Between The Covers

LOOKBACK: THE BOOKS

Khushwant
Singh

FICTION

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee: The Nobel laureate’s saga of the transition of South 
Africa from a white racist society to its present Black rule 

In Times of Siege by Githa Hariharan: The story of the menace of Hindu fundamentalism in academic life, thinly veiled as fiction 

Abandon by Pico Iyer: Combines the readings of Rumi with much travel across continents in pursuit of love

Embers by Sandor Marai: A modern classic recalls an old story of two friends who meet after a span of over 40 years

NON-FICTION

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester Gripping tale of how the OED was compiled. Reads like a detective novel.

Musaddas by Altaf Husain Hali: Translated in English verse by Syed Saiyadain Hameed.

Ghalib: Life, Letters, Ghazals by Ralph Russell: The most authentic account of the greatest figure in Urdu literature

The Life and Times of 
G.D. Birla by Medha Kudasiya: Well-researched account of the rise of the Birlas and their contribution to nation-building

Beyond the Courtyard by Anees Jung: A sequel to Unveiling India, offers a graphic description of the changing nature of Indian women.

Between the Covers

W

hile India succumbed totally to the British wizard’s charms, literary relations soured in the UK. Hari Kunzru refused an award sponsored by Daily Mail because he felt the paper pursued “an editorial policy of vilifying and demonising refugees”. Honorary South Asian Patrick French refused an obe because it contained the word “empire”. Vikram Seth collected a cool Rs 10 crore advance for Two Lives.