World's writers, scholars to gather in Ubud

World's writers, scholars to gather in Ubud

For the second time, the quiet and pristine village of Ubud, located some 30 kilometers north of Denpasar, will host writers, scholars, academicians, artists, journalists and publishers for the six-day Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) 2005, from Oct. 6 through Oct. 10.

Scheduled to be opened by State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik at the beautiful Puri Ubud Palace on Friday, Oct. 7, at 5 p.m., the festival comprises workshops, discussions, art performances and other activities across the village.

Organized by the Saraswati Foundation, the festival is themed "Between Worlds" and aims to establish an annual forum for literary people from around the world to meet and to share ideas and experiences.

Festival director and founder Janet De Neefe said the UWRF festival is expected to open communication between artists, poets and writers regardless of their race, religion or cultural backgrounds.

The keynote speaker is Prof. Arief Budiman, who will explore the theme and its relevance to present-day Indonesia.

Booker Prize winner Michael Ondaatje and noted Indian author Amitav Ghosh will be present to discuss their lives and works, while scholar Elizabeth D. Inandiak and Roger Tol will speak on their quest to rekindle knowledge of the country's literary heritage.

The festival will also feature noted poet Taufiq Ismail, leading essayist Goenawan Mohamad and other distinguished writers from near and far.

-- The Jakarta Post