Bestselling Indian author Chetan Bhagat, Fatima Bhutto and Hardeep Singh Kohli are among the authors set to take part in the inaugural DSC South Asian Literature Festival.
Announced on 22nd September, more than 30 events are confirmed for the festival which will take place across the capital in venues including King's Place, the Free Word Centre, the British Library, British Museum and bookshops from 15-25th October and then at cities around the UK from 26th-31st October.
At the launch, the longlist for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature was also announced, with 16 titles in the running from publishers including Picador India, Faber, Bloomsbury and Constable & Robinson.
Co-directors Jon Slack and Bhavit Mehta of Amphora Arts said of the festival: "The thriving literary and publishing scene in South Asia was the impetus for us bringing a literary festival devoted to South Asian writing to the UK."
Full report here Bookseller
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Books Interview: Mohsin Hamid
You've moved around a lot. Has that had an effect on your fiction?
I've lived almost a decade in the UK, a decade and a half each in the United States and Pakistan, a year or so in the Far East and in the Mediterranean. Currently my home is in Lahore, so I suppose I'm part of a reverse diaspora - the diaspora of members of the Pakistani diaspora who live in Pakistan. All of it, every life experience, affects my fiction, because my fiction comes from who I am.
What made you move back to Pakistan?
Ever since I left Pakistan to go to college in the US, I'd planned to go back. And I did, several times, for year-long stays. But I never relished the idea of working for someone else in Pakistan. The professional scene here can be frustrating. I also never relished the idea of having children who would grow up far from their grandparents in Lahore. Recently I became able to make a living from my writing, and last year my wife and I had a baby girl. The time had come to move back.
I come from an enormous and very close family. I have over a dozen aunts and uncles in Pakistan, dozens of cousins. I have many close friends. I have received so much love in Lahore that the city always pulls me.
How does Lahore's cultural scene differ from London's?
There are many cultural scenes in Lahore, just as there are in London. And there is a celebrity culture here, just as there is in London. But in Lahore, the celebrity scene doesn't drown out the rest quite so much. Lahore is much cheaper than London, so money is less of a crushing pressure on culture. There are incredible things happening here in cutting-edge music, conceptual art and experimental fiction. It's difficult to compare the cultural scenes in the two places. I love both. But there is something earthy about Lahore. When a poet says something that is true, people spontaneously grunt their agreement, and that moves me.
Full interview here New Statesman
I've lived almost a decade in the UK, a decade and a half each in the United States and Pakistan, a year or so in the Far East and in the Mediterranean. Currently my home is in Lahore, so I suppose I'm part of a reverse diaspora - the diaspora of members of the Pakistani diaspora who live in Pakistan. All of it, every life experience, affects my fiction, because my fiction comes from who I am.
Ever since I left Pakistan to go to college in the US, I'd planned to go back. And I did, several times, for year-long stays. But I never relished the idea of working for someone else in Pakistan. The professional scene here can be frustrating. I also never relished the idea of having children who would grow up far from their grandparents in Lahore. Recently I became able to make a living from my writing, and last year my wife and I had a baby girl. The time had come to move back.
I come from an enormous and very close family. I have over a dozen aunts and uncles in Pakistan, dozens of cousins. I have many close friends. I have received so much love in Lahore that the city always pulls me.
How does Lahore's cultural scene differ from London's?
There are many cultural scenes in Lahore, just as there are in London. And there is a celebrity culture here, just as there is in London. But in Lahore, the celebrity scene doesn't drown out the rest quite so much. Lahore is much cheaper than London, so money is less of a crushing pressure on culture. There are incredible things happening here in cutting-edge music, conceptual art and experimental fiction. It's difficult to compare the cultural scenes in the two places. I love both. But there is something earthy about Lahore. When a poet says something that is true, people spontaneously grunt their agreement, and that moves me.
Full interview here New Statesman
Amarinder’s ‘The Last Sunset’ to release in London
‘The Last Sunset: The Rise & Fall of the Lahore Durbar’ penned by former Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh is scheduled for global launch in London next month while its Punjabi avatar — Aakhri Lamhean di Daastaan: Lahore Durbar di Chadhat te Pattan-early next month.
Sources said here Thursday that Roli Books- the publisher of English version- has fixed September 18-19 for its release globally. Publishers of the book, ‘Roli Books’ is in the process of fixing up with the author for launch function, sources said.
The Punjabi version of the book is ready and printed by Lahore Book Depot, Ludhaina and would likely to be release in Patiala, sources said.
Sources added that since Patiala was the home town of Amarinder Singh and he was very keen to release it in Punjabi University, the university established in the name of Punjabi language. The date & venue to release has not yet finalized.
Full report here Punjab Newsline
The Punjabi version of the book is ready and printed by Lahore Book Depot, Ludhaina and would likely to be release in Patiala, sources said.
Sources added that since Patiala was the home town of Amarinder Singh and he was very keen to release it in Punjabi University, the university established in the name of Punjabi language. The date & venue to release has not yet finalized.
Full report here Punjab Newsline
Friday, August 20, 2010
Former Punjab CM writes book on Sikh history
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's book on Sikh history 'The Last Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar' is scheduled for global launch in London next month.
Roli Books, the publisher of English version of the book, has fixed September 18-19 for its global release.
The Punjabi version -- 'Aakhri Lamhean di Daastaan: Lahore Durbar di Chadhat te Pattan' -- is likely to be released in Patiala shortly, sources said.
The book is based on the history of the Sikh empire and its legendary ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Full report here Outlook
The Punjabi version -- 'Aakhri Lamhean di Daastaan: Lahore Durbar di Chadhat te Pattan' -- is likely to be released in Patiala shortly, sources said.
The book is based on the history of the Sikh empire and its legendary ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Full report here Outlook
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