8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Chairman’s Breakfast
Amartya Sen
Keynote address at the Chairman’s Breakfast
(By invitation only)

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Home and the World
The seminar explores Indian writing abroad, writers who, by birth or choice, live elsewhere but in whose writing India is a recurrent theme. Panellists: Daljit Nagra, Jaishree Mishra, Neel Mukherjee, William Dalrymple, Anita Nair; Chair: Supriya Chaudhuri; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room.

1:00 p.m.- 1:30 p.m.
English PEN Literary Café
LBF 2009 hosts the Literary Café. A series of author interviews where authors talk about their latest book. Writers: Girish Karnad, UR Ananthamurthy; Interviewer: Maya Jaggi; Venue: Show floor.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Literature of Identity
What is it to be Indian is a critical question that is more relevant than ever before. India’s diversity, its contradictions, its many constituents and stakeholders has given rise to a body of writing that is bold and challenging, scrutinising ideas that the rest of the world takes for granted. Panellists: YD Thongchi, Namdeo Dhasal, Balchandra Namade, Jiwan Namdung, Salma; Chair: Dai Smith; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room.

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
English PEN Literary Café
Writers: K Satchidanandan, Amit Chaudhuri; Interviewer: Rosie Blau; Venue: Show floor

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Literature of the Cinema
India has the largest film industry in the world, both in terms of number of films produced and also in terms of box-office sales. As a result, a significant corpus of Indian writing revolves around films. We present some of India’s best loved and critically acclaimed writers who write for, on and about cinema in India. Panellists:Javed Akhtar, Prasoon Joshi, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Bolwar Mahamad Kunhi; Chair: Rachel Dwyer; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
India Translated
India is one of the very few countries in the world that has two different names on its postage stamps and currency – “India” in English and “Bharat” in Hindi. With its 28 recognised languages and 10 scripts, translation is one of the most challenging yet promising areas of literary activity as well as publishing in India. This seminar looks at the complex issues around translation in India. Panellists: Udaya Narayana Singh, Satish Alekar, Harish Narang, Gopi Chand Narang, K Satchidanandan; Chair: William Radice; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
English PEN Literary Café
Author interviews where authors talk about their latest book.
Writer Tarun Tejpal; Interviewer: Claire Fox; Venue: Show floor

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Imagining India: The World of Fiction
This seminar looks at the state of fiction in India now, bringing together authors writing in English as well as other languages. Panellists: Vikram Seth (Author of the Day), Sunil Gangopadhyay, UR Ananthamurthy, Prayag Shukla, Varsha Adalja; Chair: Ian Jack; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Battle for the Indian Reader
Are Indians reading right? Is the future of the book secure in India? What are successful reader-development and retail initiatives from India? Critics, journalists, academics, literature festival directors – arbiters of taste – join issue with publishers to ponder the questions. Panellists: Indrajit Hazra, Chiranjib Basu, Antara Dev Sen, Jeet Thayil, Peter Florence; Chair: Namita Gokhale; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Wellington Room.

2.30 p.m. – 3.00 p.m.
In Conversation
Writer: Vikram Seth; Interviewer: Mark Lawson
Venue: Conference Centre, Room 2

3.15 p.m. – 3.45 p.m.
Author! Author!
Vikram Seth signs books for readers. In association with Foyles
Venue: Conference Centre, Room 2

3.30 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.
English PEN Literary Cafe
Writer: William Dalrymple; Interviewer: Soumya Bhattacharya
Venue: Showfloor

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
India Writes
In this seminar we continue with the presentation of the state of writing in India now, as outlined in the first seminar, reflecting diversity, and bringing together authors writing in Indian languages and English. Panellists: Amit Chaudhuri, Mamang Dai, Sutinder Singh Noor, Girish Karnad,Kynpham Singh Nongkynrih; Chair: Aamer Hussein; Venue:Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room.

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Literature of Conflict
As sub-national identities increasingly clamour for more voice on the national stage, conflict, whether orchestrated or spontaneous, sustained or sporadic, is emerging as one of India’s biggest concerns. Here we look at literature on or arising out of that violence that is corroding the idea of India. Panellists: Sudeep Chakravarti, Shafi Shauq, Soumya Bhattacharya, Tarun Tejpal, Temsula Ao; Chair: Glenn Patterson; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Opportunities in the Arab World: Last year’s Market Focus.
Panellists: To be confirmed
Chair: Maya Jaggi

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Literature of Ideas
We bring a selection of non-fiction writers on industry, sports, memorabilia and ideas. Panellists: Pavan Varma, Nandan Nilekeni, Ramchandra Guha, Suketu Mehta, Michael Wood; Chair: Nicholas Spice; Venue: Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room.

10.00 a.m. – 12 noon
International Young Publisher Entrepreneurs Award – Book Pitch
The International Young Publishing Entrepreneur (IYPE) award is a collaboration between the British Council and The London Book Fair (LBF). It was launched in 2004 to celebrate the entrepreneurial and leadership ability of a young person (aged between 25 and 35), working in the publishing sector in their own country. Venue: Earls Court, Conference Centre, Meeting Rooms 1 and 2

1:00 p.m.- 1:30 p.m.
English PEN Literary Café
Author interviews where authors talk about their latest book.
Writers: Anita Nair, Javed Akhtar; Interviewer: Pablo Mukherjee

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Bestsellers and popular writing
Which authors are Indians reading in vast numbers and why? What genres sell and in what languages? This seminar attempts to answer some these questions and raise others in the process. Panellists: Sankar, Amruta Patil, Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, Anuja Chauhan, Chetan Bhagat; Chair: VK Karthika; Venue:  Earls Court One, Level 1, Thames Room

2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
English PEN Literary Cafe
Author interviews where authors talk about their latest book.
Writer: Ramachandra Guha; Interviewer: Patrick French; Venue: Showfloor

International Young Publisher Entrepreneurs Award – Award Ceremony