Amazing times at JLF Maldives

It’s not often one has the time to really slow down and sit and listen - and learn - for days, rather than minutes, at a time. Especially not on a tropical island..Which is why it felt incredibly spoiling to have spent the last week at #JLFSonevaFushi surrounded by a group of such fun and fascinating people.

JLF is a festival that brings authors from different backgrounds together to share ideas. Diplomats and novelists may be speaking to mathematicians about the future; historians exploring topics like war and climate change with journalists; and novelists and poets sharing their sources of inspiration with directors and artists. The talks will be online soon but in the meantime here’s a taster in a few images-

@radhikaraje and I exploring some of the Maharajas’ jewels in the context of the historic links between East and West; influencers then and now and the question of inspiration vs. appropriation;

@marcusdusautoy speaking to scientist @roger_highfieldabout whether AI can ever be as creative as humans (what happens when you ask a computer to write the next Harry Potter novel);

@williamdalrymple diving into the world of espionage with Ben Macintyre;

@peterfrankopan , author of #TheSilkRoad, quizzing David Wallace-Wells on climate change and whether the future is as bleak as his book #UninhabitableEarth suggests;

@praddenkeefe , author of #EmpireofPain sharing views on leadership and overcoming obstacles in the quest for truth with @humaabedin , Hilary Clinton’s chief of staff, and author of #Both/And

@shobhaade speaking to @vikasswarup, author behind the film #SlumdogMillionaire on coping with the ramifications of‘political incorrectness’ in India;

@acimanandre chatting to @sanjoykroy about the surprising story behind his novel – and later film - #CallMeByYourName.

JLF in the pink city of Jaipur has a brilliant intense all-encompassing energy. This was different, with a calmer, more intimate feel, but just as magic…even if it was the rainy season and our plane couldn’t land on the first day. As my budding writer daughter said, ‘That’s a great start to a story, mum, a secret magical island protected by a storm…’