Poile Sengupta's new book delves into adolescence and family dynamics

3 days, 16 hours ago

‘My hope for 2025 is that children’s books will be taken seriously’

We have not done a good job of linking literacy and literature, said Shailaja Menon, author, at The Hindu Lit For Life-Tales and Talks event held here on Sunday. At a panel discussion on ‘Children’s Books: An Indian Story’ at the British Council Library, she said: “We grew up hearing stories. They are no longer immersed in a culture of …

Children Books

6 days, 17 hours ago

Shobha Sengupta | Changing avatar of reading, writing & selling books, art in social media age

Deccan Chronicle

Over two decades ago, I started a bookstore and art gallery in Gurgaon, when peacocks landed on verandas and goats with tinkling bells passed by in nearby mustard fields. Thankfully, there were still many beautiful readers who swore undying loyalty to the printed page and who couldn’t live without the fragrance of the physical book. Friends wanted me to display …

Social Media Art Social Books Book Gurgaon Readers

2 weeks, 4 days ago

‘Literature shapes children’s future’

The Hindu

Writers of children’s books said that literature plays a key role in shaping the future of children. Speaking at the session on “The role of literature in shaping the personality of children” on the second day of the 87th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana on Saturday, writer R.D. Ravindra said children must have the knowledge of stories and novels in …

Children

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Madurai Children’s Literary Festival 2024 celebrates books, stories, and art

The Hindu

Madurai’s young and aspiring readers prepare to celebrate books, stories, and art through the annual literary event, Oru Oorla — Madurai Children’s Literary Festival. Staying true to our core beliefs and buoyed by the positive feedback, we are committed to making the Madurai Children’s Literature Festival better each year. The two-day literary festival, running from 9am to 5pm, has over …

Children Reading Madurai Surya Literary Festival Mclf 2024 Celebrates

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Classics to conservation, kids embrace diverse read at book festival

Hindustan Times

Apart from the popular story books and children’s fiction and non-fiction books including the Diary of a Wimpy kid, and The Diary of a young Girl, several books promoting culture, traditions and love for environment are among the major hits in the ongoing Gomti Book Festival. While some toddlers could be seen getting fascinated having a look at the visuals …

Books Singh Book Gomti Book Festival

4 months ago

HT Picks; New Reads

Hindustan Times

A narrative of today’s India This week’s pick of interesting reads includes a book that focuses on places connected to the freedom movement, a selection of Kiran Nagarkar’s writing, and a novel about migration, belonging and the human connection. 368pp, ₹599; HarperCollins Embark on a resplendent journey alongside writer Pradeep Damodaran, as he follows the fault lines of freedom and …

India Freedom

4 months, 1 week ago

Priyanka Mattoo – ‘It was like going from being a rock to a rubber ball’

Hindustan Times

What gave you the idea for the book? {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} Did you worry, when you were writing the book and telling your story, that because of what’s been happening in India politically since 2019, your story could be hijacked for other agendas? I love my family – we’ve had our issues like any family, but they’re the rock-solid …

Family Hope Kashmiri Feel Book Think Other People

4 months, 1 week ago

Of granddaughters, a brain 'faster than other devices' and writing for children: Sudha Murty on new book

Hindustan Times

New Delhi, When it comes to “insightful feedback” for her books on children, Sudha Murty says she would choose young readers in Bengaluru and other Indian cities over her own London-based granddaughters who may not relate quite as much. HT Image Her granddaughters, both pre-teens, find her books “extremely simple” and are more into reading English classics, said Murty, who …

India Children Writing Indian Pti Book Tell

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Rosarita book review: Anita Desai's first novel in a decade is a compact gem

Hindustan Times

How much do we know about our mothers? These questions linger around the lines of Anita Desai's new work Rosarita, her first novel in a decade. We meet young Indian student named Bonita, or should I say we are her, as the author chooses to employ a second person narrative here, which means the unusual circumstances that will take shape …

Mother Her Mother Desai Rosarita Bonita

5 months, 3 weeks ago

The Hindu on Books newsletter: Kamal Haasan’s film journey, talking to Anita Desai, Esther Duflo’s book for kids and more

The Hindu

Welcome to this edition of The Hindu on Books Newsletter. A mix of fiction and non fiction, Elena Ferrante’s novel My Brilliant Friend, the story of two friends set in 1960s Naples, topped the list, with Isabel Wilkerson, Hilary Mantel, Robert Bolano, Colson Whitehead, Kazuo Ishiguro and Marilynne Robinson also in the top 10. In reviews, we read director and …

India Books Dalit Mexico Hindu Book Desai

5 months, 4 weeks ago

The India of Anita Desai’s dreams, and a new book, ‘Rosarita’, set in Mexico

The Hindu

Anita Desai has often experimented with language, theme and form in novels like Clear Light of Day, Fasting, Feasting, Baumgartner’s Bombay and The Artist of Disappearance. Edited excerpts: Anita Desai on her new book, ‘Rosarita’, set in Mexico What took you to Mexico to write ‘Rosarita’? She plants this seed of an idea in the narrator’s mind that there was …

India Language World English Indian Work Writers

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Parenting tips: Unique ways to read to children at every stage

Hindustan Times

Childhood is a continuous journey of exploration, with every experience contributing to a child's learning and growth where reading is one such experience, that goes beyond just a collection of words - it opens the doors to imagination, empathy and understanding. Parenting tips: Unique ways to read to children at every stage In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Anita …

Children World Reading Words Books Young Experience

8 months, 1 week ago

Book Review: In Nirmala Pillai’s ’Secrets of Mango Rain’, empathy and acceptance heal the wounds inflicted by toxic patriarchs

The Hindu

Published : May 02, 2024 11:00 IST - 3 MINS READ Buried family secrets lie at the heart of this novel. Secrets of Mango Rain By Nirmala Pillai The Alcove Publishers Pages: 350 Price: Rs.375 Nirmala Pillai keenly examines relationships and familial bonds to ask the questions: To what extent can individual happiness be sacrificed to maintain family honour? Valsa’s …

Family Pillai Valsa Ammu Nirmala Pillai Unni Menon Mango Rain

9 months, 1 week ago

Author Shobhita Narayan, on her book ‘Midaash & Maitreyi’s Magical Mayhem’, in which old fairy tales get an Indian twist

The Hindu

How about giving old fairy tales a new spin in an Indian setting? In her debut book of fiction for children aged between eight and 12, author Shobita Narayan leads her readers into a village named Gol Gumbad. Once I had bid goodbye to my initial idea of an adult fantasy series, this set of fantasy stories for children took …

India Children Book Shobhita

10 months ago

Author Kate DiCamillo’s new book for children is all about healing

Live Mint

Children's writer Kate DiCamillo is known for beloved stories like The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, about kids and animals trying to navigate the world and make emotional connections. “You’re aware of everything and you haven’t gone over into cynicism yet,” DiCamillo says of that age. Bestselling novelist Ann Patchett calls DiCamillo a “beautiful writer” and says once …

Love Books Book Read Dicamillo Her Books Ferris

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Avanti Nioding’s debut novel is an ode to her childhood

The Hindu

“It was an exhilarating feeling of having done something right,” says Avanti Nioding whose debut novel House of Past has been released. It is the desire to tell stories that helped me perform on the stage, as well as to write.” The character The narrative revolves around the character Anya’s intense feelings of nostalgia and homesickness which sends her down …

Writing Book Her Childhood Avanti Protagonist Feel

11 months ago

Author Upamanyu Chatterjee on his new novel ‘Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life’, winner of the 2024 JCB Prize for Literature

The Hindu

Retired civil servant and author of nine books that include his famous debut novel English, August, Upamanyu Chatterjee blazes a new trail with his latest, Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life, winner of the JCB Prize for Literature 2024, announced on November 23. As he states in his foreword, “It is a true story, that is to say, like …

India English Books Life Italian Colombo Read

11 months, 1 week ago

Author Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi on the protagonist of her novel, The Centre - The Hindu

The Hindu

Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi’s novel, The Centre, draws you in from the very first line, thrusting you straight into a world that steadily gets more dystopian. Siddiqi’s debut novel, while an effortless read, raises big questions around appropriation, identity, the immigrant experience and language privilege. Anisa’s desire to be a “real” translator, to be recognised by an establishment, reminds me a …

India Pakistan Centre Pakistani Novel Siddiqi

11 months, 3 weeks ago

Children from poorer backgrounds ‘must not be deprived of life rich in reading’

The Independent

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The letter, whose signatories include current children’s laureate Joseph Coelho, illustrator Sir Quentin Blake …

Children Reading Families Read Sir Michael Booktrust Life Rich

11 months, 3 weeks ago

5 ways fantasy books spark a lifelong love for reading in young minds

India Today

In the landscape of a rapidly evolving world, where screens are flooding the world with information, the importance of reading for young learners cannot be overstated. Fantasy books, with their mystical realms, mythical creatures, and epic adventures, hold a unique allure for young readers. For young readers, these fantastical tales weave a potent spell, not only shaping their reading skills …

World Reading Fantasy Young Readers Minds Young Readers

11 months, 4 weeks ago

Making books relevant for children: A battle in the digital age

The Hindu

In an era dominated by smartphones, tablets, and countless electronic gadgets, there are concerns about children losing out on the enchanting world of books. “Unless and until an organisation, or a school or a local library procures these books, many children have no free access to literature,” adds Sreeja. Mahesh Balasubramaniam, one of the founders of Paperback bookstore that stocks …

Children Parents Books Age Child Languages Kannada

1 year, 1 month ago

Book review | 'Raw Umber': Sara Rai's lyrical memoir unveils the hues of Hindi literature's legacy

Firstpost

The book ‘Raw Umber’ stands as solid proof of Rai’s ability to navigate the delicate interplay of colours, cultures, and storytelling, leaving an indelible mark on the canvas of literary memoirs Sara Rai’s memoir, ‘Raw Umber’, is a riveting journey into the vibrant world of Hindi literature’s first family. Growing up privileged as the fifth child of Sripat Rai, Sara’s …

Family Literary Writing English Life Hindi Rai

1 year, 1 month ago

Age of creativity knows no boundaries for writer amid growing fan base

China Daily

Yang Benfen's new book Douzi Zhima Cha, a work of nonfiction about the destiny of several people she met. CHINA DAILY At the tender age of 83, Yang Benfen has recently published her fourth book, Douzi Zhima Cha, a work of nonfiction about the destiny of people she has met in life, including her neighbor, classmate, colleague and family members. …

Life Pain Book Yang Daily Ordinary People Bean Sesame Tea

1 year, 1 month ago

Children’s Special 2023: Reading various versions of the past

Live Mint

"Why?” That simple question from a child, repeated over and over as they try to make sense of the world, can drive one to frustration. “There is no denying that we need diverse tellings of history, especially in the present,” says Radhika Menon, publishing director of the 27-year-old independent children’s publishing house, Tulika Books. ‘Unknown Heroes Of India’s Freedom Struggle’ …

History India Adventure Children Books Book Tulika Books

1 year, 2 months ago

The relevance of Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ today

Live Mint

Three thousand, three hundred and twenty-four, and counting. According to the NGO Save The Children, the death toll for children in Gaza and the West Bank already exceeds the total number of annual deaths for minors living in war zones across the world over the last three years. Be it Homer’s Iliad, the Mahabharat, or Herodotus’ Histories, epics and histories …

War World Gaza Satrapi Children Living Marji

1 year, 2 months ago

Nirala’s Singular Satire and India’s Independence Literature: A New Vision

The Quint

There is no doubt that Nirala not only had complete awareness in connection with the content of the novel but also its form and he had labelled Billesur Bakriha an amusing sketch not with reference to its form but in view of its narrative style, technique of the story and the splendor of saying. Nirala realised that ‘Until a novel …

Nirala

1 year, 2 months ago

Symposium says children's books source of lifelong inspiration

China Daily

An international symposium on Cai Gao's picture books, themed Becoming a Child: Tradition and Modernity, took place on Oct 13 at the Tianfu Book Fair in Chengdu, Sichuan province, one of the largest book fairs in China's western region. This event gathered top domestic and international experts in the fields of literature and picture books, who discussed Cai's work, and …

Picture Picture Books Books Source

1 year, 3 months ago

Review of Ritu Menon’s India on Their Minds: Writing like three-ply yarn

The Hindu

When Gandhi visited Jallianwala Bagh after the massacre of 1919, he stayed at Saraladebi Chaudhurani’s home who was deeply influenced by him. Tagore’s niece had been a staunch supporter of a “martial Hinduism” but, following Gandhi’s steps, took up the cause of swadeshi, much to her husband Rambhuja Chaudhury’s chagrin “for what he thought of as Gandhi’s weak-kneed non-violence.” In …

India Women Partition Gandhi Hindu Menon Gandhian

1 year, 3 months ago

Book Review: K. Vaishali’s ‘Homeless: Growing Up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India’ is strange and unsatisfying

The Hindu

Published : Sep 21, 2023 11:00 IST - 7 MINS READ The subtitle of K. Vaishali’s Homeless, jointly produced by Simon and Schuster and Yoda Press, tells one that it is a memoir of “growing up lesbian and dyslexic in India”. Centred around a period when Vaishali was in her twenties and doing her best to navigate a series of …

India Homeless Book Read Vaishali Dyslexic

1 year, 4 months ago

The future of our children who aren’t trained to suffer

Live Mint

You may suspect that you have moved up the social rungs if you do not know anyone who has made it to the Indian Institutes of Technology this year, or to the Indian Administrative Service. Thus, a person begins preparing “for life” in teenage sorrow, in dreary generational training to go to some dreary hot small-town where there is somehow …

Career Children

1 year, 4 months ago

Inspirational ‘news’ as stories for growing children

The Hindu

Bahuroopi, a publication that has brought out several Kannada books by renowned authors, is now collaborating with PARI and Karadi Tales to bring out five books for children over the age of nine. The five books titled Marali Manege written by Priti David and translated by Rajaram Tallur, Gedde Bitte by Nivedha Ganesh and translated by Santosha Tamraparani, Ticket Illa …

Children English Books Age Kannada Translated Sreeja

1 year, 4 months ago

10 books every teenager must read before turning 18

India Today

The teenage years are a critical time for personal growth, self-discovery, and building a strong foundation for the future. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee Harper Lee's timeless classic explores themes of racial injustice, morality, and compassion in the American South. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen Austen's witty exploration of love, societal expectations, and personal growth offers timeless …

Read Readers

1 year, 5 months ago

Remembering Premchand: From The Heartland To Modern Minds — How His Stories Still Resonate

ABP News

New Delhi: Dhanpat Rai, known by his pen name Premchand, is celebrated as a towering figure in Urdu and Hindi literature, who left an indelible mark on readers' minds with his insights into the struggles of common people, particularly those in rural areas. Through his novels and short stories, Premchand fearlessly explored human relationships, poverty, caste discrimination, and social injustices, …

India Poverty Social Short Nirmala Urdu Hori

1 year, 5 months ago

Author calls for pupils to be taught to express themselves through creativity

The Independent

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Queen invited the charity and its supporters to Clarence House for a reception, …

Creative Writing Morning Headlines

1 year, 5 months ago

Why adults should read children's books

BBC

Why adults should read children's books Getty Images The best children's fiction "helps us refind things we may not even know we have lost", writes the author Katherine Rundell, with many books proving subversive, emboldening – and awe-inspiring. Children's fiction does something else too: it offers to help us refind things we may not even know we have lost Children's …

Children World Books Fiction Life Tales Read

1 year, 6 months ago

Review of Rimly Sengupta’s A Lost People’s Archive that melds fact and fiction

The Hindu

Rimli Sengupta’s debut novel is marked by a struggle between the putative historian’s methodological proclivities and the private individual’s quest for family history and personal identity. Sengupta offers an account “from below”, using the shadows cast by family heirlooms as material archive to write an alternative history of India’s freedom movement, focusing on East Bengali and Dalit participation. The response …

Noni

1 year, 6 months ago

Best summer books of 2023 | Epic adventures, biting satires, uplifting memoirs and more

The Hindu

It’s been a sweltering, unforgiving summer, and it’s not over yet. Review | ‘ Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver Sahela Re Mrinal Pande, translated by Priyanka Sarkar Sahela Re brings together micro-history and fiction, and in what is a lyrical ode to music, history and the passage of time, tells the story of Vidya, a scholar who decides to write …

India British Epic Book This Book Vivekananda Vajpayee

1 year, 6 months ago

The Hindu on Books | ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ writer pulls Russia book; India after 2014; talking to Zac O’Yeah and more

The Hindu

Welcome to this edition of The Hindu on Books Newsletter. At a time when books are being banned all across the world, PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel hoped Gilbert would reconsider her decision, putting out a statement which said the author’s choice was “regrettable.” Nossel said that though “Ukrainians have suffered immeasurably, and Gilbert’s decision in the face of online …

Love Russia English Light Essays Hindu Ukrainian

1 year, 7 months ago

The 20 greatest children's books ever – what the voters say

BBC

The 20 greatest children's books ever – what the voters say Shaun Tan/ The Arrival/ Lothian Children’s Books/ Hachette What do the global critics and experts who voted in our poll have to say about their top picks? Quek Hong Shin, the Singapore-based children's author and illustrator, describes it as, "a great children's book about anger, self-discovery, and a mother's …

Singapore World English Words Books Canada Harry Potter

1 year, 7 months ago

Book Review | Poignant trip across friendships, philosophies and ties that bind...

Deccan Chronicle

Quirky and lilting, suffused with gentle sadness and questions about the world, this first novel is at once Nitya’s story of life around him as he goes from childhood to middle age, and is also a philosophical treatise on the whys and wherefores of life. Growing up in a matrilineal family in Kerala, Nitya is according to his mother a …

India Kerala Parents Life Nitya Poignant Trip

1 year, 7 months ago

Interview | Ruskin Bond: “It is satisfying to write for children”

Hindustan Times

Ruskin Bond, who turns 89 on 19th May, refuses to retire. There are, however, a great many other things we can do, and this book describes and enumerates some of them.” “Life may not be a bed of roses — roses have thorns, after all — but if you can make your bed with care and dedication and a little …

Children Reading Books Indian Writers Old Book

1 year, 7 months ago

A children’s book writer looks back at Judy Blume’s legacy - The Hindu

The Hindu

Five minutes into watching Judy Blume Forever, the new documentary about the beloved American children’s book author, and I’m in tears. But as award-winning YA author Jason Reynolds observes in the documentary, “I don’t think Judy Blume wrote her books to be timeless. A part of ‘The Judy Blume Papers’ at Yale University, which documents the author’s life and work, …

Books Documentary Young People Book Author Read Margaret

1 year, 8 months ago

Book Review | An insightful biography of a Hindi thought pioneer

Deccan Chronicle

Vineet Gill’s Here and Hereafter: Nirmal Verma’s Life in Literature is an intellectual brew of personalised interpretation and the literary biography of the illustrious Hindi writer-thinker, Nirmal Verma. If the former can be attributed to Vineet’s retrospective devotion to the towering figure of modern Hindi literature Nirmal Verma, the latter brings out the complex changes in the landscape of Hindi/global …

Literary Hindi Book Nirmal Vineet Verma Reading Nirmal Verma

1 year, 8 months ago

Kavita Gupta Sabharwal: ‘Children need to see affirming images of themselves’

Hindustan Times

Known for promoting and supporting children’s literature in India through festivals, reading challenges, and book awards, the Neev Literature Festival has now launched a fellowship for writers and illustrators of children’s books to help them produce high-quality, richly detailed work that has the power to connect with young readers universally. To give you an example, two titles that were the …

India Literature Children Authors Books Indian Book

1 year, 9 months ago

Kiran Manral, Author: ‘I have become increasingly self-critical over the years’

Hindustan Times

I have always written as the story has taken me. Actually, I have written about a 78-year-old in The Face at the Window, a 45-year-old in Missing, Presumed Dead, a few thirty something women, a 32-year-old in More Things in Heaven and Earth, mid-thirties in Saving Maya, The Reluctant Detective and The Kitty Party Murder, late twenties in All Aboard …

Women Writing Reading Missing Indian Hindi Book

1 year, 9 months ago

Book Review: ‘Raw Umber: A Memoir’ by Sara Rai

The Hindu

The author is a granddaughter of the writer Premchand whose influence still echoes in Indian letters. So, when an acclaimed novelist, short story writer, and literary translator like Sara Rai publishes a memoir, the reader can be forgiven for approaching it with some expectations, especially since there are at least two aspects of the writer’s life that are not ordinary. …

English Life Hindi Family Members Book Rai Author

1 year, 10 months ago

Book Review: ‘Here and Hereafter: Nirmal Verma’s Life in Literature’ by Vineet Gill maps his mind

The Hindu

Published : Feb 23, 2023 10:40 IST Vineet Gill’s book is neither a conventional biography nor an attempt to excavate biographical details of Nirmal Verma’s life from his published works. Here and Hereafter: Nirmal Verma’s Life in Literature By Vineet Gill Vintage Books Pages: 168 Price: Rs.499 Nirmal Verma transmuted progressive idealism and pure aestheticism into a new literary idiom …

Literary Book Review Life West Hindi Hindu Verma

1 year, 10 months ago

Why Can't Elephants be Red?: Vani Tripathi Tikoo explores the shackle-free imagination of kids | Book review

India Today

It’s interesting that Vani Tripathi Tikoo, in her first book as an author, refers to children as gurus. Similarly, in Tikoo’s seemingly innocent book dedicated to the thoughts and actions of the author’s little daughter, Akshara or Akku, every question has a rational answer if not logical. Written with the thought that we speak a lot about children, but we …

Children Red Kids Book Little Tikoo Daughter Akshara

1 year, 10 months ago

Author Aanchal Malhotra on her debut novel: 'Thought I would work on something lighter'

Firstpost

After two acclaimed books on partition and its lingering effects in the acclaimed Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory and In the Language of Remembering: The Inheritance of Partition, the author is back with her debut novel, The Book of Everlasting Things. I thought I would work on something lighter.” answers author and historian …

Language War World Work Partition Book Things

Poile Sengupta's new book delves into adolescence and family dynamics

Discover Related