The Festa Literária Internacional de Parati wrapped up earlier this month in Brazil. It’s a major event featuring a number of significant writers.

There’s an interesting backstory to the festival. The president of the festival is Liz Calder, a one-time fashion model in Sao Paulo who later co-founded the Bloomsbury publishing house. She’s had a little bit of luck publishing a series of books about a young lad named Harry Potter. That gives her time to nurture the development of literature in Brazil and elsewhere. For more on her story see the Guardian and an article from EasyJet’s inflight magazine.

For more on Parati and the literary festival, this year’s event and past seasons:

• And Barry Manilow doesn’t sing about it, Yes, it is indeed about Parati & the festival.
• Interview in the Christian Science Monitor with Salman Rushdie who appeared at this year’s festival.
• The Paraty International Literary Festival: Gringo Writers FLIP Out at the Fame Factor, another excellent article from BrazilMax.