Every year, writers, artists, publishers, and scholars from over the world come to Malaysia to attend the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF). But what is it that makes the festival a mainstay of Penang’s attractions?
By Lee Yong Jin & Safwah Abdul Razak
Every year, the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) celebrates world literature, its translations, and the literary arts by uniting writers, artists, and thinkers from around the world as well as different intellectual fields for discourse.
But why are literary festivals popular in the first place? Some people feel that genuine engagement between reader and writer should take place somewhere quiet and discretely, rather than at a public event. If that is true, what then is the purpose of literary festivals? And why do fest goers come all the way to Penang for it?
A Place for Networking
Ann Lee (Photo by The Creative Bureaucracy Festival)
For award-winning playwright and researcher Ann Lee, literary festivals are all about literature itself, as well as the reading and analysis of it.
“I suppose some might say the literary festival is just another capitalist scam, chasing after the tourist or middle-class dollar,” Lee says. “In that sense, literary festivals are for readers, writers, publishers, all those involved in the industry.”
And yet, they can also be wonderful opportunities for discovering and exchanging ideas and differences. “All lit fests provide encounters—of worlds through words, of authors and their readers, of authors with other authors, of readers with other readers,” she adds.
“But not by lectures, rather by storytelling and not just between readers and writers, but deeper, within oneself in relation to others. Encounters can be inspirational or educational. One can go deep or skim through.”
Comparing the GTLF to its Jaipur counterpart, Lee praises the compactness and short travel distance of Penang although she hopes that future festivals can be accessible as hybrid events.
When asked about how GTLF sustained its popularity in Penang for over a decade, Lee cited former GTLF director Bernice Chauly as one of the contributing factors.
“GTLF had an inspired and driven director in the form of Bernice Chauly and a supporting team, and there were state funds. GTLF is not cheap…and you are promoting a festival within a very basic and uncommon public understanding of the purpose and values of the arts. So it’s hard.”
A Malaysian Festival for Malaysians, By Malaysians
Bernice Chauly (Photo by Daniel Adams)
Writer, educator, and former festival director Bernice Chauly believes that literary festivals are for “everyone who reads, and who is curious about how writers craft words through their imaginations.”
As GTLF’s first director, Chauly worked with “five writers and a roomful of people who were grateful to have conversations about things that mattered.” It was always made for the Malaysian audience, but as the festival brought in “foreign writers through their embassies and cultural foundations, we created more insight into world literature, which has been the core of the festival since the beginning.”
“It is always about exchange, conversation, commonalities, the daunting task of writing, and the universality of the writer’s soul,” she adds. “GTLF was known as the last bastion of freedom of speech in Malaysia, and Penang always gave us that. It was about pushing boundaries of conversation in literature and creating meaningful discourse for all who participated and listened.”
Chauly also believes the success of GTLF lies both in a deep level of commitment from the Penang State Government and loyal fans. Penang’s uniqueness and the charm of its venues “added so much colour to the atmosphere”; the team curated long-term partnerships with local venues, so much so that it became instinctual to continue working together in the long run.
“Lit fests need to seek out unique spaces and go against the perceived norm, there needs to be intimacy. I think the soul of the fest comes from the grand old town of George Town and the heart of the Malaysian soul.”
Educating the Masses
Sheena Baharudin
When asked about who literary festivals are for, university professor and performance artist Sheena Baharudin scrutinises the words literary and festival.
“When these two words are combined, my take is that literary festivals are for individuals who are willing to share their knowledge, those curious to learn, or simply adamant to find out what the fuss is all about.”
To Sheena, it is tricky to answer the question as a spoken word poet, a discipline that “traverses the boundaries of the literary and the performative”.
Besides being invited to GTLF as a moderator and a performer, Sheena had the opportunity to participate in the Urbanscapes Creative Arts Festival, the Iskarnival festival, Melaka Art and Performance Festival, and Lit Up Festival Singapore. She was also heavily involved in the recent Kuala Lumpur Youth and Literary Arts Festival (KLYLAF). With this wealth of experience, she says that every festival has a list of objectives and an area of focus that may mirror or differ from one another.
Sheena believes that consistency is key to GTLF’s longevity.
“We are not talking about its popularity in Penang but beyond that. It is equally a national and international literary festival. It doesn’t matter how small it started out or where it is based. The fact that GTLF is still around after a decade does speak volumes. I am sure it also relies heavily on funding and sponsors, but ultimately it brings us back to consistency.”
She says while there is still space for improvement for GTLF, she respects the organisers for being conscientious and having a vision to keep it running as long as it has.
Sticking to What We Do Best
Ultimately, we might also ask: What brings people to Penang? Penang definitely has its charms—it’s a place where you can see all shades of old and new. A lively event that interacts with a diverse range of voices and represents a complex area of Malaysia can also be a vibrant festival that engages with a wide community of our senses.
As Ann Lee says, literary festivals give us a chance to learn more, whether it is about ourselves or other people’s perspectives. But beyond meaningful dialogue, Bernice Chauly believes that festivals need to search for unique spaces—and that uniqueness radiates from George Town. However, Sheena Baharudin believes it’s all about consistency regardless of the festival’s location.
So, perhaps it is the resilience and competitiveness that Penangites are known for, that GTLF perseveres until today.
Lee Yong Jin is currently studying a Master in English Literature in the University of Malaya. He hails from Bukit Mertajam. Yes, it still counts as Penang.
Cover image by Dario Fernandez Ruz.