Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
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Miss Fatima Bhutto – Daughter of Benazir’s Brother Murtaza is coming to Sydney
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ngrid Betancourt, who spent six years as a hostage in Colombia, and Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto lead a line-up of major international names heading to Australia for this year's Sydney Writers' Festival. The festival, which will include 400 participants, will run from May 16-22 in Sydney and across NSW, with Ms Fatima Bhutto giving the opening address.Former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks will make his first public appearance since the 2010 publication of his autobiography and former prime minister John Howard will also be speaking, though not on the same stage. Controversial restaurant critic AA Gill and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain will feature at the festival, along with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham and 2010 Man Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson.Robert Manne, Sonya Hartnett, Markus Zusak, Kim Scott and Jon Bauer are among other Australian authors to take to the podium. About 80,000 book lovers are expected to attend 300 events in what has become one of the largest writers' festivals in the world.
Fatima Bhutto
Fatima Bhutto is an Afghan born Pakistani poetess and writer. She studied at Columbia University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She is the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and niece of Benazir Bhutto. She is active in Pakistan's socio-political arena, but has no desire to run for political office. She currently writes columns for The Daily Beast, New Statesman and other publications.
