Pabitra Sarkar, Samaresh Majumdar, Sankha Ghosh, Pracheta Gupta, Ranjan Bandhopadhyay, Sanjib Chattopadhaya, Saikat Mukhopadhyay, Anindo Chattopadhay, Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, Srijato, Binod Ghoshal, Himadrikishore Dasgupta, Anish Deb, Krishnendu Mukherjee and Subodh Sarkar; film Directors like Suman Mukhopadhyay, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and Arindam Sil; Bengali musicians Nachiketa, Surojit Chatterjee, Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Rupam Islam; Actors Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Barun Chandra, Parambrata Chatterjee, Chandan Sen, Kheyali Dastidar and Sohini Sengupta. The festival has also attracted prominent literary personalities from Bangladesh like Selina Hossain and Imdadul Haq Milan.

About Oxford Bookstore: Established in 1919, Oxford Bookstore is one of the oldest heritage bookstores in the nation. It is India’s only bookstore to curate multiple literary festivals like Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob, and Hindi Sahitya Utsav. The Oxford Bookstore not only offers book lovers access to the very best books and ambience but also India’s first-of-its-kind tea boutique, Cha Bar. At Oxford Bookstores, success is measured by the smiles on millions of happy readers that the brand has served over the last 100 years. Each time you walk into our iconic store in Kolkata, its old-world charm leaves you enchanted and desiring for more. Our fleet of ‘happy to help’ knowledgeable booksellers and conversant hosts work round the clock to bring to our vendees world-class reading experience. Be it through our books or our fine teas we abide by the brand’s motto – Much more than a bookstore – at every Bookstore.