"Irritating And Ignorant": William Dalrymple Blasts 'The Guardian' For Saying Indians Don't Read

Historian and author William Dalrymple slammed an article in The Guardian as "ignorant and irritating" for its characterisation of Indian reading habits.  The controversy began when a report on the website questioned why India hosts over 100 literature festivals while allegedly suffering from low levels of "reading for pleasure." Dalrymple, a co-founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), rebutted these claims by highlighting the massive on-the-ground engagement at Indian literary events. 

In a tweet, he described JLF sessions as "massively crowded" with "passionate, nerdy young readers" from all walks of life. He also pointed out that the 2026 edition of JLF sold over 44,000 books in just five days.

"Irritating & ignorant article: our @JaipurLitFest Literary sessions are massively crowded with passionate, nerdy young readers, & our authors regularly report the longest signing queues of their careers: in 5 days of the last JLF we sold over 44,000 books," his tweet read.

See the post here:

Irritating & ignorant article: our @JaipurLitFest literary sessions are massively crowded with passionate, nerdy young readers & our authors regular report the longest signing queues of their careers: in 5 days of the last JLF we sold over 44,000 bookshttps://t.co/lC6EVLF1Qa

— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) February 10, 2026

Notably, the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2026 concluded its 19th edition last month. The festival brought together over 500 speakers from more than 40 countries, including Nobel Laureates Esther Duflo and Olga Tokarczuk, along with International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq and Booker winner Kiran Desai.

Internet Reaction

Like Dalrymple, many criticised the article, saying equating spectacle with superficiality is flawed. They pointed to events like the Frankfurt Book Fair, arguing that glamour doesn't mean people aren't reading - it shows literature's cultural impact. 

One user wrote, "This is very upsetting. While India has a strong oral tradition of storytelling (and also music), it is one of the richest countries when it comes to literature. A country where books are sold on the streets, where there is a huge market of secondhand books, and much more—this kind of story just isn't making sense to me. There is a lot of fanfare and glamour even at the Frankfurt Book fair- does that mean Germans don't read? Is there any other country having such a diverse literature and cultural offering?"

Another commented, "As an Indian nerd that grew up surrounded by nerds who read only for pleasure-Thank you."

A third user said, "The very fact that India has so many literature festivals, and all of them sponsored, is precisely because our readership base is burgeoning. I don't understand the logic presented in the article."

"Forget all these Lit Fests, the Kolkata Book Fair, one of the largest of its kind in the worls and which I visit regularly showed me the love of books among people of all ages, people patiently standing for hours in queues without any pushing or shoving to buy a book," a fourth user added.