JOIN US'I love the spirit of this City'
Writer-columnist Shobhaa De was recently in the City for the ‘Bangalore Literature Festival’, where she did the South India launch of her new book, Sethji.
“I think it’s one of the few literary festivals, where the focus is on books, authors and readers, which is most important. I feel the turnout is so impressive because everyone here is informed and interested. They’re not here just because it’s a Sunday outing; they’re here because they appreciate books,” she says.
In this book too, her characteristic unsparingly slimy writing is present. It explores a
fictional perspective of netas (politicians), who run this nation. “It’s a reflection of reality as I see it. It’s a dark book about a dark subject.
That’s the best way to describe it,” she notes, adding that the timing of the book is very important. “Right now, we’re all concerned about what’s happening in the country and we’re all distressed by it. But at the end of the day, it’s a novel –– it’s fiction and it’s a story, and I’ve enjoyed writing it,” adds Shobhaa.
Not surprisingly, her notion about writing is clear and she claims that she always writes for herself, never keeping the reader in mind. “You can never know who your reader is and so, you write what you want to write. For me, to reach out regardless of who the reader may be is my job as a storyteller,” notes the 64-year-old.
She is also quite encouraging about the spurt of young writers joining the literary circuit in India. “I think it’s fine if they don’t read books but choose to just write. There are any number of vibrant voices out there today, who would not have had a chance to be published the way they are today. There can be multiple opinions because the space can take them all,” points out Shobhaa.
Ask her about this City and a smile spreads across her face. “I’ve been coming to Bangalore for over 30 years and I love it. Each time I come, I somehow go back energised. I love the spirit of this City,” she says, adding, “I love Mumbai, but it can be very chaotic. I find Bangalore very restful, even though it has changed so much. It is not the Bangalore it used to be, but the people have not changed.”