Giving It A Ms
Nadine Gordimer is famous for not suffering fools and autograph hunters gladly. So when the MEA invited her for the Nobel Laureate Lecture last week, it had its hands full. The guest list at her lunch in Delhi was carefully vetted: feather-ruffling journalists (including Bibliofile!) were barred. But the crisis came when an event with the activist-writer organised by the IWPC was cancelled at the last minute. It turned out that they had forgotten to inform her that IWPC stood for Indian Women’s Press Corps. When Gordimer realised that she would be addressing a women-only group of journalists, she brusquely refused to go. Had the MEA forgotten that Nadine had also turned down the Orange Prize shortlist because the award recognised only women writers?
My Family, Vol XII
Just when Ved Mehta had despaired of finding an international publisher who would take on his 12-volume family saga, Osian’s has got him a deal that seems almost as good as Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies series. In a pre-emptive bid, Roli has taken the entire dozen Continents of Exile volumes for "a good six figure advance." And that’s in dollars. Ved started the autobiographical series in 1972, with Daddyji. But after the publishing scene changed, the ex-New Yorker staffer found himself edged out of the market by younger voices.
Cherie, Cherie
Cherie Blair also called off her book event at the last minute. But it was not her politics, feminist or otherwise. Since she’s here for the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, the HT didn’t want her to speak before their event.
