Bibliofile
Why aren't Indians making it to Commonwealth Writers Prize since Amitav Ghosh turned his nose up at it? How to get money out of Penguin India? Sir Vidia ko gussa kyuun aataa hai? Why do they do it to him?
It pays to get an agent. Take Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. When the 27-year-old wrote his first novel, The Last Song of Dusk—a tale set in '20s India—he didn't rush his manuscript to a publisher as other Indian writers are wont to. Instead, his agent sold the book abroad and only then brought it here. The result: a princely advance from the normally tight-fisted Penguin. Even if it can't compare with what his UK publisher has paid, Shanghvi is set to make a splash with his April debut.
Verbal skills, yes, but who would have known V.S. Naipaul is also an ace at non-verbal communication? At a recent reading in Bangalore, a website (newindpress.com) reporter noticed a curious thing about Sir Vidia and his lady wife. "The minute he handed over his fine hat to her, it was a signal for her to take charge." Lady Naipaul handled the hordes like a field marshal, telling off the photographers with a stern, "He won't talk until you leave." The paparazzi trooped out meekly, but the edginess hung in the air. When a fan moved to the front to hear him better, the irascible Sir Vidia stopped his reading to wail, "Why do you do this to me?"