India Abroad
India is the market focus this year at the London Book Fair that opens on April 20. But with the London publishing world even more badly hit than India by the current recession, it’s going to be a rather listless show. Indian writers participating at the fair include Vikram Seth, Amartya Sen, Amit Chaudhuri, Ramachandra Guha, Javed Akhtar, Namdeo Dhasal, Nandan Nilekani, Pavan Varma, Jaishree Misra and Daljit Nagra.
No Moral Poll-icing
It might be the worst month of the worst year ever to publish a book. Not so for Madhavrao Scindia—A Life by Vir Sanghvi and Namita Bhandare. The book, launched on March 10 by Sonia Gandhi, is a win-win for all concerned: publisher Penguin, which no doubt has a buyback deal with the Madhavrao Scindia Foundation, and Congressmen who know this is one pre-poll party the EC won’t bother them about.
