I'm very pleased to share with you the news that Arzee the Dwarf is now out. I received my own copy on Saturday, and was delighted with how it looks – and, for all that I was prepared, also a bit surprised by how different a story seems when it happens on a page in a book rather than on a sheet of manuscript.Some of you have written to say you can't find it in the shops yet: it may take another three or four days to arrive. This Friday (the 19th) I'm going to be reading from it along with the actor Naseeruddin Shah in Bombay at Crossword, Kemp's Corner, so if you live in Bombay, please try and come. But perhaps I am repeating myself here – I may already have accosted you at the big mango bazaar near the Varad Shankar temple in Borivali West, or on the bridge above Marine Lines station, or at the traffic jam that's always there at Pump House in Andheri, and made you accept an invite.
Here the details of all the readings planned for June:
Mumbai: Crossword Bookstore, Friday June 19, 7pm.
Kemp's Corner, Mumbai-400026.
Facebook page here.
Pune: Crossword Bookstore, Saturday June 20, 6.30 pm.
ICC Trade Towers, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune 411016. Tel: 66033050.
Facebook page here.
Chennai: Odyssey Bookstore, Thursday June 25, 6.30 pm.
45-46, 1st Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai-600020. Tel: 044-24402264.
Facebook page here.
Bangalore: Odyssey Bookstore, Friday June 26, 6.30 pm.
757, 100 Feet Road, Indira Nagar, Bangalore-560038. Tel: 080-42115341.
Facebook page here.
I will be reading in Delhi and Kolkata in July.
Also, you will forgive me if much of what is posted here over the next month has to do with my own book, and not all the books by other writers and from across time and across genres that you're used to seeing here. Normal service will resume very soon.
An excerpt from Arzee the Dwarf is here. I hope to see you somewhere in the country over the next month.
16 comments:
hii chandrahas ,
All the best with your book ! How can we get the book in US ?
I will definitely be at the Pune launch. I hope I'll get an autograph!
For those of US overseas, what's the best site to order the book online? I am really looking forward to reading Arzee the Dwarf!
Good luck with the book! I've been waiting for this book since 2007, that's when I started following your blog. I'll be there at the Bombay reading, hoping to get my copy signed.
Thanks for the update. Bought Remains of the Day last time I went in search of your book...Will be buying Arzee once I am done with Ishiguro (This weekend I hope..)
Will catch you at the Book Reading for sure....
Very soon my friend the Pump House at Andheri East will be declared a heritage structure and tourists will flock in large numbers to take pictures of the legendary traffic jams...causing the mother of all traffic jams.
I shall run a stall of bottled water and be a millionaire. While the tourists drink their water I shall let them peruse of free browsing and reading material.
You want your book to adorn the racks at "Chez Bawa's" then write-up a fancy travelogue about your fortnightly sojourns at the lovely Pump house.
Will Mr. Naseeruddin Shah shout out my name in the middle of the book reading?
Coz' I'm like so going to be there.
Don't you think the price is a bit steep.Given the size it should have been priced aroung the Rs 250/- range.
Balakrishnan - You may be correct. But perhaps after you read the book you may feel that it was worth the Rs.325. If you don't then I'll meet you halfway, and refund you the Rs.75 I owe you for pricing my book too high.
VJ and Winnowed - I don't know if I know the answer to that. In my experience, the best suppliers of books overseas are friends and relatives - they're the ones who get me books from Amazon.com from the US. So perhaps you will find someone who's travelling from India to your part of the world?
Arbitblogs - Good work. I see you aren't wasting any reading time. That's the way to be.
Congratulations, Chandrahas.
Will pick up the book in Madras :)
Congratulations, and all the best for this evening's reading. As an aside, I must confess that I found your Mint review of Mridula Koshy's stories both instructive and extremely well-written.
Hey Chandrahas, cannot wait for the Delhi reading. Hearty congratulations!
Sanjay - Thank you so much for your kind words. As you will know, the appreciation of his peers is what is most important to any writer, so I was very happy to find this compliment coming from someone else in the trade. Hope you will enjoy the book too.
Suroopa - I'm looking forward to Delhi too, as I went to college there, and more than half my friends in this world live there. It's on July 10, so please mark the date.
Congratulations. Look forward to your Delhi reading. Do drop me a mail when the date is finalised, I don't want to miss it just because I didn't check out your blog in time.
Ok I have officially given up searching for your book in Bangalore. Yesterday's search in all major book shops was futile. The book shop where your reading will take place is quite far from where I stay and will visit that place only during your reading. I hope they have your book there by then. Please do carry an extra copy with you-just in case :)
Chandrahas,
The Chennai reading was pleasant last night, and I am almost done reading the book. Will soon get back to you. For now, surely enjoying Arzee. ;)
Love,
Sam.
Chandrahas
Many congratulations on the book launch!! I am dying to get my hands on a copy but cant find it in London yet. Is there any website you know of which will deliver books outside India?
Radhika
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