In August of 2003, the Festa Literária Internacional de Paraty (FLIP) became the latest newcomer in a family of well-established literary festivals including Hay-on-Wye, Adelaide, Toronto’s Harbourfront, Berlin Festival, Edinburgh and Mantua. By inviting such highly regarded authors as Julian Barnes, Don DeLillo, Eric Hobsbawm and Hanif Kureishi, the inaugural FLIP set the standard for its following editions. In the very short time since then, it has consolidated its reputation as one of the world’s leading literary jamborees, known for the outstanding quality of its guest authors, for the overwhelming enthusiasm of its audiences, and for the town’s relaxed hospitality.

FLIP has continued to attract some of the world’s finest authors including Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster, Anthony Bourdain, Jonathan Coe, Jeffrey Eugenides, David Grossman, Lidia Jorge, Pierre Michon, Rosa Montero, Michael Ondaatje, Orhan Pamuk, Colm Toíbín, Enrique Vila-Matas, Jeanette Winterson, Marcello Fois, J.M. Coetzee, Amos Oz and Nadine Gordimer.

The Festa has also featured some of Brazil’s most talented writers –including Ariano Suassuna, Ana Maria Machado, Milton Hatoum, Millôr Fernandes, Ruy Castro, Ferreira Gullar, Luis Fernando Verissimo, Zuenir Ventura, Barbara Heliodora, Ruy Castro and Lygia Fagundes Telles– alongside living legends such as Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso.

This year’s eclectic cast –from British dramatist Tom Stoppard to French psychoanalyst Elisabeth Roudinesco, from comic-book author Neil Gaiman to Argentine screenwriter Lucrecia Martel— confirms FLIP’s vocation as an open and truly international forum for exchanging ideas through the written word.

Each year FLIP has paid homage to a central figure in Brazilian letters. The poet and composer Vinicius de Moraes (1917-1980, known worldwide for his lyrics to “The Girl from Ipanema”) was the tutelary spirit in 2003. Writer João Guimarães Rosa (1908-1967) was honoured the following year. Tribute was paid to novelist Clarice Lispector (1920-1977) in 2005, to Bahian writer Jorge Amado (1912-2001) in 2006, and to playwright and journalist Nelson Rodrigues (1912-1980) in 2007. In 2008, marking the centenary of the death of Machado de Assis (1939-1908), FLIP pays homage to Rio de Janeiro’s greatest writer.

Music is ever-present in Brazilian cultural life, and FLIP is no exception. In opening shows that are, in themselves, worth travelling to Paraty for, it has offered guests the chance to watch Chico Buarque, Paulinho da Viola, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Mônica Salmaso, Adriana Calcanhoto, José Miguel Wisnik, Maria Bethânia and the Orquestra Imperial welcoming FLIP’s visitors.

As the main programme unfolds in the magnificent Authors’ Marquee (while the action is beamed live to the Giant Screen Marquee), there is always much going on elsewhere. A creative writing workshop, aimed at aspiring authors, is led by acclaimed Brazilian and foreign authors. There is an entire programme of book-related activities for youngsters -FLIPINHA, or little FLIP—in which Paraty’s students show the result of work inspired by literature and join guest authors in lectures. The Festa’s success has even sparked a lively fringe programme of readings and book launches, Off-FLIP.

Paraty is a colonial sea-side town nestled between the turquoise waters of Ilha Grande Bay and vast swathes of unspoilt Atlantic rainforest. It is three hours’ drive from both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Once the port from which most of Brazil’s gold was shipped to the Old World, today the town plays host to cultural festivals throughout the year. Few backdrops could be more pleasant for the meeting of literary minds than Paraty. Its cobbled streets lead to random and fruitful encounters, while the myriad restaurants and bars offer the perfect setting for relaxed conversation. As can be expected of a town so used to hosting festivals, accommodation and services are of the highest standard.

From its first edition, the Festa’s development has been intimately linked to Paraty’s life and needs. Local artists, shopkeepers, restaurant owners and hoteliers have embraced FLIP, which in turn has kept all residents actively involved. It is this, perhaps, that sets FLIP apart from many other literary gatherings, and contributes to the warm and lively atmosphere that has characterised this extraordinary event.