When Charles Dickens wrote ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’ little did he know that he would be predicting India’s literary scenario in the 21st century.
While dozens of literary festivals have cropped up everywhere, with their fair share of controversies, Chennai is quietly but confidently at the forefront of a revolution of its own.
For a city that is supposedly ‘conservative’ it is among the first in the country to have embraced nonsense novels, translations, graphic novels and even satires, all making it to bestseller lists across the country!
Blaft Publications, which blazed the trail for these books in the city, will launch two more books at the Comic Con in Delhi, later this month.
Says Editor Rakesh Khanna, “We are very excited to have acclaimed Mangaka Yukichi Yamamatsu coming from Tokyo for the launch of the English translation of Stupid Guy Goes to India!“
Translated from Japanese by Kumar Sivasubramanian, the book is the real-life story of Yukichi’s adventures — playing marbles, searching for bathrooms, betting on horses, visiting a brothel — and his madcap mission to sell Hindi translations of Samurai Manga on the mean streets of the nation’s capital.
Adds Rakesh, “We also have Amitabh Kumar, Vidyun Sabhaney, Roney Devassia, and Somdutt Sarkar (and possibly a few more) contributors to the Comics/Street Art/Nonsense Graphics collection The Obliterary Journal, which will be launched there.”
When Lakshmi Devnath found that the city’s youngsters knew next to nothing about the legends of Carnatic music, she decided to write and publish books about them herself.
“I now have two graphic novels — a format I am sure children enjoy — featuring the lives of MS Subbulakshmi and GNB.”
Lakshmi is working on three more titles based on the lives of Carnatic composers, to be launched by the end of this year. “I was pleasantly surprised to see my book featured in Landmark’s top seller list, in Mumbai!” she adds.
City-based advertising professional Judy Balan, who authored a parody on Chetan Bhagat’s Two States — The Story of My Marriage, was equally surprised when her book Two Fates — The Story of My Divorce, made it to best-selling lists across the country and sold over 21,000 copies in a month and a half.
“I was encouraged to write the book by friends on my blog, when I said it might be fun to do so. Luckily, for me, getting my book published wasn’t a hassle. I sent my manuscript out to a few publishers who accept online submissions and within three months I had signed my contract!”
If you have an edgy idea for a book, locked away in a closet somewhere, now may be the right time to bring it out!
