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Five books by Leon Uris that entwine history and fiction

Updated on Aug 07, 2023 10:04 PM IST

In the week following the author’s 99th birth anniversary, a look at his best works

Leon Uris on a visit to Israel in 1967. (Boris Carmi /Meitar Collection / National Library of Israel / The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection)
ByTeja Lele

Book Box: Five must-hear podcasts that will transform your reading

Dive into these five podcasts to supercharge your reading. And meet Tara Khandelwal of Books and Beyond with Bound

Book podcasts are a great way to discover new books and to learn about the people behind the books.(Pixabay)
Published on Aug 05, 2023 05:27 PM IST

HT Picks; New Reads

The list of interesting reads this week includes a novel featuring an unlikely set of friends in a city insistent on alienating them, a volume on how the diverse peoples inhabiting the valley of the vast Brahmaputra river became part of India, and a book about two misfits who discover they are kindred souls

This week’s reading list includes a debut novel on an unlikely set of friends finding each other in Paris, a volume on how the diverse peoples of the northeast became a part of India, and a book about two misfits who discover they are kindred souls. (HT Team)
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 10:32 PM IST
ByHT Team

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai - “Writing about the Vietnam war took a toll on me”

The author of Dust Child believes writers can foster peace and understanding to prevent armed conflicts

Author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Courtesy the subject)
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 10:27 PM IST
ByShireen Quadri

Review: Who Killed Moosewala? by Jupinderjit Singh

A book that goes into the possible reasons behind the murder of the Punjabi rapper while also shedding light on the cult of Moosewala

Sidhu Moosewala performing at Crystal Palace in London on September 12, 2021. (Burak Cingi/Redferns)
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 10:23 PM IST
ByMayank Jain Parichha

Review: Magadh by Shrikant Verma, translated by Rahul Soni

Winner of the Sahitya Akademi award in 1987, Shrikant Verma’s Magadh, which has been translated into English by Rahul Soni, is a fine example of Nayi Kavita, whose practitioners believed poetry was political and a way to respond to systemic inequalities

A view of the ruins of Nalanda in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, now Bihar. (Parwaz Khan /HT PHOTO)
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 10:22 PM IST
ByKinshuk Gupta

Essay: Titahri Tales

The discovery of a red-wattled lapwing’s nest provokes a rumination on the many folk beliefs about this high strung bird with a hysterical shriek

A red-wattled lapwing(Prerna Jain)
Published on Aug 04, 2023 10:12 PM IST

Excerpt: Northeast India; A Political History by Samrat Choudhury

This extract from a book on the varied cultural, religious, social and political histories of the states of the northeast looks at how Partition changed Tripura

Neer Mahal, once the summer palace of the king of Tripura. (Shutterstock)
Updated on Aug 03, 2023 10:52 PM IST
BySamrat Choudhury

Review: Widows of Colonial Bengal by Aishika Chakraborty

A heightening patriarchal preoccupation with marriage and sexuality placed the figure of the widow at the centre of the conflict between reformism and nationalism in Bengal during the British Raj

Though the Widow Remarriage Act was passed in 1856, the treatment of widows continued to be dismal. This picture dated 14 June 1968 shows widows at an ashram. (Rane Prakash/HT Photo)
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 12:44 AM IST
ByShoma A Chatterji

Essay: On yearning for extinct sounds

Many sounds are disappearing from our lives. A rumination on the necessity to preserve our sonic cultures

“The typewriter’s khyat-khyat-khyat and moving the cursor from the line to the next – as if the line could be measured in a sound.” (Akella Srinivas Ramalingaswami / Shutterstock)
Updated on Aug 02, 2023 09:07 PM IST
BySumana Roy

Interview: TM Krishna - “Guilt is a form of escapism. It is an excuse”

The activist, writer and Carnatic vocalist talks about finding a new audience, understanding Ambedkar and Narayana Guru, and his work on a exploratory new book

Carnatic vocalist, author and activist TM Krishna (Ram Keshav)
Updated on Aug 01, 2023 08:28 PM IST

Essay: The Barbie-fication of wokeness

While the cult of Barbie has a feminist aura, the doll actually panders to different superficialities.

Barbie and Ken dolls (Shutterstock)
Updated on Jul 31, 2023 08:48 PM IST
ByFarzana Versey

Book Box | 5 thrilling books to snap you out of that reading slump

A tech thriller, a snarky college admissions story, YA with a video game backdrop, a murder mystery in the Hindi heartlands and a thriller in the Hamptons

The Guest by Emma Cline(The Author)
Published on Jul 29, 2023 12:39 PM IST

HT Picks; New Reads

This week’s reading list includes a retelling of the story of how the princely states joined India, a “memory history” of the Tibetan struggle, and a selection of the best literary short fiction written by Indians

This week’s pick of good reads includes a retelling of the story of how the princely states joined India, a “memory history” of the Tibetan struggle, and an anthology of the best short fiction written by Indians (HT Team)
Updated on Jul 28, 2023 05:46 PM IST
ByHT Team

Interview: Vishes Kothari - “Translation does become an act of activism”

Translator Vishes Kothari discusses his inspiration for translating Rajasthani author Vijaydan Detha's work, the challenges of conveying sociocultural contexts, and the importance of preserving regional languages. Kothari also highlights the rise in linguistic identity assertion and the work of the Rajasthani Bhasha Academy in promoting the language. They express their plans to translate more Rajasthani authors in the future.

Vishes Kothari (Courtesy HarperCollins)
Updated on Jul 28, 2023 05:52 PM IST
ByChittajit Mitra

Review: Queers in QuarantineEdited by Koyote Millar and Rahul Sen

A collection of poems, stories, journal entries and photo essays on how queer people across the world experienced the pandemic

Angel Mendoza (C) and Martin Juco (2nd R), who are transgender and non-binary, stand in line outside a bank during gender-based quarantine restrictions, amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bogota, Colombia May 5, 2020. (Luisa Gonzalez/REUTERS)
Updated on Jul 28, 2023 06:02 PM IST

Review: The Soviet Century by Karl Schlögel

From hydroelectric dams to prison tattoos and Stalinist cookery books, this compendious volume touches on nearly every area of Russian history and the Soviet experience

Vladimir Lenin, founding head of the government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924. (ismailyildiz/Shutterstock)
Updated on Jul 28, 2023 05:43 PM IST

Essay: Beatrix Potter- The author who invented character merchandising

On the 157th birth anniversary of the author today, a look at the enduring appeal of her books and at her genius for marketing her work

Author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866-22 December 1943) (HT Photo)
Updated on Jul 28, 2023 04:22 PM IST
ByTeja Lele

Mash-up madness: Welcome to Barbenheimer

The same-day release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was expected to cause a cultural fission. Instead, we got fusion

The grand spectacle of a double bill (HT team)
Updated on Jul 27, 2023 07:00 PM IST

Review: Violent Fraternity by Shruti Kapila

Offering a fresh interpretation of the works of key Indian political figures to widen our understanding of political thought

The aftermath of communal violence in New Delhi in March 2020. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)
Updated on Jul 27, 2023 02:38 PM IST
ByShaikh Mujibur Rehman

Review: The Scientific Sufi by Meher Wan

An exploration of scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose’s personal growth, familial bonds, cultural influences, and dogged pursuit of knowledge

Jagadish Chandra Bose demonstrating the horn antenna at the University of Calcutta. (SETI League photo, used by permission / Wikimedia Commons)
Updated on Jul 26, 2023 08:26 PM IST
BySaleem Rashid Shah

Excerpt: Dethroned by John Zubrzycki

An extract from the prologue to a new book on Patel, Menon and the integration of princely India

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. “Today, Patel is often called the ‘Bismarck of India’ for repeating the German chancellor’s feat of cajoling a group of scattered and disparate princedoms into giving up their sovereignty and creating a cohesive nation state.” (HT Photo)
Updated on Jul 25, 2023 07:31 PM IST
ByJohn Zubrzycki

Interview | Maitreyee B Chowdhury - “Running a literary magazine is a pure love”

The Bangalore Review continues to discover good writers from across the world. TBR’s Managing Editor dwells on its origins, its successful run, and future plans

Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury, managing editor, The Bangalore Review (Courtesy the subject)
Updated on Jul 24, 2023 08:22 PM IST
BySuhit Bombaywala

Book Box | The hidden truth about the opium poppy

A lost Kindle sets the stage for a journey into opium's gripping past and its significance today. Presenting a compelling book list with secrets of the poppy.

Smoke and Ashes(The Author)
Published on Jul 22, 2023 03:05 PM IST

Excerpt: The Indians edited by GN Devy, Tony Joseph and Ravi Korisettar

This extract, a chapter entitled Perceptions of Colonialism by Mohinder Singh presents the range of perceptions and responses to colonialism in the country

Portrait of an East India Company official (Shutterstock)
Updated on Jul 21, 2023 09:02 PM IST
ByMohinder Singh

Kwame McPherson - ‘I am a lover of history, especially the forgotten bits’

The winner of the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize talks about combining Caribbean folklore and African-American history in his winning story, Ocoee

Winner of the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Kwame McPherson (Courtesy the Commonwealth Short Story Prize)
Updated on Jul 21, 2023 06:46 PM IST
ByShireen Quadri

HT Picks; New Reads

On the reading list this week is a novel about love and betrayal under the shadow of Empire, another that tells us more about Partition than any historical study, and a volume that provides a remarkable insight into Indian history and society

This week’s pick of interesting reads includes a Booker nominee’s new novel about love and betrayal, a formidable volume on Indian history and society, and a reissued Partition novel originally written in the 1970s. (HT Team)
Updated on Jul 21, 2023 05:21 PM IST
ByHT Team

Review: Basu Chatterji And Middle-of-the-Road Cinema by Anirudha Bhattacharjee

Anirudh Bhattacharjee's book "Basu Chatterji: and Middle-of-the-Road Cinema" explores the films of director Basu Chatterji, known for his portrayal of middle-class life in 1970s and '80s Bollywood. The book features interviews with Chatterji and his collaborators, providing insights into their filmmaking process. While the book praises Chatterji's work, it also critiques some of his weaker efforts. However, it misses the opportunity to examine Chatterji's ideological and political affiliations. Overall, the book is a comprehensive tribute to Chatterji's contributions to cinema.

Vidya Sinha and Amol Palekar in a scene from Chhoti Si Baat (1976). (Film still)
Updated on Jul 21, 2023 05:19 PM IST
ByKarthik Shankar

Review: Faithful Fighters by Kate Imy

An attempt to understand the development of the army of undivided India as an institution within the broader sociocultural context, Kate Imy’s Faithful Fighters examines the army’s cultural history and dynamics and looks at it as an institution which played an important part in defining the modern Indian identity.

Indian cavalry after their charge, Somme, France, First World War, 14 July 1916, (c1920). Illustration from The Illustrated War Record of the Most Notable Episodes in the Great European War 1914-1918, seventh edition, (The Swarthmore Press Ltd, London, c1920). (Print Collector/Getty Images)
Updated on Jul 21, 2023 05:17 PM IST
ByRana TS Chhina

Essay: An unnatural hunger

From Bones and All to American Psycho and Silence of the Lambs, a look at cannibalism in popular culture

Consumed by love (Shutterstock)
Updated on Jul 20, 2023 07:05 PM IST
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