Bibliofile

Note The Difference

Last week book-launch troopers in the capital were thrown into a tizzy. Two big launches, same day, same time. Kuldip Nayar’s Beyond the Lines at the Hyatt and Shashi Tharoor’s Pax Indica at the Taj. “Are you going to the other one?” was on everyone’s minds. Comparisons were made. “Punjabi fuddy-duddies” at Nayar’s do, said this camp. “Bunch of bores on the dais”, scowled the other. “We got about a 1,000 people,” vs “Rubbish, not even 500”. The bar at the Hyatt was better represented by Glenfiddich and Chivas Regal to Taj’s Teacher’s, but nobody matched the incomparable Sunanda Pushkar in a shimmering white sari alongside Tharoor.

Full Disclosure

In this season of memoirs, the one to watch for a candid account would be veteran journalist and publisher of Seminar Malvika Singh’s. She has finally given in to friends urging her to pen her experiences, especially her reportage of Indira Gandhi during Singh’s formative years in journalism. She has continued to watch the Gandhi family closely, and considering how forthright Singh normally is, her book is sure to have some eye-popping revelations.

The Jury Is Out

Malayalam poet and writer K. Satchidanandan will head the jury for the $50,000 dsc Literary Prize for 2013. More than 80 entries from 36 publishers have come in. The longlist will come out in October, the shortlist in November, and the winner will be announced at the Jaipur Litfest in January. H.M. Naqvi for Home Boy and Shehan Karunatilaka for Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew are the past winners of the richest literary award this side of the Suez.