Malaysia’s leading celebration of stories returns for its 15th edition! This year’s George Town Literary Festival explores Urban Myths and Memories through panels, readings, performances, and workshops featuring 37 writers and artists from 13 countries.

George Town Literary Festival 2025 

Malaysia’s leading celebration of stories returns for its 15th edition! This year’s George Town Literary Festival explores Urban Myths and Memories through panels, readings, performances, and workshops featuring 37 writers and artists from 13 countries.

Join us in Penang’s heritage heart for three days of conversation, creativity, and discovery. Admission is free with a Festival Pass, except for workshops and select events.

Explore the full programme breakdown on the official George Town Literary Festival website.

Programme at a glance:

8 November

5:00 pm - 5:45 pm

Conversation: S. Rajaratnam: A Malayan Voice in the World

Location

Wawasan Reading Room

Before he became known as a statesman, S. Rajaratnam was a writer whose short stories and essays placed Malaya on the global literary map. Published in the UK and US in the 1940s and praised by George Orwell and E.M. Forster, his early work drew deeply on the landscapes and communities of Malaya. This session revisits Rajaratnam’s overlooked literary legacy and his ties to Penang, revealing a cosmopolitan writer whose imagination was rooted in home.

Speakers: Irene Ng
Moderator/Host: Ooi Kee Beng