Where Stories Meet History Writers and Thinkers at the HSBC Ceylon Literary & Arts Festival

At the heart of the festival’s international literary presence is Alice Albinia, an award-winning author whose writing bridges rigorous historical research and lyrical storytelling. Her seminal work Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River—winner of six major prizes across Britain, Europe and South Asia—reframed how landscapes shape civilisations

A passionate advocate for inclusive children’s literature, Bakshi will engage young readers and parents alike through sessions on emotional literacy, storytelling and writing for children in divided societies

When the HSBC Ceylon Literary & Arts Festival unfolds at Cinnamon Lakeside, it will offer more than a celebration of books. It will become a rare meeting ground where history, memory, politics, identity and imagination intersect—brought to life by an exceptional constellation of authors, scholars and cultural thinkers from Sri Lanka and across the world.

At the heart of the festival’s international literary presence is Alice Albinia, an award-winning author whose writing bridges rigorous historical research and lyrical storytelling. Her seminal work Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River—winner of six major prizes across Britain, Europe and South Asia—reframed how landscapes shape civilisations. Her fiction, including Leela’s Book, Cwen and her most recent work The Britannias: And the Islands of Women, continues her fascination with empire, gender and belonging. At the festival, Albinia will join conversations on historical fiction and women rewriting history, reflecting on how the past can be reimagined without being romanticised.

Equally engaged with history’s emotional residue is Aanchal Malhotra, an oral historian whose work has transformed how the Partition of 1947 is remembered. Through Remnants of a Separation and In the Language of Remembering, Malhotra traced the long afterlife of trauma through everyday objects carried across borders. Her novel The Book of Everlasting Things, listed among NPR’s Best Books of 2022, expands these themes into fiction. As co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory, Malhotra will speak on panels exploring memory, inheritance and the ethics of storytelling, asking how objects, silence and testimony shape intergenerational identity.

The festival’s engagement with travel and cultural encounter is enriched by Adrien, a Swiss writer and anthropologist deeply influenced by the legendary travel writer Nicolas Bouvier. A former Swiss radio correspondent in Colombo, Adrien retraced Bouvier’s journeys across the Balkans, Iran and Central Asia, and later followed his trail in Sri Lanka, where Bouvier was famously stranded in Galle in 1955. His festival appearances explore travel writing as anthropology, curiosity as method, and Sri Lanka’s enduring place in the global literary imagination.

Sri Lanka’s intellectual and institutional life is represented by Angeline Ondaatjie, Chairperson of Tangerine Beach Hotel, Royal Palms Beach Hotel and Tangerine Tours. With over three decades of leadership across tourism, finance and manufacturing—and ongoing commitments to MIT’s Education Council and Princeton Asia—Ondaatjie brings a perspective that bridges business, culture and education. Her participation centres on conversations about cultural stewardship, patronage of the arts and why intellectual curiosity must extend beyond professional success.

The creative economy also takes centre stage through Asanka de Mel, founder of LOVI, a fashion brand built on Sri Lankan craftsmanship and contemporary design. After over twenty years in Silicon Valley and New York’s tech sector, de Mel returned home to build a global-facing creative enterprise. His panels examine creative entrepreneurship, diaspora return narratives, and what it means to build a Sri Lankan brand that speaks confidently to the world.

Few Sri Lankan writers capture urban life with as much wit and affection as Ashok Ferrey. Author of seven books—culminating in the Gratiaen Prize–winning The Unmarriageable Man—Ferrey remains a singular voice in Sri Lankan English fiction. His debut Colpetty People is still Sri Lanka’s best-selling book two decades on. A former television host and an award-nominated architectural designer, Ferrey will appear in sessions on humour, class and storytelling across forms, while also offering glimpses of his forthcoming book Hot Butter Cuttlefish.

Poetry and spirituality are given luminous presence through Arundhathi Subramaniam, one of India’s most celebrated poets and essayists. Author of fifteen books, including The Gallery of Upside Down Women and the influential anthology Wild Women, Subramaniam has re-centred women’s voices in spiritual and poetic traditions. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize, she will participate in readings and discussions on poetry, mysticism, and women reclaiming spiritual narratives.

Law and justice enter the literary conversation through Aritha Wickramasinghe, Equality Director at iProbono and an advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka. Having worked with Clifford Chance and K&L Gates in London, Wickramasinghe now leads a global network connecting over 80,000 lawyers across 40 countries. His festival contributions focus on equality law, access to justice and how legal frameworks intersect with lived experience.

Rounding out this first part is Artika Aurora Bakshi, a writer and children’s author best known for the My Little Sikh Handbook series and My Little Handbook of Feelings. A passionate advocate for inclusive children’s literature, Bakshi will engage young readers and parents alike through sessions on emotional literacy, storytelling and writing for children in divided societies.

Together, these writers and thinkers set a reflective, intellectually rich tone—one that insists literature remains a vital tool for understanding history, justice and the self.