PENANG'S public think tank is continuing its efforts to revive reading culture and strengthen literacy through the annual George Town Literary Festival (GTLF), which will gather leading literary voices from around the world for a celebration of ideas, language and human understanding.
Organised by Penang Institute, the festival aims to further establish Penang as a centre for intellectual, innovation, heritage and cultural exchange, complementing the state's role as a global hub for technology manufacturing and services.
GTLF director and Penang Institute executive director Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng said this year's festival will feature 53 participants from 20 countries and territories, including 16 Malaysian writers and thinkers alongside 37 international literary figures.
Participants will include representatives from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Myanmar, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Palestine and Taiwan.
Among the internationally recognised writers and thinkers taking part are National Laureate Muhammad Haji Salleh, Booker Prize-winning novelist Tan Twan Eng, Alice Jolly, Minh Bui Jones, Robin Ruizendaal and Asmaa Azaizeh.
Ooi said GTLF continues to position itself as a literary festival rather than merely a book or authors' event, as literature plays a wider role in shaping culture, civilisation and human understanding.
"Literature is the means through which the human mind learns to make sense of the world and, most importantly, to capture and create meaning in the world.
"As soon as you have a dialogue, literature steps into the world. As you read, write, talk and listen, literature moves like a spirit around you, waiting to be born and formulated into being," he said.
The festival comes amid concerns over declining reading proficiency despite Malaysia maintaining a high general literacy rate of 94.64 per cent.
National and international assessments have highlighted challenges in reading comprehension, with many students struggling to engage meaningfully with texts, particularly in academic settings.
According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results, Malaysia scored below the international average in reading proficiency, with fewer than half of participating students achieving the minimum benchmark.
The country's reading score declined from 415 in 2018 to 388 in 2022, reflecting wider concerns over sustained reading habits, critical literacy and the ability to analyse complex information.
Ooi said GTLF, now in its third consecutive year under Penang Institute, reflects the think tank's broader mission beyond research by focusing on education, community-building and societal development.
"As a think tank, our job is not only research, but also society-building and people-building. We are into education, and to me, education shines most brilliantly through the mastery of language," he said.
This year's festival adopts the theme "Cosmopolises", following previous themes "Words on the Street" in 2024 and "Urban Myths and Memories" in 2025.
Explaining the theme, Ooi said every cosmopolitan city possesses its own distinct identity shaped by diversity, history and cultural interaction.
"Penang may be a minor cosmopolis, one of the smallest perhaps, but we are unique in our diversity. There is no place like George Town, and yet we are one of many — same-same but different," he said.
Ooi also announced that GTLF will introduce the GTLF Life Achievement Prize in Literature this year, with further details to be revealed during the festival. - August 6, 2026
