EAFOL16 Blogger Rebecca enjoyed the first Literary Cruise at the Festival My first foray into this year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature was on the delightful Bateaux Dubai cruise with AC Grayling pondering the question of ’what is literature and why does it matter’. 
As we literally went round in circles in the Dubai Creek, Professor Grayling took us on a more linear journey of literature from its inception in ancient times as a way of passing on information and gossip to current literature canons and what makes good literature (the quality and depth of writing). As the first literary cruise, AC Grayling has set the bar high for future cruises – an erudite speaker, at ease with Greek philosophers, writers and poets, he provided an entertaining answer as to why good literature matters. We learn from it, find out life’s answers and engage with other readers to deepen the learning. In essence, literature is a golden thread of philosophical reflection.
As we literally went round in circles in the Dubai Creek, Professor Grayling took us on a more linear journey of literature from its inception in ancient times as a way of passing on information and gossip to current literature canons and what makes good literature (the quality and depth of writing). As the first literary cruise, AC Grayling has set the bar high for future cruises – an erudite speaker, at ease with Greek philosophers, writers and poets, he provided an entertaining answer as to why good literature matters. We learn from it, find out life’s answers and engage with other readers to deepen the learning. In essence, literature is a golden thread of philosophical reflection.