Global singer and songwriter Dua Lipa has revealed this year’s programme for the London Literature Festival after being nominated its curator at the Southbank Centre.
From 21 October to 1 November, bestselling authors, artists, musicians and poets will meet on the South Bank to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
On Saturday 24 October, the London-born artist will interview author Zadie Smith on her new novel White Teeth and writer Mustafa on her poetry publication Nour.
The next day, she will host Patti Smith in a discussion on her memoir Bread of Angels.
The New Rules songstress has made literature a key part of her career, with a keynote speech at the Booker Prize in 2022: “There really isn’t anything quite like a book to understand the perspective of others and translated fiction takes that even further,” she said.
“I guess it’s the fusion of an experience that is so universal and at the same time so unique. It’s the antidote to othering.”
The intent of the festival is to present literature as a space for public debate through the exploration of themes on self-expression and social justice, while breaking the wall of restrictions in literature.
Conversations around censorship, the increase of AI, and male tenderness will be on the agenda.
In the later days, the stage will be left to activist Nadia Murad, spoken word performer Kae Tempest and many others.
Dua has built a literary platform that goes beyond her music career.
The online platform Service95 Book Club has helped make her mark as an advocate for literature thanks to cultural, sociological and political talks in interviews with famous authors Margaret Atwood, Olga Tokarczuk and Ocean Vuong.
Dua said of her curation: “I wanted to create a space that brings together some of the most exciting writers, poets, and thinkers from around the globe.
“I’m looking forward to being both in-conversation and taking my seat in the audience at this iconic venue.”
Mark Ball, Artistic Director at the Southbank Centre, referenced the 30-year-old’s passion for books and celebrating the range and diversity found within the literature world made her the perfect curator to celebrate the Southbank’s 75th anniversary.
Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre said: “London Literature Festival has always been a celebration of the joys and pleasures of reading, and in Dua Lipa we have a curator who embodies that completely.
“Her programme reflects the full depth and breadth of her passion for books: from fierce new sensibilities pushing the boundaries of the form, to some of the most iconic writers at work today.
“This range and diversity reflects everything the Southbank Centre stands for, as we honour our roots and look ahead to the future.”
Featured image credit: Madison Phipps
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