As the calendar turns, the devoted reader in me is looking to celebrate a few gems we couldn’t review. Brought out by the cream of India’s publishers, these books remind us of what T S Eliot said, “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
So with some nostalgia, we list a precious five books we couldn’t review this year. As you will discover on your own, they were truly exceptional in the subjects they attempted and the history they brought alive.
1. M K Nambyar: A Constitutional Visionary
An ode to a father and a lawyer by those in the profession. Written by son K.K. Venugopal and lawyers Suhasini Sen and Suhrith Parthasarthy, the book not only describes the man but also recounts Indian legal history dating to before Independence. A great addition to every collector’s library.
2. The Book Beautiful: A memoir of collecting rare and fine books
This book is every bibliophile’s delight and one would be remiss to not write about it. In 2015, author Pradeep Sebastian chanced upon fine press books – printed on a hand press. Captivated, he said in an interview, “Perhaps the deepest impulse to write ‘The Book Beautiful’ was to introduce the Indian booklover to the typographic beauty of fine press books — the tactile sensuousness of letterpress books printed on hand-made paper from metal type had been, after all, the very thing that had made me a book collector.” Enjoy a visual odyssey and quaint anecdotes.
3. The Book Of Bihari Literature
Abhay K’s effort is incredible! He puts together a vibrant collection of writings of all genres that have flowed from the pens of the great poets, thinkers and writers who were born or lived in what is modern-day Bihar. An appreciation of Bihari literature is on the cards and makes one wonder about the neglected languages of India.
4. This is How It Took Place
One is always plagued by the question- is writing the work of genius or is it the product of painstaking discipline? Written by a teenager who died at the tender age of 16. ‘This is How it Took Place’ by Rudrakshi Bhattacharjee makes you cast a vote for the former. In this book, she presents a collection of short stories dwelling on various issues of mental health, loneliness. Some tales sound familiar and others with raw endings leave you distinctly uncomfortable. Students of psychology and fiction writing must definitely take a look.
5. The Greatest Punjabi Stories Ever Told
We would be so much poorer if we were not so ethically diverse. Selected and edited by Renuka Singh and Balbir Madhopuri, ‘The Greatest Punjabi Stories Ever Told’ features some of the best short fiction to emerge from Punjab over the last century. Bite into delectable stories by Gurbaksh Singh, Balwant Gargi, Sant Singh Sekhon, and Amrita Pritam and other contemporary writers, get a taste of the essence of ‘Punjabiyat’—what it means to be Punjabi! Its ‘Balle Balle’ time!
Write to me about a book that we missed to review in 2023 or books that you feel must be on our list in 2024. I’m waiting to hear from you on @officialreetagupta on Instagram. Let’s create a groundswell of approbation for the reading habit.
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ On Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta