Books

The Man of a Hundred Drafts

Sohini Chattopadhyay

Ved Mehta on a life of writing

Open India versus Closed India

Aresh Shirali

A book of essays that may help us grapple with the idea of being a civilisation

‘Writers these days write to be seen, not read’

Akshaya Pillai

For years, Anees Salim nursed his introversion and dealt with rejection by starting new novels. This year, four of them found publishers

‘A Jolt at the End of the Wire’

Sheba Thayil

In her new novel The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt offers us the meaning of life. There’s no way of knowing what makes her sublime, but perhaps it doesn’t matter

Riffing Off Genius

Samanth Subramanian

Sebastian Faulks’ homage to PG Wodehouse reveals why humour is serious business, easy to admire but hard to imitate

Never A Dull Moment

Akshay Sawai

What Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography lacks in depth and accuracy, it makes up in colour

Among the Smallest Storytellers

Neha Naqvi

Notes from a weekend spent at the Bookaroo Festival of Children’s Literature—a buoyant breeding ground for young readers

The Asianist

Omkar Khandekar

Writing about South East Asia, Tash Aw explores the confusion of new personal and political freedoms, privileging emotional authenticity over exotic detail