Jaipur Journals

 ‘There is no event more magical than the Jaipur Lit Fest. 

This book captures the magic.’

Gloria Steinem

 

Jaipur

Journals

 

Namita Gokhale

 

29th April 2021 / £9.99 PBO / £6.99 eBook

 

 

From the co-founder of the Jaipur Literary Festival, a brilliant, funny, and moving novel set against the background of the festival, and the characters that make it tick

 

Told from multiple perspectives, from the authors enjoying moments of adulation after years of creative isolation, to the star-struck public mingling with their cultural icons, to those in-between, who are both author and fan, these diverse stories of lost love and regret, self-doubt, and new beginnings come together in a narrative that is as varied as India itself. 

 

From a septuagenarian who has completed her semi-biographical novel but does not want to part with it, to an author who receives a threat in the form of a poison pen letter; from a historian who reunites with a past lover, to a burglar who is passionate about poetry; from a young woman who has no idea what this world has in store for her, to an American woman looking for the India of her hippie youth, this metafictional, wryly funny novel is an ode to literature. 

 

Partly a love letter to the greatest literary show on earth, partly a satire about the glittery set that throngs the festival year after year, and partly an ode to the millions of aspiring writers who wander the earth with unsubmitted manuscripts in their bags, Jaipur Journals is a light-footed romp that showcases in full form Gokhale’s unsparing eye for the pretensions and the pathos of that loneliest tribe of them all: the writers.

 

About the author: 

Born in Lucknow, India, NAMITA GOKHALE, is an award-winning writer, publisher, and the co-founder/director (with William Dalrymple) of the Jaipur Literary Festival. She is the author of over twenty fiction and non-fiction books including the best-selling Paro: Dreams of Passion, Priya, and Things to Leave Behind. In 2017 Namita was awarded the first ever Centenary National Award for Literature by the Literary Society of Assam for her service to the Indian nation in supporting and showcasing Indian writing talents. Described as one of the finest Indian writers, she lives in New Delhi.

My Review

Having long wished to visit India's pink city, I had no idea until now that it is also famous for its literary festival. In this novel, the author gently mocks both the festival and the authors who make it what it is. The tone is gently satirical and the characters an eclectic mix of oddballs, n'eer -do-wells- and wannabees. This book is totally different to anything I've read before and is character rather than plot-driven. For me, its strength is the way in which it pokes fun at the pretension of the authors and at the writing process itself. This book may not be for everyone, but as a writer it resonated with me.