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Books
]Book Box: Gita's karma, India's boon
Published on Sep 23, 2023 10:20 AM IST
How other writers and readers remember the late Gita Mehta
Hasan Minhaj, writers, and the fabrication of truth
Comedian Hasan Minhaj has been accused of fabricating incidents from his life on his shows, leading to questions about the morality of his actions
Updated on Sep 22, 2023 08:42 PM IST
Farzana Versey
HT Picks; New Reads
On the reading list this week are short stories that articulate the true cost of living, a book that blends the science of aromatics with travel writing, history and insights into India’s contemporary perfume trade, and a collection of the 24 Gitas from the Mahabharata
Published on Sep 22, 2023 06:06 PM IST
HT Team
Siân Hughes, author, Pearl - “A novel has to have a life of its own”
Debut novel longlisted for 2023 Booker Prize sees tenfold increase in sales and third re-print; author discusses inspiration, loss, and future plans.
Updated on Sep 22, 2023 06:19 PM IST
Majid Maqbool
Review: Cockatoo by Yashraj Goswami
A collection of interconnected short stories about desire, deception and disaster set in different parts of India
Updated on Sep 22, 2023 06:02 PM IST
Review: House of the People by Ronojoy Sen
Politics in India is often compared to cricket, with fans following and arguing over their favorite teams. Winning elections is prioritized over the functioning of parliament. Ronojoy Sen's book on India's Lok Sabha examines the institution at the heart of Indian democracy, tracing its origins and highlighting its decline in recent years. The book sheds light on the underrepresentation of women, Muslims, and marginalized communities in parliament, as well as the prevalence of criminal records among MPs. Sen concludes that India's parliament is in need of strengthening.
Updated on Sep 22, 2023 06:25 PM IST
Samrat Choudhury
Interview: Prabha Atre - “I have never imitated anyone”
The Hindustani classical vocalist who is now 90 years old talks about her lifelong riyaaz, her years at AIR and the deeply intellectual quality of her singing
Published on Sep 21, 2023 09:11 PM IST
Manjari Sinha
Review: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
The Booker shortlisted novel examines the complicated idea of home and how institutionalised racism coexists with the idea of the American dream
Updated on Sep 22, 2023 06:08 PM IST
Simar Bhasin
Review: Siddhartha; The Boy Who Became the Buddha by Advait Kottary
The author builds on his experience with the performing arts to create drama, anticipation, and intensity in his retelling of the life of the Buddha
Updated on Sep 21, 2023 12:07 AM IST
Interview: Durreen Shahnaz – ‘Doing good through finance is not easy’
The first Bangladeshi woman to work on Wall Street, the author of The Defiant Optimist talks about the role of finance in development and women’s empowerment
Published on Sep 20, 2023 04:57 PM IST
Arunima Mazumdar
Author Ritu Soni Bhagat: Without stories, language lacks flavour
The teacher-turned-author's first book, English Hinglish shares lessons in a filmi way. She uses Bollywood to build stories as learning tools.
Updated on Sep 20, 2023 11:13 AM IST
Kriti Kambiri, Delhi
The connected case of Kenneth Branagh and Agatha Christie
Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice and Christie’s Hallowe’en Party create a sinister world of shadows, secrets, and surprises
Updated on Sep 18, 2023 07:19 PM IST
Teja Lele
Ayobami Adebayo - “It’s both a political and domestic book”
Longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, the Nigerian author’s second novel, A Spell of Good Things, looks at how politics can collapse into personal lives
Updated on Sep 15, 2023 11:33 PM IST
Saudamini Jain
HT Picks; New Reads
This week’s pick of interesting reads includes a book on the Indian village and its many shifts over the course of the nation’s history, another on Indian women wildlife biologists, and the memoir of an academic and activist
Published on Sep 15, 2023 11:08 PM IST
HT Team
Review: Tall Tales By A Small Dog by Omair Ahmad
The author ventriloquizes a dog to tell eclectic stories, histories, anecdotes, and urban legends about the town of Gorakhpur
Published on Sep 15, 2023 11:07 PM IST
Saikat Majumdar
Daisy Rockwell - “Publishing is obsessed with the cult of the new”
The Booker Prize winner on translating Rukogi Nahin, Radhika?, Hindi author Usha Priyamvada’s novel, which was first published in 1967
Published on Sep 15, 2023 11:05 PM IST
Essay: Partition and the inheritance of loss
Memories of the great forced migration and violence that accompanied Independence persist even in later generations that did not experience the events firsthand
Published on Sep 15, 2023 06:22 PM IST
Deepansh Duggal
Essay: Gazing up at the family tree
On discovering elaborate shajras, attempting to connect with distant relatives, and learning that your ancestors rode down from Central Asia
Published on Sep 14, 2023 09:36 PM IST
Lamat R Hasan
Review: The Broken Script by Swapna Liddle
A comprehensive exploration of key events in Delhi between 1803 and 1857 and their impact on different groups of people, economic and social relations, and “ways of thinking and belonging”
Updated on Sep 14, 2023 03:00 PM IST
Syed Saad Ahmed
Interview: Ishita Moitra - “Women are now writing every kind of film and show”
The screenwriter of Rocky Aur Rani ki Prem Kahani talks about the great changes in contemporary film sets, the need to protect young writers, and her journey
Published on Sep 14, 2023 12:40 AM IST
Mihir Chitre
Review: Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
Longlisted for the Booker Prize this year, Western Lane explores both bereavement and the immigrant experience in Britain
Updated on Sep 12, 2023 08:30 PM IST
Hritik Verma
The International Agatha Christie Festival: Celebrating the queen of crime
The 33rd edition of the IACF, that’s on until September 17, delves deep into the best selling novelist’s world
Published on Sep 11, 2023 08:12 PM IST
Teja Lele
Book Box | Rediscovering the art of storytelling through oral tradition
Originating from Denmark in 2000, the Human Library is a space dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations, sparking curiosity, and addressing queries
Published on Sep 09, 2023 09:55 PM IST
Interview: Daisy Rockwell: “Translators can be seen as curators”
International Booker Prize winner Daisy Rockwell on the significance of Edith Grossman, who fought for the right of a translator to be recognised for her work
Published on Sep 09, 2023 10:26 AM IST
Peter Frankopan - “We are living through an unparalleled age of transformations”
On the wider questions about the natural world’s reshaping as a result of globalisation, consumption patterns, demographics, and climate change
Published on Sep 08, 2023 09:54 PM IST
Syed Saad Ahmed
HT Picks; New Reads
This week’s list of interesting reads includes a book on the mystic and poet, Kabir, a Japanese novel that will appeal to anyone who’s had to recover from a broken heart, and a reimagining of Gond rebel Komaram Bheem’s fight against British colonialists
Published on Sep 08, 2023 09:53 PM IST
HT Team
Review: The East Indian by Brinda Charry
An ambitious three-continent-spanning novel that does not shy away from tackling the big questions of race and identity
Published on Sep 08, 2023 09:52 PM IST
Percy Bharucha
Review: Juvenile Not Delinquent by Enakshi Ganguly et al
Focussed on children adjudicated for an offence, ‘Juvenile, Not Delinquent’ intertwines personal accounts with case studies to show how far away the country is from executing its policies towards children
Published on Sep 08, 2023 09:51 PM IST
Baljeet Kaur
Essay: First roti to the cow; first bite to the dog
A middle-aged man in a village in western Uttar Pradesh feeds stray dogs, a normal practice in his community. Dogs are an integral part of our culture.
Updated on Sep 08, 2023 09:13 PM IST
Review: 75 Years, 75 Films; India’s Cinematic Journey by Amitava Nag
A collection of reviews of impactful Indian films made since the birth of the nation provides an insight into the metamorphosis of the medium
Updated on Sep 08, 2023 09:52 AM IST
Shoma A Chatterji
