Emirates Festival of Literature: Margaret Atwood on Video Link

by Suzan Abrams

Because of a recent controversy, legendary novelist Margaret Atwood who had initially changed her mind about attending the Emirates Festival for Literature, the first of its kind in the Arab world, will now appear on video-link at a special and rather, sudden event created on the subject of Censorship.

This at the Al Khayma Ballroom in the magnificent Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, where the lit fest is currently being held. The event starts at 11.15am and is free, unlike all the other talks which were and still are, ticketed.

There goes my excitement at having wanted to see and hear popular South Indian writer, Anita Nair, the only Indian writer, invited to speak at the festival. It now clashes badly with Atwood's video link.

Tomorrow evening, British poets Grace Nichols, Simon Armitage and Carol Ann Duffy among others, will also celebrate the famous poetry of the late Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish.