Bibliofile
Pankaj Mishra has decided to have another go at a novel. Reading? "It's a disease," Vikram Seth says, deadpan. As for Pablo Ganguli...
Fact-Finding Fiction
Pankaj Mishra has decided to have another go at a novel. But some habits die hard: he seems to be researching it with the zeal of the born non-fictionist. And he'll need to, considering that it's set in, of all places, China. Which is partly why he has accepted an invitation to a litfest in Shanghai this month. A Chinese litfest? Believe it or not, it's a big deal: among those expected at this year's Shanghai International Literary Festival are Kiran Desai, Amy Tan and Gore Vidal. And unlike Indian events, it's a ticketed affair, with tickets as high as 100 rmb. And if you want to lunch with the big names, pay double. Smoke that in your pipe, Kitab litfest!
Folio Two
What do you do when a litfest you trumpeted as the year's biggie turns out to be an unmitigated disaster? If you are a litfest organiser with the flamboyance of Pablo Ganguli, you move to the next one. Kitab will meet again this summer—in Pondicherry.