Bibliofile

One celeb writer who is in no hurry to have a book launch in India is Jhumpa Lahiri. Wounded by the newspapers’ concerted attack on her antecedents during her last visit here, the Pulitzer prize-winner has put off the evil day when she has to face a hostile Indian press again. According to her publishers, HarperCollins, Jhumpa—or to use her "good name", Nilanjana Sudeshna Lahiri—is not planning to visit India until sometime in 2004. She has agreed to spend a little time in Delhi and Calcutta on her way to Australia next year.

After inspiring Vikram Seth to write a record 1,352-pager on her marriage, it’s time for Leila Seth to turn the tables on her son. Mama Seth, a former chief justice of the Himachal high court, is coming out with her own version of A Suitable Boy—her memoir on her life, work and family, including Vikram of course. The book, On Balance, will be launched on December 7 as a birthday gift to husband Prem Seth.