Bibliofile
Romance is certainly in the air, as far as the publishing world is concerned. No, no connection with the fact that David Davidar will soon be back on Delhi's literary circuit (AFAWK).
Out Of Solitude
David Davidar, former head of Penguin India, will soon be back on Delhi's literary circuit. No, not for his old job (he now heads Penguin in Canada), but for the launch of his new novel The Solitude of Emperors, to be released in August. More ambitious than his last book, The House of Blue Mangoes, it is about a young man embroiled in a battle against the forces of fundamentalism. The action moves from riot-torn Bombay in the early 1990s to a small town in the Nilgiris, torn apart by political wrangles over a local shrine. According to the buzz from his UK publisher, Orion, it looks set to be the Indian novel of the year.
Canon Fodder
The first Asian Man Literary prize, to be awarded this November, has foolhardily invited unpublished authors to submit their works. The jury will probably drown under the deluge of clumsily-typedmanuscripts -- the kind that pour in unsolicited into all publishers' offices. Where, after a quick read of the first few pages, most are consigned to the 'slush pile', as fodder for termites and silverfish.