The two-time National Award-winning actor, filmmaker and producer fielded questions on the lack of a godfather in cinema, the casting couch phenomenon and her earlier life as a single unmarried mother…reports Asian Lite News
“I wouldn’t have written the book if I weren’t successful,” quipped veteran Indian actor Neena Gupta about her 2021 memoir Sach Kahun Toh: An Autobiography as she sent a houseful of fans into peals of laughter at the Sharjah International Book Fair happening at Expo Centre Sharjah.In a freewheeling conversation with journalist Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Neena Gupta regaled a rapt audience with a humorous,sardonic yet matter-of-fact take on her unconventional life and the Indian Hindi film industry.
Gupta, who was accompanied by her husband Vivek Mehra, refuted that it was a searing account of the ups and downs in her life “because it is dangerous to speak the truth”. “I haven’t revealed the most vulnerable part of my life though I have always been honest about the way I behave, dress, or eat. But because of my profession, the press made me look like someone else,” said the actor, who is best known for her 2018 movie Badhai Ho.
The two-time National Award-winning actor, filmmaker and producer fielded questions on the lack of a godfather in cinema, the casting couch phenomenon and her earlier life as a single unmarried mother. “Most of my life I worked for money because I had no money,” she opened up. National awards did not bring her many offers, and “if it weren’t for Badhai Ho, I would still be doing smaller roles”, she stated. Regarding her daughter Masaba, whose OTT release Masaba Masaba became a big hit, Gupta said she had dissuaded her from the field.
The actor said that she had chosen Covid to pen her witty and unapologetically funny memoir; the time was also right because some of her close kin had passed away and the revelations would no longer matter to them. She said she had “some good memories” about Masaba’s father cricketer Vivian Richards. Her advice to fans was to “move on in life whatever happens”.
Sach Kahun Toh (meaning To tell the Truth) chronicles Gupta’s extraordinary personal and professional journey – from her childhood days in Delhi, through her time at NSD, to moving to Bombay in the 1980s and dealing with the struggles to find work. It details the big milestones in her life, and a successful second innings in Bollywood. A candid, self-deprecating portrait of the person behind the persona, it talks about her life’s many choices, battling stereotypes, then and now.
Through their literary prowess, new authors are crafting tales that challenge conventional notions of time and space while honouring the richness of African heritage…reports Asian Lite News
As part of the cultural programme curated by the 42nd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, the spotlight was cast upon the esteemed Nigerian Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka. In an engaging discussion, Wole Soyinka and the distinguished Sudanese poet, Alim Abbas, captivated the audience with their enlightening discussion titled ‘Exploring Afrofuturism: Reimagining Black Identity and Culture in Contemporary Literature.’
panel discussion titled ‘Exploring Afrofuturism: Reimagining Black Identity and Culture in Contemporary Literature.’’ during the 42nd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair
In a room filled with literary enthusiasts, the two authors explored how Africa should be portrayed in the rapidly growing world of literature. The session began with the moderator setting the stage, emphasising the emerging movement within contemporary African literature, which envisions a future that is firmly grounded in a reimagined and redefined sense of identity and culture.
Celebrating resilience and cultural dynamism
This movement, known as Afrofuturism, is, in the words of Wole Soyinka, “encapsulating a visionary blend of science fiction, historical fiction, and magical realism, serving as a conduit for the exploration and reimagining of the black experience.” By weaving elements of technology, ancient traditions, and a deep-seated cultural pride, Afrofuturist writers carve out a unique space where the past, present, and future converge in exhilarating ways.
Through their literary prowess, new authors are crafting tales that challenge conventional notions of time and space while honouring the richness of African heritage. These academic pioneers infuse their works with a vibrant tapestry of mythologies, folklore, and cutting-edge technological innovations, constructing a narrative landscape that celebrates resilience and cultural dynamism.
Expanding on this concept Soyinka said, “Within the realm of Afrofuturism, the exploration of identity takes the helm, delving into the complexities of what it means to be black in a rapidly evolving world. Through their protagonists, these writers navigate themes of displacement, cultural erasure, and the quest for self-discovery, offering a lens through which readers can reflect on the multifaceted nature of the African experience.”
Storytelling: A vehicle for transformation and empowerment
Alim Abbas, on the other hand, noted that the impact of Afrofuturism extends beyond the realms of literature and permeates various art forms. He further pointed out that the infusion of futuristic elements into traditional African aesthetics has sparked a global renaissance, fostering a sense of empowerment and cultural pride among individuals of African descent.
Abbas gave the audience his perspective of the emerging genre saying, “Afrofuturism stands as a testament to the power of storytelling as a vehicle for transformation and empowerment. By embracing the boundless potential of the imagination, Afrofuturist authors continue to redefine the narrative of black identity and culture, forging a path toward a future that is both technologically advanced and deeply rooted in the essence of African heritage.”
With its meteoric rise to bestseller status, Masala Lab has captivated readers across generations, and now returns as an irresistible collector’s edition, adorned with ingenious additions, illustrations, infographics, and charts: it’s the collector’s edition you know your kitchen-laboratory needs…reports Asian Lite News
Reading should be practiced throughout one’s life. Good literature may teach you, illuminate you, and guide you. Learn about the most recent Penguin Random House’s publications, as well as the highlights from September to November 2023. PAIN by Shweta Singh Kirti No human is unacquainted with the concept of pain. It is an inescapable universal experience. Shweta Kirti’s pain has been, unfortunately, very public because of the death of her thirty-four-year-old brother, the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. What she learned, however, is that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. It is pain that can teach us how to rise above suffering and the limits we create for ourselves with our attachment to material goals like money, fame, success, and relationships. In this book, Shweta shares her learnings so that no one is alone on this hard but necessary odyssey. Synthesizing science, spirituality, and philosophy, Pain: A Portal to Enlightenment is an invitation to embark on a transformative journey to find inner peace and fulfillment no matter what life throws at you. Another Sort of Freedom by Gurcharan Das
It is a funny, moving, and honest memoir of a man’s struggle to break free from expectations. Gurcharan Das was born in Lyallpur, Punjab, during World War II, when Hitler, Churchill, and Hirohito were bashing everyone around. His mother noted in her diary, ‘This is a restless baby.’ By age two he had become ‘a difficult child’, and by three she was calling him a ‘troublemaker’. He discovered one day that he could run, and he has been running ever since.
Candid, witty, and wry, the memoir is filled with moments of deep introspection at every turn alongside wise observations on the author’s encounters with history on four continents. This is Gurcharan Das as you have never seen him before.
Muslim Politics in India by Hamid Dalwai
Hamid Dalwai has been called a Muslim modernizer who relentlessly worked towards promoting reason and justice among Muslims. Historian Ram Guha writes, ‘[He] worked tirelessly to get Muslims to shed their social and religious prejudices. The pursuit of gender equality was of pre-eminent importance to him, and he waged a long battle against triple talaq.’
Dalwai’s Muslim Politics in India is arguably the most perceptive analysis of Muslim politics to appear in post-independence India. It retains the same freshness and relevance that it had when it was first published some three decades back. First published in 1968, an enlarged edition was later published under the title Muslim Politics in Secular India by Hind Pocket Books, Delhi, in 1972.
This translation, the first of its kind, is a product of numerous meetings that Hamid Dalwai had with noted poet Dilip Chitre, during which the latter made extensive notes and rendered them into articles in English. It combines his most evocative and fiery essays and emerges as a fine voice of reason relevant to our contemporary times.
The Perfect 10 by Yasmin Karachiwala
The brains behind the beauty of some of India’s biggest celebrities, Bollywood’s fitness instructor extraordinaire, Yasmin Karachiwala is all set to launch her upcoming release, PERFECT 10: 10-Minute Workouts You Can Do Anywhere. Yasmin is widely credited with bringing Pilates to India. Her list of certifications includes BASI (Body Arts and Science International) Certified Pilates Instructor, Balanced Body Comprehensive Master Instructor, and Balanced Body MOTR Master Instructor, among others. Her multidisciplinary approach to fitness includes weight training, HIIT, cardio, functional training, Pilates, and more, and can be accessed at the Yasmin Karachiwala Body Image (YKBI) chain of studios located both in India and internationally.
The Illustrated Masala Lab: Beautiful New Edition of the Bestselling Book on the Science of Indian Cooking by Krish Ashok
With its meteoric rise to bestseller status, Masala Lab has captivated readers across generations, and now returns as an irresistible collector’s edition, adorned with ingenious additions, illustrations, infographics, and charts: it’s the collector’s edition you know your kitchen-laboratory needs. Ever wondered why your grandmother threw a teabag into the pressure cooker while boiling chickpeas, or why she measured using the knuckle of her index finger? Why does a counterintuitive pinch of salt make your kheer more intensely flavourful? What is the Maillard reaction, and what does it have to do with fenugreek? What does your high-school chemistry knowledge, or what you remember of it, have to do with perfectly browning your onions? In this special edition, Meghna Menon’s vibrant illustrations effortlessly complement Krish Ashok’s light-hearted approach to the demystification of culinary science, making it the perfect vehicle to absorb the exhaustive testing, groundbreaking research, and scientific rigor that went into the making of this revolutionary book.
The Art of Habits by Gauranga Das
As the final book in the three-volume series (after The Art of Resilience and The Art of Focus), The Art of Habits presents forty simple stories filled with deep revelations. What will enthrall the readers is the engaging narration, the dynamics of the situations that manifest, and the deep learnings from such episodes. While The Art of Resilience presented ingredients for the reader to inculcate resilience in challenging situations manifested at the beginning of the pandemic, The Art of Focus inspired the resilient heart to develop a focused mind during the multiple COVID waves. Now, The Art of Habits provides ideas for the focused reader to cultivate conducive and sustainable habits to adapt to the paradigm shift created by the pandemic, instilling in the reader a resolute mindset to handle multiple such unexpected transformative events in the future.
Memoirs of Valmiki Rao by Lindsay Pereira
A second novel from Lindsay Pereira, whose debut novel Gods and Ends was critically acclaimed and shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature and the Tata Lit Live award.
Set in Parel, THE MEMOIRS OF VALMIKI RAO is a contemporary retelling of the Ramayana, set against a Mumbai burning post the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Lindsay continues to write the Bombay novel and gives a view of the decrepit lives of those in suburban Mumbai.
This story may end with sadness, but the author wants you to remember that it started with love. This is the story of Rameshwar Shinde and Ravinarayan Kumar, a young woman called Janaki, and the neighbours they live with, in the shadows of towers. It is a story of families torn apart by bigotry, an unmissable retelling of the epic Ramayana set at a time when blood mixed with the grime of Mumbai’s streets. A tale more pertinent than ever, in a country once again teetering on the edge.
Restless Lives by Harish Bhat
The modern age is characterized by speed, impersonality, and absurdity. It is easy to get caught up in the rush and forget the small, everyday things that string together to build the everyday.
Restless Lives offers an oasis of quiet contemplation. In this beautiful poetry collection, author Harish Bhat contemplates various aspects that make up daily life. At times pleasing, at others disturbing, the lines within these pages promise to give pause, inspire, and stir emotion. This is Harish Bhat as you have never seen him before.
Before that, Ahlam spent over four years working in marketing roles at Jumeirah group where she oversaw all aspects of marketing and communications…reports Asian Lite News
Dubai, UAE, 15 March, 2023: The Emirates Literature Foundation Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Ahlam Bolooki as their new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. She takes on the responsibility in addition to her current role as Director, Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and Managing Director, ELF Publishing. Bolooki succeeds Isobel Abulhoul, the founder of the Emirates Literature Foundation. To support the transition, Abulhoul will remain with the Foundation as an advisor and trustee of the board.
“I could not be more grateful to take over the reins as CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation from Isobel, the opportunity to learn from her over the past four years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” says Ahlam Bolooki. “My goal in leading this organisation is to build on the Foundation’s legacy and use it as a stepping stone to reach greater heights of success. Since its incorporation, the Foundation has expanded beyond being an organiser of an annual literary festival to being an integral part of the cultural ecosystem of the UAE with an emphasis on literacy and on promoting local talent on the global stage. I look forward to leading the next chapter in the Foundation’s story.”
Isobel Abulhoul said, “I am delighted to hand over the Foundation to Ahlam’s capable hands. She’s young, she’s passionate and she has proven herself by spearheading new initiatives and projects that feed into the organisation’s strategic growth in a successfully and sustainable manner. As the Foundation enters its second decade, our mission remains the same, to spread the love of reading. Ahlam’s leadership will be instrumental in steering the team forward in this new phase and I will be happy to support in the role of advisor.”
Prior to joining the Emirates Literature Foundation, Ahlam Bolooki was the Head of Regional Campaigns at Dubai Tourism where she was responsible for supporting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision to strengthen Dubai’s position as a world-leading tourism destination. Before that, Ahlam spent over four years working in marketing roles at Jumeirah group where she oversaw all aspects of marketing and communications.
The Emirates Literature Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which supports and nurtures a love of literature, with a focus on Arabic language, in the United Arab Emirates and the region, through a programme of varied cultural initiatives.
The Foundation was established in 2013 by Royal Decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and is home to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word, held in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
More information about the Emirates Literature Foundation can be found online. Fans can keep up to date with #ELFDubai news on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Jaipur Literature Festival announces a stellar line-up for its 2023 edition
The Festival will also feature some of the award-winning historians like Tom Holland, Alex von Tunzelmann, David Olusoga, Edward Chancellor, and Katy Hessel, amongst others…reports Asian Lite News
The legendary Jaipur Literature Festival, which honours the value of literature, is scheduled to take place from January 19 through January 23, 2023. For its 2023 edition, the literary extravaganza will celebrate the best in fiction, non-fiction, food, history, current affairs and politics, AI and technology, translations, poetry, adaptations and music, language, climate crisis, noir, identity, medicine and health, and cryptocurrency and economy at Hotel Clarks, Amer, Jaipur. The event will feature a prestigious host of speakers, authors, and humanitarians.
The final set of speakers, announced today, comprises some of the world’s best thinkers, writers, and speakers, including writer Akshaya Mukul; author Alka Saraogi; author Amia Srinivasan; publisher Ananda Devi; Pulitzer-Prize winning author Caroline Elkins; academic David Wengrow; 2022 Hasselblad Award recipientDayanita Singh; member of Lok Sabha Feroze Varun Gandhi; Indian Monk and the winner of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award, Gaur Gopal Das; flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia; scriptwriter, lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar; author Jonathan Freedland; award-winning correspondent for The Guardian Luke Harding; academic and author Maryam Aslany; author Merlin Sheldrake; CEO of cult.fit Mukesh Bansal and Co-Founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited Nandan Nilekani.
Why you can’t miss the Jaipur Literature Festival 2022.(photo:IANSLIFE)
The much-anticipated list goes on to mention filmmaker Onir; historian and writer Orlando Figes; 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism Literature and Creative Communications Arts P Sainath; Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award and the JLF Mahakavi Kanhaiya Lal Sethia Awardee Ranjit Hoskote; historian and academic Ruth Harris; economist and writer Sanjeev Sanyal; author and practising senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal; author and politician Shashi Tharoor; Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction,Siddhartha Mukherjee; internationally bestselling author Simon Sebag-Montefiore; writer and rapper Sumit Samos; author Toby Walsh; Director of the V&A, the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance Tristam Hunt; renowned pop singer Usha Uthup; writer Vidya Krishnan; political scientist Yascha Mounk; and translator of the winning novel of JCB prize for Literature 2022, Baran Farooqi.
The Festival will also feature some of the award-winning historians like Tom Holland, Alex von Tunzelmann, David Olusoga, Edward Chancellor, and Katy Hessel, amongst others.
The previously announced list of speakers includes eminent journalist, writer and translator Arunava Sinha; Sahitya Akademi Award winner Aruna Chakravarti; award-winning writer Ana Filomena Amaral; leading bi-lingual editor, writer and translator Manisha Chaudhry; Padmabhushan awardee Mridul Kirti; and former diplomat Navdeep Suri.
The 2023 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival will offer an immersive experience of literature, discourse, musical performances, art installations, merchandise, local cuisine and more to all art, literature and culture enthusiasts gathered to bask in the glory of the ‘greatest literary show on Earth’. Celebrating the uniting power of language, the Festival will provide an inclusive platform to all Indian and multiple foreign languages with sessions spread across 5 venues with over 250 speakers.
The book is a magnificent examination of Agyeya’s civilizational enterprise. Ambitious and scholarly, it is also an unputdownable, whirlwind of a read…reports Asian Lite News
From much-awaited translations to new releases here’s what you should stack up on for the coming week.
The Wait by Damodar Mauzo And Other Stories
“Damodar Mauzo’s stories present us with vivid glimpses of the richly diverse, cosmopolitan reality of contemporary Goa. In these perceptive, keenly observed stories Hindus, Catholics and Muslims all find ways to co-exist, in defiance of bigotry,” said Amitav Ghosh. From the 2022 Jnanpith Award winner, Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo’s sometimes bizarre, sometimes tender stories, set largely in Goa, create a world far removed from the sun and sand and the holiday resorts. Here you find villagers facing moral choices, children waking up to the realities of adult lives, men who dwell on remorse, women who live a life of regret and communities whose bonds are growing tenuous in an age of religious polarization. Probing the deepest corners of the human psyche with tongue-in-cheek humour, Mauzo’s stories reveal the many threads that connect us to others and the ease with which they can be broken. Written in simple prose and yet layered in nuances, The Wait is a collection that brings to the anglophone world one of the doyens of Konkani literature.
Nireeswaran (Vayalar and Kerala Sahitya Akademi winner)
From the author of Anti-clock, Shortlisted for the JCB Award 2021 comes this “compelling narrative of shifting faiths and displaced gods. As realities and fantasies disentangle there appears in the nether regions an un-god, Nireeswaran, with no halo. A mind-boggling work from a master novelist” said M. Mukundan, recipient of JCB Prize 2021.
Is it possible for society to exist without religion? Nireeswaran, the most celebrated of Malayalam novelist V.J. James’ works, uses incisive humour and satire to question blind faith and give an insight into what true spirituality is.
Three atheists, Antony, Sahir, and Bhaskaran, embark on an elaborate prank to establish that God is nothing but a superstition. They instal a mutilated idol of Nireeswaran, literally anti-god, to show people how hollow their religion is. Their plan starts turning awry when miracles start being attributed to Nireeswaran-a man waking up from coma after twenty-four years, a jobless man ineligible for government employment getting a contract, a prostitute turning into a saint-leading hordes to turn up to worship the fake deity.
The trio is put in a quandary. Will they fight their own creation? Is their intractable minds an indication that atheism is a religion in itself? Belief and disbelief, it is possible, are two sides of the same coin.
Beauty Unbottled
Can one make sunscreen from saffron? Can hemp oil help heal acne? How does madder root help cure hyperpigmentation? Beauty Unbottled is a unique DIY guide on how to use herbs and plants to turn your kitchen into a beauty lab. Learn how to treat hair loss, frizz, dandruff and premature greying with powerful Ayurvedic kitchen herbs. Create your own masks, moisturizers, serums and shampoos with superfoods like neem, tulsi, jasmine and sandalwood-herbs that are revered in Ayurveda. Explore the alchemy of Ayurveda and its long-lost, forgotten beauty secrets with simple step-by-step skin and hair recipes (with vegan options) in this definitive guide and self-help book. This book will also guide you to read and understand labels, have a balanced diet for a healthy body and choose ingredients that are super effective yet gentle on you and mother earth.
Equal, yet different
A book by Anita Bhogle on how women want to be treated and need to be treated at home and in the workplace.
Equal, Yet Different is exactly how women want to be treated and need to be treated at home and in the workplace. This book talks about the catalysts that are required for women to reach peak potential-conditions, people, or even mindsets at home, at work, and in the ecosystem. Anita Bhogle draws from the professional experiences and wisdom of a large number of women leaders and experts.
Talking about the motivation behind this book, author, Anita Bhogle said, “I believe ‘Equal, Yet Different’ is how women would like to be and need to be treated at home and in the workplace. They are equal to men in terms of ability and ambition but different because of how they are conditioned and given the challenges they face. The book draws on the wisdom and experience of several professionals and experts and attempts to identify conditions, people, and mindsets that can prove to be catalysts for women to achieve their full potential. The millennials are lucky to have access to the experience of a fairly large pool of career women today. As a society, it is time we realise that diversity and inclusion will only make the world a better place.”
Writer Rebel Soldier Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya
Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover features a formidable cast of characters: from writers like Premchand, Phanishwarnath Renu, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and Josephine Miles to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad and actor Balraj Sahni. And its landscapes stretch from British jails, an intellectually robust Allahabad and modern-day Delhi to monasteries in Europe, the homes of Agyeya’s friends in the Himalayas and universities in the US. The book is a magnificent examination of Agyeya’s civilizational enterprise. Ambitious and scholarly, it is also an unputdownable, whirlwind of a read.
Banaras Talkies
Bhagwandas Hostel at Banaras Hindu University can be mistaken as being like any other college hostel, but that would be a gross error. For, among the corridors of BD Hostel roam never-before-seen characters: Suraj the narrator, whose goal is to woo a girl, any girl; Anurag De, for whom cricket is life, literally, and Jaivardhan, whose melancholia gets him to answer every query with ghanta’.
Follow the adventures of the three friends and others as they navigate undergraduate life in one of India’s most vibrant colleges, plan to steal exam papers, struggle to speak to women, find friends in corridors lined with dirty linen, and forge lifelong bonds amid bad mess food.
First published in Hindi in 2015, Banaras Talkies has remained on the bestseller list since then. A slice-of-life novel, it captures college life with all its twists and turns. Written with the idiomatic flourish that is the hallmark of Banarasi colloquialism by Satya Vyas, this comic novel is one of India’s great coming-of-age novels.
Tulle in all weathers was paired with utilitarian accessories inspired by Thomas Hardy’s ill-fated 19th-century British heroine, Tess Durbeyfield…reports Asian Lite News
Tulle has been joined by taffeta, organdie, and silk in voluminous, tiered, and frilled joyful creations over the seasons. Molly Goddard has been a fixture on the British runway since 2014, with the designer known internationally for her ethereal tulle dresses, which have been worn on the red carpet and on screen by actresses Sonam Kapoor, Rosamund Pike, and Jodie Comer, among others.
Molly found inspiration in the English countryside as well as classic narratives of English literature, particularly Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Molly explained that these looks were about being frivolous and fabulous while also being strong, tough, and resilient — about thriving rather than just surviving. Tulle in all weathers was paired with utilitarian accessories inspired by Thomas Hardy’s ill-fated 19th-century British heroine, Tess Durbeyfield.
Christie’s announce that ‘The Art of Literature Exhibition’ will include fashion by Molly Goddard, a designer whose creative inspiration comes from a variety of sources, including author Thomas Hardy’s work. ‘The Auction Highlights’ will feature a selection of artistic masterpieces inspired by literature throughout the ages, alongside looks from Goddard’s Autumn/Winter 2019 Ready-to-Wear Collection, which was inspired by Tess of the d’Urbervilles. On display at Christie’s King Street in St James’s from June 6 to 15.
Goddard comments, “Hardy paints an incredible picture of the English landscape and seasons in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The collection was definitely about being wrapped up against the weather physically and metaphorically. The pieces included in the exhibition are a very good representation of what we do best, by which I mean taking simple designs and turning them into something totally different, using techniques like shirring and hand-smocking, or by scaling them up and using unexpected fabrics.”
Annabelle Scholar, co-curator comments, “We are thrilled to include these wondrous creations by Molly in ‘The Art of Literature Exhibition’, pieces which were inspired by a work of literature and ushered in a new era of British fashion. In this cross category exhibition spanning three millennia we’re looking at how the written word has inspired artists and creatives to make works of art, or bring new meaning to existing works of art.”
The First Book (Fiction) Shortlist include ‘A Bit of Everything’ by Sandeep Raina (Westland), ‘A Death in Shonagachhi’ by Rijula Das (Pan MacMillan) and ‘Gods and Ends’ by Lindsay Pereira (Penguin Random House)…reports Asian Lite News.
The shortlists for the Tata Literature Live! Literary Awards were announced Thursday. The winners are traditionally announced at the closing session of the Festival. Since the Festival is online again this year due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, the awards ceremony will be streamed on Sunday (November 21).
In the fiction category, the shortlisted titles include ‘Asoca: A Sutra’ by Irwin Allan Sealy (Penguin Random House), ‘China Room’ by Sunjeev Sahota (Penguin Random House) and ‘Names of the Women’ by Jeet Thayil (Penguin Random House).
In the non-fiction category, ‘Born a Muslim: Some Truths About Islam in India’ by Ghazala Wahab (Aleph), ‘The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move’ by Sonia Shah (Bloomsbury) and ‘Undercover: My Journey into the Darkness of Hindutva’ by Ashish Khetan (Westland) have been shortlisted.
The First Book (Fiction) Shortlist include ‘A Bit of Everything’ by Sandeep Raina (Westland), ‘A Death in Shonagachhi’ by Rijula Das (Pan MacMillan) and ‘Gods and Ends’ by Lindsay Pereira (Penguin Random House).
The First Book (Non-Fiction) Shortlist include ‘Breathing Here is Injurious to Your Health: The Human Cost of Air Pollution and How You Can Be the Change’ by Jyoti Pande Lavakare (Hachette), ‘It’s All In Your Head, M’ by Manjiri Indurkar (Westland) And ‘Landscapes of Loss: The Story of an Indian Drought’ by Kavitha Iyer (HarperCollins)
In the Business Book of the Year category, ‘Fossil Free: Reimagining Clean Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World’ by Sumant Sinha (HarperCollins), ‘Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking Tragedy’ by Tamal Bandyopadhyay (Roli Books) and ‘Spring: Bouncing Back From Rejection’ by Ambi Parameswaran (Westland) have been shortlisted.
Gurnah, who came to the UK in the 1960s to study and eventually settled there as a refugee, obtained his PhD in 1982…reports Asian Lite News.
Amid resurgent questions over cultural identity and colonial legacies, the Nobel Prize for Literature 2021 has been awarded to the first writer since Sir V.S. Naipaul (2001) to deal with the vexed impact of colonialism and the dilemmas of travellers – forced or voluntary – among differing cultural millieus.
And new Nobel laureate – the Zanzibar-born, UK-based academician-cum-writer Abdulrazak Gurnah has, in his academic career, guided plenty of research on Sir Vidia, as well as Salman Rushdie, G.V. Desani, Anthony Burgess, and above all, Joseph Conrad, whose most powerful works dwelt on colonialism and its “civilising legacy” – in its very heyday.
Loved learning about Abdulrazak Gurnah. Growing up in Zanzibar, the Nobel committee said, “Arabic and Persian poetry, especially The Arabian Nights, were an early and significant wellspring for him.”
Gurnah is known for a relatively small but significant oeuvre dealing with the ‘clash’ between homegrown tradition and colonialism in Africa and elsewhere, the disruptions in cross-culture encounters, especially for refugees, and construction of identity and memory, leavened with autobiographical elements.
Awarded for his “uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”, he is the second writer after Japanese-born but UK-settled Kazuo Ishiguro (2017) to be conferred the Nobel for his work in English, despite it not being his “mother” tongue, and the first writer originating from out of the “West” since China’s Mo Yan in 2012.
Gurnah, who came to the UK in the 1960s to study and eventually settled there as a refugee, obtained his PhD in 1982. After a stint at a Nigerian university, he has been teaching in the UK and his academic focus is postcolonial writing and colonial discourse, with focus on Africa, the Caribbean and India.
This is reflected in his works – 10 novels in slightly over two decades, and a collection of short stories.
Set in an unnamed East African coastal town at the end of colonial rule, his literary debut “Memory of Departure” (1987) is a coming of age novel, in first person narration, picturesquely depicting the local culture and the role of its dynamics in moulding the persona of the protagonist, who finally decides to strike out for bigger prospects.
The autobiographical elements recur in “Pilgrim’s Way” (1988), a humorous but a bit dark account of a Muslim Tanzanian student Daud’s fight for survival against marginalisation in an English provincial town, with his wit, imagination, mental mockery and letter-writing being his only weapons against the cultural philistines – unlike his Biblical namesake (David).
“Here I sit, making a meal out of asking you to dinner. I don’t really know how to do it. To have cultural integrity, I would have to send my aunt to speak, discreetly, to your aunt, who would then speak to your mother, who would speak to my mother, who would speak to my father, who would speak to me and then approach your mother, who would then approach you,” goes one letter by Daud to a prospective date.
But it was “Paradise” (1994), shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Whitebread Prize, that brought Gurnah into the centre stage. Entertwining myth, storytelling, and East African and European literary traditions, it is the rite of passage of Yusuf pawned by his father to a rich merchant he must accompany on dangerous trading expeditions from the East African coast into the interior as European rule looms. The contrasts with Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” are telling.
In “Admiring Silence” (1996), Gurnah deals with how distance affects the memory of a “perfect” homeland. The story of a Zanzibari man, who marries an English woman and writes romantic tales of the Africa he “remembers”, it goes on to depict what ensues when he returns home.
“Desertion” (2005) lives up to its name. A combination of two stories – the account of a bunch of young siblings in the period of transition for colonialism, and a half-century old story of colonial contacts, cross-cultural romance and its impact, the story brings both strands into one in the unforgiving present.
But Gurnah doesn’t always remain in the past. “Gravel Heart” (2017) is set in the Zanzibar of the 1970s, and while it reprises some elements of “Pilgrims’ Way”, it does so in a more unsentimental and harsher way.
His most recent work is “Afterlives” (2020), which deals with a different, shorter but more harsher colonial past, as the conflict in Europe spreads its shadow on Africa.
A welcome move by the Swedish Academy, which will help to dissipate its reputation for “Eurocentrism”, Gurnah’s Nobel is a welcome step recognising voices dealing with one of the most vexing and patently ambiguous historical conundrums of present times.
