Page 9 - Book Reading
The filmy chronicler
The book celebrates Abbas by showing how this "boy from Panipat, land of Sufis, land of battles" introduced the small-town sensibilities to Indian cinema.
 "The filmy chronicler")
Self-publishing picks up among children, young adults; few go mainstream
Self-publishing picks up among the young; mainstream book deals remain largely elusive
 "Self-publishing picks up among children, young adults; few go mainstream")
Echoes of many partitions
Aanchal Malhotra evocatively recreates the emotional responses of survivors and subsequent generations
 "Echoes of many partitions")
The human factors
Gregg's clever and provocative book is full of irreverent notions and funny anecdotes - the creative upside to being a human animal
 "The human factors")
Sanjeev Kumar: In Memoriam
A set of essays by the great actor's relatives and associates offers interesting anecdotes about the man but not enough about his craft
 "Sanjeev Kumar: In Memoriam")
Hindi, Hindu sans Hindutva
A fascinating account shows how much of the maverick writer and polymath's thinking was rooted in cosmopolitanism
 "Hindi, Hindu sans Hindutva")
Harvey Weinstein: From mogul to me too
Weinstein's reputation for sexual trespass had started early, when he was a concert promoter in Buffalo
 "Harvey Weinstein: From mogul to me too")
In light of India
A collection of youthful letters from her year in the country hints at the ideas that eventually shape Wendy Doniger's research and prolific writing
 "In light of India")
A gambler in the casino called Wall Street
Mr Gupta is a raconteur par excellence. His autobiographical account could give any good work of fiction a run for its money
 "A gambler in the casino called Wall Street")
Rare first edition of The Great Gatsby lists at $360,000
Harrington will soon bring a first edition of the 1925 book, widely considered F Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, to New York's International Antiquarian Book Fair, which runs from April 21-24 at the P
 "Rare first edition of The Great Gatsby lists at $360,000")
Rebels in the footnotes
One striking aspect of the RIN mutiny was that Indian naval officers did not back the ratings and remained loyal to the navy
 "Rebels in the footnotes")
Mythology and geography
What do such stories say about the interconnectedness of mythology and geography? If not facts, aren't these stories fascinating?
 "Mythology and geography")
Mark Twain: The travelling philosopher
Humour isn't out of place in Mark Twain's journals, though. In fact, it ripples through his descriptions, creating traceries of light upon the grim landscapes of colonial rule
Brief escapes
During the Covid-19 confinement, in the breaks from the laptop and the jhadu, pocha, bartan, kapda routine, The Penguin Book of Japanese Verse became a refuge of sorts, writes Aditi Phadnis
Locked down and empty shelves
Publishing has come to a virtual halt because the retail shops are shut and, as result, so are the large distributors
How the republic falls
If you want to understand today's politics, read novels about the fall of Rome. Populism is democracy's oldest and most enduring disease
Nobody likes lists
Everyone and their editor is convinced that we want to know exactly what they were reading this year.
Serial entertainers
Literary fandom in East Asia is certainly of a different, and usually more intense, quality than elsewhere
Without festivals
Those of us who look forward to book festivals will no doubt have to accept that this is going to be a lost winter
 "Without festivals")
Immigrant worlds
If ever there was a book that begs, demands and screams for film adaptation it is American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
