George Town Literary Festival

George Town Literary Festival George Town Literary Festival is an international literary festival celebrating world literature.

Winner, Literary Festival Award, LBF International Excellence Awards 2018

Nominee, Literary Festival Award, LBF International Excellence Awards 2017

The George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) is Malaysia’s largest international literary festival. Supported by the State Government of Penang, it is held annually in the UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town. GTLF is one of the best-recognised pl

atforms for free speech in Malaysia with a specific focus on world literature. The festival believes in the power of expression and is committed to being one of the most urgent, vital and provocative literary festivals in the region. Each year, selected local and international writers, poets and performers engage in topics and themes that are crucial to the present state of the world.

As we continue unveiling the participating authors for , we are delighted to welcome Anitha Devi Pillai.A writer, trans...
12/06/2026

As we continue unveiling the participating authors for , we are delighted to welcome Anitha Devi Pillai.

A writer, translator, and educator, Pillai’s work explores language, memory, migration, food, and the lives of women, offering nuanced perspectives on identity, belonging, and community.

She joins us in George Town this November for a weekend of conversations, ideas, and storytelling under this year’s theme, Cosmopolises.

🗓️ 27–29 November 2026
📍 George Town, Penang

The conversations are taking shape.We are delighted to unveil the first group of participating authors for the George To...
29/05/2026

The conversations are taking shape.

We are delighted to unveil the first group of participating authors for the George Town Literary Festival 2026.

This November, writers, thinkers, and storytellers from around the world will gather in George Town for a weekend of ideas, dialogue, and discovery under this year’s theme, Cosmopolises.

Join us in welcoming our first featured authors, with many more to be revealed in the months ahead.

🗓️ 27–29 November 2026
📍 George Town, Penang

The George Town Literary Festival 2026 is honoured to welcome back HSBC as our Gold Sponsor, continuing their valued su...
20/05/2026

The George Town Literary Festival 2026 is honoured to welcome back HSBC as our Gold Sponsor, continuing their valued support of the festival.

As we prepare for this year’s edition, themed Cosmopolises, HSBC’s partnership reflects a shared belief in the importance of literature, language, and conversation in connecting communities and perspectives across borders.

Together, we look forward to welcoming conversations from around the world back to George Town this November.

🗓️ 27–29 November 2026
📍 George Town, Penang

For generations, Penangites who travelled abroad stayed connected to home through letters — carrying stories, memories, ...
12/05/2026

For generations, Penangites who travelled abroad stayed connected to home through letters — carrying stories, memories, and moments of everyday life across oceans and distances.

As part of , themed Cosmopolises, we invite you to share letters written between the 1950s and 1990s by Penangites who once lived, studied, or worked abroad.

These personal histories offer intimate glimpses into migration, belonging, and connection — forming part of Penang’s collective memory. Selected letters will also be featured in a curated reading session during the opening ceremony of the festival.

Please send your submissions to [email protected].

Submission closes on 30 June 2026. Full submission details and guidelines are available via the link in our bio.

Some of the most memorable moments at the festival begin with a question.If you had the opportunity to ask any writer so...
08/05/2026

Some of the most memorable moments at the festival begin with a question.

If you had the opportunity to ask any writer something — what would you want to know?

Share your questions with us in the comments below, or email us at [email protected]. We might just take them to our participating authors at .

RM1,000 grand prize.Crossing. Interchange. Potential.In the Penang Monthly Short Story Prize 2026, we invite creative sp...
24/04/2026

RM1,000 grand prize.

Crossing. Interchange. Potential.

In the Penang Monthly Short Story Prize 2026, we invite creative speculations on Penang’s other futures. Whether set in the coming years or as far away as centuries, we want stories set in a future Penang that takes on other forms: whether an ecologically balanced metropolis or a cutting-edge society underwater or even being linked to outer space. We hope to see stories that engage with what it means for Penang and its peoples to be part of new networks, structures and (eco)systems, whether terrestrial or beyond.

Please visit www.penangmonthly.com (link in bio) for further details.

Submissions close on 31 July 2026. Good luck!

Brought to you by and

Not every conversation is meant to be remembered.At the George Town Literary Festival, we think about the ones that stay...
17/04/2026

Not every conversation is meant to be remembered.

At the George Town Literary Festival, we think about the ones that stay — the kind that challenge, shift, and continue long after the room has emptied.

Conversations don’t only happen on stage.At the George Town Literary Festival, they unfold between sessions, over shared...
31/03/2026

Conversations don’t only happen on stage.

At the George Town Literary Festival, they unfold between sessions, over shared meals, and in unexpected encounters — where writers and readers meet, exchange, and reflect together.

As captured in this piece by Penang Monthly, GTLF is as much about the spaces between conversations as the ones we programme — where ideas are lived, not just discussed.

Read the full article via the link in our bio.

George Town Literary Festival is shaped by the people who contribute to it.Reach out to us at gtlf@penanginstitute.org t...
19/03/2026

George Town Literary Festival is shaped by the people who contribute to it.

Reach out to us at [email protected] to explore how you can be part of !

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George Town

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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