Bibliofile

Waiter, Waiter

Publishers are playing the wait and watch game before accepting proposals for biographies and memoirs of politicians and bureaucrats. They want to first see the proper shape of the new government. A former journalist who is working on an unauthorised biography of a prominent politician pitched another biography propo­sal to a few publishers, but was told they will get back soon. After Sanjaya Baru and P.C. Parakh, it seems more bureaucrats want to tell their tales too, but publishers are hedging. The two memoirs that are coming out soon are by Natwar Singh (One Life Is Not Enough) and former CAG Vinod Rai.

Smidgin Spells

Outlook contributor and our regular restaurant reviewer Shabnam Minwalla’s delightful book The Six Spellmakers of Dorabji Street has won the children’s website Rivokids’ Parents and Kids Choice Awards in the 5-10 age group. Six Spellmakers is a “cocktail of dollops of friendship, a dash of magic and a smidgen of romance”, as a description puts it.

Literary Druk

Now that we are worn out by the long election campaign, the (literary) action shifts to Thimphu. Mountain Echoes, the literary festival in the most picturesque set-up (May 22-24), is very intimate and gives you a chance to soak in the sun with the biggest names in writing. If you are lucky, you could go on a short trek with Rahul Bose or discuss films with the inimitable Waheeda Rehman.