All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy
A compass among rows of paints. The cover of All the Lives We Never Lived is enough to draw you in even without its blurb that promises to be ‘a parable of our times’, whose ‘scale is matched by its power’. It’s scale is vast, but its power, not so much. The story begins with […]
Fiction begins where non-fiction ends: Shubhangi Swarup
Speaking to Shubhangi Swarup, like reading her book, is to leave the parochial behind. It is to be inspired to live as fully and engagingly as possible, to push the boundaries of experiences and consciousness. In this interview for onWriting.in, she talks about life during, before and after Latitudes of Longing, the need for novelists […]
Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup
First, there was the beginning of the universe, with two atoms and emptiness. Then, there was the ocean, and a simple dream of a grain of sand created land as we know it. Perhaps in the future, there will be emptiness again, and the universe will end, or be born anew, with two lovers […]
On reading history: City of My Heart by Rana Safvi
This is not a book review. Who am I to judge the past, or what was written of it? I was introduced to monarchy in reverse. First, the death of Princess Diana. Then, the British empire and its Indian occupation. Then, the many emperors and kings who ruled different parts of the sub-continent. Then, when […]
Beloved by Toni Morrison
I Reading Beloved is like swinging really fast, really high. It is thrilling but is sometimes out of your control, sometimes reaching so high that you fear slipping away for a few seconds, and eventually, in the end, you’re back in control, and smoothly ending your ride. It starts powerfully with dedication. “To sixty million […]
The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa Al Aswany, translated by Russell Harris
I am always looking to read more of literature in translation, which is why when the generous Vivek Tejuja gave me The Automobile Club of Egypt (2013) by Alaa Al Aswany (translated to English by Russell Harris in 2015), I was thrilled. It’s a big book, two centimetres longer and wider than your average book […]
Rupal Vyas on reading Khaled Hosseini
There is a point, particularly around late teenage, when you are curious to know about how the things are spectacularly different in other countries, other states and their bits and pieces you wish to connect with and admire. Two years ago, I hot that stage, especially at the crack of dawn, my usual wake up […]
Low-down on a literary September
We are now solidly in the second half of the year and whether or not you have completed you literary goals are, like us, are lagging behind because life came in the way, there are events, must-reads and must-listens. Mumbai-folk, these are mainly for you. If you are doing something interesting or know of a […]
Upcoming literary events in July
No matter which city you’re in, we’ve got your July weekends covered with these literary events. Event Name: Broke Bibliophiles – Bombay Chapter What’s it about?: A meet for book-lovers where you meet others of your tribe, swap books and discuss prose and poetry alike Location: Doolally Taproom, Mumbai Dates: July 22, 2018 Registration: Events […]
The Third Squad by V Sanjay Kumar
“You may not open a book if you hate its cover,” says this book critic. “So it helps to have it well designed.” I open the packaging and am supremely disappointed. On the book cover is the figure of a man, his back to the reader, one hand holding a gun, looking at the skyline […]
