Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
The Shelter of Stories
Marina Warner, Samantha Ellis and Namita Gokhale in conversation with Somnath Batabyal
Marina Warner, historian, art critic and writer, questions the principles that govern this ancient tradition in her book Sanctuary, and celebrates the art of “telling” such stories through her co-curated exhibition, “The Shelter of Stories”. Namita Gokhale, award winning author and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, engages passionately with the polyphonic Indian literatures and multilingual dialogue. Samantha Ellis explores the dying language of Judeo-Iraqi Arabic in Chopping Onions on My Heart, a memoir on preserving language and culture across generations. Together, they reflect on storytelling as an act of shelter – travelling, adapting and imagining new forms of home and community in a volatile world.
Marina Warner is an esteemed writer of cultural history, fiction, and criticism, renowned for her award-winning exploration of myths, symbols, and fairy tales. Her distinguished body of work has established her as a leading voice in contemporary literary and cultural scholarship. Her latest book, Sanctuary: Ways of Telling, Ways of Dwelling, further reflects her profound engagement with storytelling and human experience. Warner is Professor of English and Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, and a Fellow of the British Academy.
Samantha Ellis is the author of Chopping Onions on My Heart, a memoir about losing her mother tongue, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, as well as How to Be a Heroine and Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life. Her plays include How to Date a Feminist.
Namita Gokhale is the author of twenty-seven books and the Co-founder and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, along with William Dalrymple. Her debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion (1984), was issued as a Penguin Modern Classic. Gokhale is deeply committed to literary dialogue and cross-cultural exchange, while showcasing the rich diversity of India’s multilingual identity. She is the recipient of numerous awards. Her recent works include The Whispering Mountains and Voices in the Wind.
Somnath Batabyal’s debut novel, The Price You Pay (2013), was adapted into the major TV series Crime Beat, directed by Sudhir Mishra. After several years of writing, he released Red River, a lyrical saga of love and longing set in a fragile homeland, published in the UK by Hope Road Publications. A former investigative journalist, Somnath now lives in London, where he teaches at SOAS.
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#literature #shelter #stories
The Shelter of Stories
Marina Warner, Samantha Ellis and Namita Gokhale in conversation with Somnath Batabyal
Marina Warner, historian, art critic and writer, questions the principles that govern this ancient tradition in her book Sanctuary, and celebrates the art of “telling” such stories through her co-curated exhibition, “The Shelter of Stories”. Namita Gokhale, award winning author and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, engages passionately with the polyphonic Indian literatures and multilingual dialogue. Samantha Ellis explores the dying language of Judeo-Iraqi Arabic in Chopping Onions on My Heart, a memoir on preserving language and culture across generations. Together, they reflect on storytelling as an act of shelter – travelling, adapting and imagining new forms of home and community in a volatile world.
Marina Warner is an esteemed writer of cultural history, fiction, and criticism, renowned for her award-winning exploration of myths, symbols, and fairy tales. Her distinguished body of work has established her as a leading voice in contemporary literary and cultural scholarship. Her latest book, Sanctuary: Ways of Telling, Ways of Dwelling, further reflects her profound engagement with storytelling and human experience. Warner is Professor of English and Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, and a Fellow of the British Academy.
Samantha Ellis is the author of Chopping Onions on My Heart, a memoir about losing her mother tongue, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, as well as How to Be a Heroine and Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life. Her plays include How to Date a Feminist.
Namita Gokhale is the author of twenty-seven books and the Co-founder and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, along with William Dalrymple. Her debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion (1984), was issued as a Penguin Modern Classic. Gokhale is deeply committed to literary dialogue and cross-cultural exchange, while showcasing the rich diversity of India’s multilingual identity. She is the recipient of numerous awards. Her recent works include The Whispering Mountains and Voices in the Wind.
Somnath Batabyal’s debut novel, The Price You Pay (2013), was adapted into the major TV series Crime Beat, directed by Sudhir Mishra. After several years of writing, he released Red River, a lyrical saga of love and longing set in a fragile homeland, published in the UK by Hope Road Publications. A former investigative journalist, Somnath now lives in London, where he teaches at SOAS.
Follow us on –
Website - jlflitfest.org
Facebook - facebook.com/JLFInternational
YouTube - youtube.com/@JLFInternational
Instagram - instagram.com/jlfinternational
X - twitter.com/JLFLitfest
#literature #shelter #stories
