Jaishree's secret is out!

A short interview with indian author, Jaishree Misra about her latest book A Scandalous Secret. She was in the city recently, for a book panel at Landmark. 

Jaishree Misra made a splash in the pool of Indian fiction with her auto-biographical Ancient Promises. She soon went on to release Rani and Afterwards in the subsequent years. The chirpy and ever-smiling author was in Chennai recently at a book panel in Landmark, with her new novel The Scandalous Secret. The author opens up about her new book, her protagonists and a life that revolves around her writing.

What is A Scandalous Secret about? Does it have semi-autobiographical undertones like Ancient Promises? 
No autobiographical elements whatsoever, thankfully! It's the story of a young woman (Neha) who becomes pregnant while studying as an undergraduate at Oxford University and is persuaded to give the baby up for adoption. Shattered by the experience, she returns to India and tells no one about it, not even the man she subsequently marries. Eighteen years later, however, the child she gave up (Sonya) - now herself a young woman about to start university - decides to come to India in search of her biological mother. It's a story that explores the rather unusual idea of rejection within the mother-daughter relationship.

Full interview here Times of India 

India focus at London Book Fair

More than 45 leading Indian writers, translators, critics, academics and industry professionals will be coming to the London Book Fair, to take part in a varied programme of events based on themes of cultural and linguistic diversity, designed to enable better market understanding through contemporary literature between India and the UK. This is the first time such a wide variety of authors has been showcased in this way, and the event will bring together the largest representation of Indian writers ever assembled at a publishing trade show.

Writers including Javed Akhtar, Amit Chaudhuri, Namdeo Dhasal, Ramachandra Guha, Jaishree Misra, Daljit Nagra, Anita Nair, Bhalchandra Nemade, Nandan Nilekani, K Satchidanandan, Shankar, Vikram Seth and Pavan K Varma will take part in a series of ten seminars and readings at the Fair, as well as additional events in London and around the UK. These events will highlight the richness and diversity of contemporary Indian literature, with over 15 Indian languages represented across a total of 40 events.

The British Council is hosting the following seminars:
- Imagining India: the world of fiction
- Home and the world
- Literature of identity
- Literature of conflict
- India writes
- India translated
- Literature of the cinema
- Bestsellers and popular writing
- Literature of ideas
- Battle for the Indian reader

Susie Nicklin, Director Literature, British Council, said: “Many people in the UK feel they know India and her writers, which is not surprising given their justified success in this country; many readers in India feel they are au fait with British contemporary literature. In fact, all of us will benefit hugely from this opportunity — a major part of an ongoing British Council programme – to discover more about each other’s literary cultures and societies.”