Abanindranath’s House of Stories: An art book that is both history and adventure
A child enters art namelessly, in colours and light, sound and spirit. In our earliest memories, a dark corner may have contained a monster. And the loudness of thunderstorms, its gnashing teeth. Yet, through persuasion and the comfort of a parent or of a snuggly bed, we transform them into adventures with the intangible. We […]
Why this Kashmir woman’s story resonates with every Indian woman
Birds of the Snows is a story of Kashmir and its people, but also of a woman’s struggle to break from the clutches of patriarchy. Translated by noted Kashmiri writer, critic, and poet Dr. Tarannum Riyaz from the Urdu original Barf Aashna Parindey, Birds of the Snows traces the story of a family in Kashmir, […]
Capturing the essence of Mumbai city with Anju Makhija
Prakruti Maniar caught up with Sahitya-Akademi-winning author Anju Makhija, whose Mumbai Traps is a collection of plays, which help us “experience Mumbai, where glamour, greed, communalism, social and surreal situations depict life in a state of perpetual restlessness.” Excerpts. How did Mumbai Traps come about? Why did you decide that it should be a play […]
Goa Books: Read your way through India’s favourite holiday destination
When we think of Goa, we often think of beaches and parties. But do we think of Goa books? For those who have been or plan to visit this beautiful holiday destination, you must know that Goa has some a healthy literary culture, some lovely bookstores, and fantastic writers who have written several books on […]
Glory and decadence: Narach by Debarati Mukhopadhyay, now in English
A lot of things about the blurb and the first chapter of Chronicles of the Lost Daughters by Debarati Mukhopadhyay (translated by Arunava Sinha from Bengali, and published by Harper Collins India) remind you of Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. The blurb refers to a family who “end up in an overcrowded depot near […]
Kanishka Gupta, founder of one of the best literary agencies in India
P3’s Prakruti Maniar caught up with Kanishka Gupta, founder of one of the best literary agencies in India, Writer’s Side. The agent, who represents Daisy Rockwell, translator of Geentajali Shree’s Ret Samadhi (Tomb of Sand) which won the International Booker Prize this year, was at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2022. Excerpts. How is it to […]
Being Assamese in India: The Black Magic Women
The Black Magic Women: Stories of Suffering and Survival, written by Moushumi Kandali and translated by Parbina Rashid is a must-read to understand racism in India against the Assamese. Stories of migrations are often bitter-sweet, sprinkled with hopes of a better future. A young man comes to the big city to chase his dreams. While […]
The Mughal Empress, The Twentieth Wife; A Story worth reading?
Indu Sudaresan’s historical fiction book, The Twentieth Wife, captures the drama of the lives of the Mughal kings and queens. Erudite, beautiful, and fiercely brilliant, Mughal Empress Nur Jahan has been the subject of interest for many historians in general and feminist scholars in particular. The sheer extent of her legacy is awe-inspiring, from grand […]
The story of Tamil labourers by Raphaël Confiant
Translated from the French by Vidya Vencatesan A human saga that is both bleak and epic, The Cane Cutter’s Song tells the story of the indentured Tamil labourers who had been lured with the hope of a better life in America but landed in the French Colony of Martinique. Here, they had to toil in […]
Literature Awards in India for 2021
When you think of literature awards in India, we think of the JCB Prize, the Sahitya Akademi Prize, or Jnanpith Award which is India’s highest literary honour. But did you know that each State, each State Sahitya Akademi, several foundations, organizations, too give out literature awards in India? In our for books published or awarded […]
