2011: write noises

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2011 will be big on books. From Amitav Ghosh’s second volume of the Ibis trilogy to Aravind Adiga’s eagerly awaited next novel, the year will see it all.
Nawaid Anjum takes a peek into the year’s big and some not-so-big releases.

The New Year is almost upon us. Like every year, there is going to be a deluge of books that will hit the shelves. Books for one and all. Good books (hopefully), and bad books (hopefully not).
As the robust Indian publishing continues its stupendous journey, readers are spoilt for a choice. If you have no love lost for Mills and Boon-esque stories, you can revel in a bit of magic realism or mythology.
There is something democratic about the profusion of narratives the country is a witness to. Raring to ink their way into the written world are not just the urbanites, but the quintessentially quiet small-towners too who form a league of their own.
At the bookstores, mass market novels rub covers with literary fiction, thrillers with historical sagas. There is something for everyone. Something for both the discerning and the undiscerning. Something to suit all tastes, satiate all palettes.
India is romancing the written word like never before. And it’s doing so with confidence, panache and style. Some of the titles you and I will read in 2011 will be a testimony to that. Adding to the flavour will be some interesting international titles which have already generated a lot of buzz in the literary circles. Ringing in the New Year, I will be waiting, with feverish excitement, to experience the considerable volume and variety of India’s literary output delivered to me throughout the first year of the new decade. While I may not be able to read all in 2011, I have my eyes set on some titles that hold much promise. Titles that will enthral and engage. Or so does it seem they will.
In 2011, out of the many books that I shall look forward to reading will be the following titles:

INVITATION BY SHEHRYAR FAZLI

A promising debut from yet another promising writer from across the border, Invitation (Tranquebar) is a seductive novel set in 1970s’ Pakistan. With the turmoil leading to the creation of Bangladesh as its backdrop, it is an exploration into the games power and politics play. The heart of Karachi, “ripe with cabarets, power and politics”, comes alive as Shahbaz, the narrator, who has come home after 19 years in Paris, tries to settle a property dispute between his father and his aunt. Instead, he finds himself thrown into the machinations of power. His liaison with Malika, a cabaret dancer, only provides temporary relief. However, it’s not just about the seduction of power. There is a betrayal that runs central to the plot. The novel will be released in New Delhi in January.

THE FOLDED EARTH BY ANURADHA ROY

Anuradha Roy, the author of The Atlas of Impossible Longing (Picador), will be back with a powerful narrative about a woman’s struggle to cope with her past.

NOON BY AATISH TASEER

Aatish Taseer, the author of Stranger to History and The Temple-Goers, will come out with his “biggest book” yet. Set partly in India and partly in a Pakistan-like place, it explores the development of the subcontinent from the 1980s to recent times through a series of seismic moments.

THE MOUNTAIN SHADOW
BY GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS

September will see Hachette release the sequel to Shantaram. Also a standalone novel, The Mountain Shadow will follow Lin into shadowy worlds and cultures. “It is a novel about seeking identity, love, meaning, purpose, home, even the secret of life,” says a publisher’s release.

THEODORE BOONE 2 BY
JOHN GRISHAM

Following on from the bestselling Theodore Boone, John Grisham delivers high intensity legal drama for a new generation of readers.

FULL DARK, NO STARS BY STEPHEN KING

Stephen King, the master of horror, gave us a glimpse into his trademark darkly intimate stories in Under the Dome. In Full Dark, No Stars, he will only add to his reputation of a master of the long story form. Published by Hachette, it will be released in July.

THE WAR MINISTRY BY KRISHAN
PARTAP SINGH

The third and final book in Krishan Partap Singh’s Raisina series, The War Ministry (Hachette), will follow the prime ministerial term of Azim Khan, who, uncomfortable enough at being hailed as India’s first Muslim PM, tries to separate himself from his Muslim base, but only ends up distancing himself from his erstwhile friend, the deputy PM, Karan Nehru.

RAHUL BHATTACHARYA’S THE SLY COMPANY OF PEOPLE WHO CARE

A book that internationally everyone’s really excited about. David Godwin says he’s like a younger Naipaul.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL BY
JEFFREY ARCHER

The master storyteller will be back with Only Times Will Tell (Picador), the first of a five-book series, the Clifton Chronicles. Archer will be touring India for the release of the book in March.

CUSTODY BY MANJU KAPUR

Manju Kapur, the chronicler of modern Indian family, will be back with what she does best in Custody (Random House). It is the story of Raman, a marketing executive and his extraordinarily beautiful wife, Shagun. It will explore how family-love can disintegrate into an obsession to possess children. Also under scrutiny will be the Indian judicial system.

LEELA’S BOOK BY ALICE ALBINIA

A follow-up of the Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River, Albinia’s incredible journey from Karachi to Tibet, Leela’s Book (Random House) is the story of Lalita who is moving back to Delhi from New York after 20 years. Her return not just unlocks many secrets but also throws her into family entanglements that is further complicated by faith.

THE BHUTTO MURDER TRAIL: FROM WAZIRISTAN TO GHQ BY AMIR MIR

Drawing on personal anecdotes, meetings and off-the-record conversations with Bhutto, investigative journalist Amir Mir reconstructs the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the events leading to it, as well as its aftermath. The book reveals the deep-rooted links between Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies, and the radical Islamic terrorist groups.

Besides these, 2011 will see the release of Amitav Ghosh’s second book in Iris trilogy, Tarun Tejpal’s The Village of Masks, Aravind Adiga’s The Last Man in the Tower, Patrick French’s India: A Portrait, David Davidar’s Ithaca, a richly layered and poignant novel about the publishing industry. Anita Nair will be out with yet another (as yet untitled) novel. The year will also see the release of Jaishree Misra’s third and the last one in the Secrets series, Mukula Deva’s last one in the series that began with Lashkar called Tanzim, Ashwin Sanghi’s historical-political thriller, Chanakya’s Chant (Westland) and Orhan Pamuk’s The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist (Penguin).
Ira Trivedi’s There’s No Love on Wall Street Jamil Ahmad’s The Wandering Falcon, Tahmima Anam’s The Good Muslim and Ruskin Bond’s Secrets are also set for release in 2011. All these titles will be published by Penguin.
For HarperCollins, the year will be big on biographies/autobiographies and memoirs: A.P.J. Kalam’s untitled and Shoaib Akhtar and Abhinav Bindra’s Jumping the Gun: The Meteoric Rise of a Shooting Star), The DLF Saga by K.P. Singh with Ramesh Menon, Navketan’s Dev by Dev Anand and Learning to Serve by Vijay Amritraj.
Some other interesting non-fiction will be: Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan by M.J. Akbar, Intolerant Indian by Gautam Adhikari, Dragon on the Prowl: India’s China Problem by Bramha Chellaney and Chaos Theory by Anuvab Pal.