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Writer Siddharth Chowdhury on his latest book and why he continues to mine the cities, Patna and Delhi, in his works

For any writer to admit that his ambition in life is to “avoid writing a lot” would be blasphemous, but Siddharth Chowdhury, author of the recently-released Day Scholar (Picador, Rs 250) merely shrugs when you point this out to him. “I barely do any research, I work mostly from memory. I visually map the book, think about the characters, and when I write, I usually do that on weekends. Sometimes, after thinking out the characters, I sit down after six months. My books are done over a period of four years. Not writing a lot is quite easily achieved,” says Chowdhury.

His latest book too draws from Chowdhury’s familiar milieu — Delhi University; his Bihari protagonist from Patna is placed in Hakikat Nagar, the writer’s former residence during his salad days. But unlike his debut novel Patna Roughcut, that hailed him as the newest kid on the contemporary literature scene, Day Scholar has earned mixed responses. “There are people who don’t like my book at all and there are those who love it. Patna Roughcut also got good reviews only in the last year,” says the 35-year-old.

Full report here Indian Express