Shadow Men by Bijoya Sawian
Shadow Men by Bijoya Sawian, is a combination of a novella and two short stories, published by Speaking Tiger books. It is set in Shillong and it is the city, as much as the plot and characters that take centre stage here. The Novella The titular novella, Shadow Men, comes across as a whodunnit. It […]
The Little Book of Everything by Ruskin Bond
The Little Book of Everything by Ruskin Bond would read well even if it opened on a random page, and catch your attention even if you are not looking to read it. Everything, everything While The Little Book of Everything is little more than a collection of quotes, the experiences are not so trifle. It’s […]
Fern Road Boy by Angshu Dasgupta
Fern Road, published by Speaking Tiger and written by debutante author Angshu Dasgupta, will not only resonate with those who are young and confused but also remind adults what it is to be a child, discovering one’s own identity in a country where everything dangerously treads the line of becoming taboo. Fern Road: Forty Years […]
unBlock Meetup 106
There is precrastination, and there is procrastination and the lockdown has certainly amplified the former. Several writers who attended unBlock Meetup 106 faced some trouble getting back on the wagon, and took the help of prompts to do so. Held virtually for the first time, the meetup pushed people to work on their craft and […]
#InsideEdge: In Conversation with Samantak Bhadra
#InsideEdge is a series of interviews with publishing professionals in India. *** Here, we speak to Samantak Bhadra, Marketing Head at Amaryllis, the English imprint of Manjul Publishing House. Excerpts: You have quite an impressive resume. What has your journey been, from writer and poet to head of marketing and promotions at Amaryllis? How did you […]
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
It was Family Matters’ cover that first caught my eye. Years later, I found that it had been clicked by the multi-faceted Sooni Taraporevala, borrowed from her book Parsis, a Photographic Journey. But standing in front of the Indian Fiction section, surrounded by tall, ochre walls of nameless books – the photograph was everything I […]
How the Onion got its Layers by Sudha Murty
How the Onion got its Layers is a 45-page children’s book by Sudha Murty, about a princess and her kingdom. It is magical looking, if slightly gendered, traditional and old-timey in its representation – the clothes are saris and blouses, the jewellery all gold, the girls with two chotis (plated hair). Not sure if this […]
The Dark Abode by Sarojini Sahoo
The Dark Abode was originally written in Odia by Sarojini Sahoo, titled Gambhiri Ghara and translated into English by Mahendra Kumar Dash. Sarojini Sahoo, who is known for her revolutionary writings, feministic works and portrayal of bold sexuality, tries to emphasize the psychological issues of a middle-class woman in a symbolic manner in The Dark […]
Murder in Shimla by Bulbul Sharma
The tone of a murder mystery can make or break it as a page-turner – it should be marginally ominous, with a tight grip on the reader’s attention and curiosity about how the story is about to unfold. That is what characterises Bulbul Sharma’s Murder in Shimla. An old-fashioned whodunit, the novel set in the […]
In Conversation with: Gujarati writer Panna Trivedi
Purple Pencil Project recently caught up with Gujarati writer, translator and professor of linguistics, Dr. Panna Trivedi, to talk about her journey, the state of Gujarati literature, and more. Translated excerpts. Could you share with us your journey as a writer? Panna Trivedi: I have written story collections such as White Darkness (Safed Andharu), Colorless […]
