Literature & Fiction
Contemporary writing, translations, the craft of fiction and conversations with novelists and essayists.
The Strands
While the detailed schedule is being finalised, the shape of the programme remains rooted in the strands that define Metaphor:
Contemporary writing, translations, the craft of fiction and conversations with novelists and essayists.
Mushaira, nazm, ghazal and discussions on the continuing life of Urdu and Hindi poetic traditions.
Screenwriting, direction, cinematic adaptations of literary work and conversations with filmmakers and actors.
Debates on journalism, society, politics and the responsibilities of writing in public.
Lucknow's historical memory, archival discoveries and the material culture of Awadh and northern India.
Dastangoi, musical traditions and the relationship between oral performance and literary text.
Conversations dedicated to Lucknow itself: its architecture, publishing history, food and changing public spaces.
Readings, panels and workshops led by school and college writers, giving emerging voices a genuine audience.
The Spaces
The fourteenth edition of Metaphor will take place at Le Press on Munshi Newal Kishore Marg in Hazratganj.
The venue's own relationship with the history of print gives the festival an especially fitting home. Newal Kishore Press was founded in Lucknow in 1858 and became an important centre of publishing across languages.
For Edition XIV, the festival will unfold across Le Press's lawn and courtyard, allowing conversations to move between an intimate setting and the openness of an outdoor programme.
From earlier editions
A few conversations from the Metaphor archive while we prepare the programme for Edition XIV.