Fest Glarers
Is there trouble brewing among organisers of one of India’s biggest lit-fests? Two of the main people behind it don’t seem to be on talking terms; they seem to have lost it with each other, says a top publisher. The festival is round the corner, work is at its peak, international authors have been lined up, themes of discussions finalised, travel and stay plans of delegates at its frenziest and everybody is hoping the cold vibes between these two don’t throw things off track. Others say the festival has become so big that individuals’ changing personal equation would not matter. Also, both are top professionals in their own right and will not let any harm come to the lit-fest, as there is too much riding on it, they say.
Meet Whodunnits
January will see an unusual event in Delhi—The Crime Writer’s Festival. There will be sessions on Nordic Noir, Hindi Jasoosi Novels, Byomkesh Bakshi and the works. At a curtain-raiser, writer and filmmaker Mahmood Farooqi read out some scintillating passages from Urdu crime-writer Ibn-e-Safi’s 125-part book series, Jasoosi Duniya or The Spy World—popular even today. As Kishwar Desai, one of the festival directors says, it will open up new crime writers and genres to the readers.
One To Collect
Outlook’s year-end collector’s issue must warm all booklovers' hearts. The theme is ‘100 Books That Can Change Your Life’. It may sound bombastic, but a look at the list, chosen by an eminent jury, will leave you enlightened, entertained and, well, perhaps exasperated. If you are not a subscriber, tell your magazine-wallah to reserve a copy.
