Shanghai International Literary Festival — this month!

The annual Shanghai International Literary Festival, taking place throughout March, is one of those gems that make Shanghai such a fantastic city. The festival consistently brings some of the biggest names of the contemporary literary scene to the city to discuss their craft in the unusually intimate surroundings — the Glamour Bar or the Crystal Room at M on the Bund.

Shanghaiist is really looking forward to this year’s festival, which includes lectures, discussions, and lunches with current Man Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, Amy Tan, Gore Vidal, Simon Winchester, Dai Sijie, Pankaj Mishra, and many others. The full list of events and bios of all the participants can be found at the M on the Bund website.

While many events focus on China, there are sessions that focus on the USA and Europe — a handful of the sessions are conducted in French, German and Mandarin. Most sessions are in English.

Prices are 50 RMB for most events, and 100 RMB for the biggest names. Discussion-oriented “literary lunches” are 200 RMB, and include — you guessed it — lunch. Call M on the Bund directly for tickets: (21) 6350-9988.

Shanghaiist will be covering festival events throughout the month, so more soon! If you are literary minded, this promises to be a real treat. The most popular sessions always fill up quickly — be sure to call ASAP.