What a magical couple of weeks that was! ISF 2017 was an incredible amalgam of creativity, critical thinking, energy and community. There are so many rich ideas to digest, moments to re-live, and conversations to ponder. 

This year’s festival theme was ‘Tales of War and Peace’. The lineup included an outstanding array of artists who have the courage to say what they think, to hold up a mirror to ugly truths, but also to transcend, offer hope and celebrate creation when the world looks dispiriting. Together we explored art born of war, masculinity, the unbelonging of migration, and the colonial project that made Shakespeare a Desi. Several events this year honoured the world of oral literature in Indigenous cultures across the globe, and our musical events were as close to hypnotic, spiritual experiences as they come. 

We’re very proud to say that at the time of printing this report, two of the thirteen writers on the longlist for the prestigious 2017 Booker Prize were speakers at ISF this year. We take it as a sign that we have our finger firmly on the pulse of excellence in the arts—on an international scale.

There are many highlights this year:

• We open with a special event featuring Booker Prize–winning novelist Arundhati Roy, who we are honoured to host as part of her international book tour.

• Two Grammy Award–winning musicians—violin maestro L. Subramaniam and saxophone legend Ernie Watts—call for unity through a fusion of Indian classical music and jazz.

• Bhajju Shyam, one of India’s most brilliant Indigenous artists, responds to the Northwest Coast through the language of art.

• Two-time Giller Prize winner M.G. Vassanji offers an in-depth look at his celebrated body of work.

• Renowned graphic artists Joe Sacco and Molly Crabapple engage in a powerful conversation with writer Raghu Karnad on art born of war.