Eight Books That Light the Way This Diwali, Chosen by Emirates LitFest

For a festival of light, Emirates Literature Foundation has assembled a reading list to match. Its eight Diwali picks come from authors who have taken, or continue to take, the stage at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, trading festive summaries for sweeping family sagas, untold history and culinary heritage.

“In a city as internationally connected as Dubai, literature has a unique role to play in helping us understand the many cultures and experiences that shape our community,” said Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. “Through this reading list, we hope to encourage readers to be curious, explore unfamiliar voices and discover just how much there is to learn from one another.”

The Diwali reading list

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Three generations of a Kerala family and their bond with the land, told in magisterial prose.

Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple. The Delhi raised Scottish historian’s debut tells the full story of how the Indian Empire was unmade, drawing on untranslated memoirs and interviews in eight languages.

The First House by Avni Doshi. The Dubai based author, shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize with her debut, returns with a darker, deeply symbolic journey through an Indian American family.

The Rise of Indian Food by Himanshu Saini. The chef behind Dubai’s three MICHELIN starred Trèsind Studio shares his journey from a farming childhood to Delhi’s kitchens and Dubai, with recipes from five regions of India.

The Outsider by Vir Das. The comedian’s memoir is a funny, candid search for belonging, with detours through Bollywood and Hollywood.

Once Elephants Lived Here by Geetanjali Shree. New short stories from the 2022 International Booker Prize winner, the first author to win with a novel translated from an Indian language.

Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq. The first Kannada language work, and the first short story collection, to win the International Booker Prize, written with dry, sharp humour.

Annapurna Poems by Yuyutsu Sharma. The poet’s defining anthology, inspired by a lifelong connection to the mountains of Nepal.

Website: emirateslitfest.com
Instagram: @emirateslitfest