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.

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!

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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 !

Every festival begins with reading.Here’s a glimpse of what’s on the shelves of the George Town Literary Festival team l...
17/03/2026

Every festival begins with reading.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s on the shelves of the George Town Literary Festival team lately.

What have you been reading? Share it with us below.

Overheard at GTLF 2025.From the keynote by Madeleine Thien during last year’s George Town Literary Festival, inspired by...
09/03/2026

Overheard at GTLF 2025.

From the keynote by Madeleine Thien during last year’s George Town Literary Festival, inspired by the theme “Urban Myths and Memories”.

As we look ahead to this year’s festival, the conversations continue.

Before there was a festival, there was a city shaped by exchange — of goods, languages, and ideas.For over two centuries...
04/03/2026

Before there was a festival, there was a city shaped by exchange — of goods, languages, and ideas.

For over two centuries, George Town has stood at the crossroads of trade and thought, where conversations travel as far as ships once did.

The George Town Literary Festival belongs here because this has always been a place where stories matter.

Congratulations to Omar Musa, participating author at George Town Literary Festival 2025, on winning the Victorian Premi...
26/02/2026

Congratulations to Omar Musa, participating author at George Town Literary Festival 2025, on winning the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction for his novel Fierceland.

Praised for its luminous writing and bold narrative scope, Fierceland is an expansive and glorious family saga that stood out among this year’s finalists. We’re proud to celebrate this remarkable achievement and the continued recognition of Omar Musa’s powerful literary voice.

We’re thrilled to share that Taiwan Travelogue — by George Town Literary Festival 2025 participating author Yáng Shuāng-...
26/02/2026

We’re thrilled to share that Taiwan Travelogue — by George Town Literary Festival 2025 participating author Yáng Shuāng-zǐ — has been announced on the longlist for the International Booker Prize 2026.

We were honoured to host Yáng Shuāng-zǐ in George Town last year, and we celebrate this remarkable international milestone. Its recognition on the International Booker longlist honours not only the author’s vision, but also the vital art of translation that allows stories to travel across borders.

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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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