Conversations
Monsters Born and Made: Author Tanvi Berwah on the Genre of YA Fantasy
Although at its preliminary stage, YA Fantasy is gaining popularity in eyes of young Indian readers and they are craving for Indian narratives more than ever now. To understand the same, Kunzum's Khushi Arora talks with author Tanvi Berwah.
Crimson Spring: Navtej Sarna on Fictionalising the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
Diplomat-turned-author Navtej Sarna revisits the Jallianwala Bagh in the most meticulous and overwhelming manner. Kunzum's Divye Bhagwani talks to him to learn all things about fictionalising a factual event.
Batshit: Kritika Kapoor On Her Feminist Horror Debut Fiction
Kritika Kapoor's deliciously feminist debut novel Batshit unwraps repressed anger in women with unrealistic beauty standards and other regulations that society throw on them but with a haunting twist!
Amish Raj Mulmi on How Nepali People Interact With the World
Amish Raj Mulmi set out to fill the vacuum of the knowledge of Chinese influence on Nepal by recording the lives of indigenous Nepali people. Curious about his research, Kunzum's Ananya sat down with him to know more about his writing process.
The Test of a Poem is Whether It Can Hold Your Attention, Whether It’s On a Page Or a Screen: Ranjit Hoskote, Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award
Poet, translator, art curator and critic Ranjit Hoskote sat down with Sumeet Keswani for a chat—about everything from Hoskote's various practices informing each other, to the place of poetry in the current public discourse, and the newer platforms poets must embrace.
Chaos Is at the Heart of Most Literature: Amit Chaudhuri Talks about Writing on Cities
Amit Chaudhuri has many avatars―singer, novelist, critic, editor, professor, and poet! At the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023, we caught up with him to discuss his unique approach to writing, expression through Hindustani music, and affinity for the chaos of cities.
The Idea Is to Reclaim What The Text Is, Not to Invent a New Text: Meena Kandasamy on Her Feminist Translation of a Tamil Classic
Kunzum speaks with Meena Kandasamy about her latest book—a feminist translation of a Tamil classic—her tools of activism, artificial intelligence, her next poetry collection, and the writers and books that have shaped her craft.
Only through Education is Resilience Possible: Sheela Tomy Speaks on Environmental and Social Justice
Sheela Tomy's debut novel, Valli, was shortlisted for the 2022 JCB Prize for Literature. Kunzum wanted to know more about her book and environmental activism, and bring her ideas to you, so we sat down with the author for an enlightening conversation.
I Think Strong Women Write about Strong Women in Difficult Situations: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is back, with a novel about three sisters caught up in the aftermath of India's Independence and Partition. We sat down with her at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023 to talk books, strong female characters, inspirational women writers, and more.
I Don’t Want to Feel Guilty for Not Taking Care of an Object: Award-Winning Author Ruth Ozeki on Letting Go of Things
From Chinese fortune cookies to scissors, unusual objects possess a voice in Ruth Ozeki's latest novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness. Curious, we approached Ozeki to understand her writing process, relationship with objects, obsession with libraries and bookstores, and Buddhist approach to life.
We Come from Worlds Where Reality is Wilder than Fiction: Booker Prize Winner Marlon James
Winner of the 2015 Booker Prize, Marlon James, was one of the many acclaimed speakers at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023. We spoke with him about African myths, unlearning Eurocentrism, his book recommendations, and the upcoming third book of his Dark Star trilogy.
Every Obituary Is a Hurried Piece of Literature: Anees Salim
Anees Salim opens up to Kunzum about his Facebook alter-ego, his obsession with waterbodies, the recurring themes of death and hopelessness in his novels, and, of course, The Bellboy.
“It’s Like a Return to a Home That I Was Never Able to Claim as My Own”: Amitabha Bagchi on the Hindi Translation of his Novel
Winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2019, Half the Night is Gone is Amitabha Bagchi's third and arguably most popular novel. The author speaks with Kunzum about the book and its new Hindi translation, his literary influences and recommended reads.
“How You See a Plant is How You See the World,” Janice Pariat Says on Her Novel, Everything The Light Touches
Author Janice Pariat speaks to Kunzum about her latest novel, Everything The Light Touches, and the tussle at the heart of it, her affinity for botany, adoption of erasure poetry,
“The Murder at the Heart of Black River Felt Like a Personal Loss”: Nilanjana S. Roy Talks about Delhi and Her Latest Novel
Author and former journalist Nilanjana S. Roy talks to Kunzum about the many facets of Delhi, her latest book, the biggest literary influences on her craft, and her next novel.
“I’ve written a crime novel because I wanted to read a specific kind in India and wasn’t able to find it”: Tanuj Solanki on his new book
Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar winner Tanuj Solanki answers all our questions about his latest novel, Manjhi's Mayhem: from his genre shift to doing justice to a Dalit POV and his crime-writing inspirations.
In Search of the Divine: Rana Safvi on her Sparkling Foray into Sufi History
Scholar, historian, translator, and author Rana Safvi is an authority on Delhi and its cultural heritage. Her latest book, In Search of the Divine, is a deep dive into Sufism and its lost history. She tells us about the initial idea of the book.
I Enjoy Screenwriting the Most: Poet & Fiction Writer Rochelle Potkar Gets Candid with Kunzum
Rochelle Potkar is an award-winning poet, fictionist, screenwriter, critic, editor, and translator. We sat down with her to understand how these different artistic pursuits come together in her life.
Talking Books with Ashwin Sanghi, the Man behind the Myths
Ashwin Sanghi has crafted a niche for himself with his peculiar combination of mythology, theology, and thrilling plots. This came out of a mixed inheritance of reading habits, he reveals.
Writing a Sequel to a Pulitzer Prize Winner: Less is Lost, But Andrew Sean Greer is Not
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less, Andrew Sean Greer went against industry advice to release a sequel this year: Less is Lost. He talks about his writing process, character inspirations, favourite LGBTQIA+ books, and much more.
What Does It Take to be Published by HarperCollins India? Executive Editor Swati Daftuar Answers All Your Questions
Swati Daftuar is the person behind books by literary giants like Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Chetan Bhagat, Anuja Chauhan, and Preeti Shenoy. She tells us all about her process, favourite reads, and TBR pile.
I Allow Words the Liberty to Take the Form they Choose: Author Jerry Pinto
Prolific writer and translator Jerry Pinto speaks about existential writing, deconstructing stereotypes, and the relief he finds in translation.
It’s Terrifying to Think Fictional Characters Have Such a Hold on You: Author Aanchal Malhotra
As Aanchal Malhotra gets ready to launch her first fiction novel, The Book of Everlasting Things, she gives Kunzum a sneak peek into the book and the challenges she faced in switching from oral history about the Partition to a fictional love story.
Literary Translation Plays a Critical Role in Building Bridges between Communities: Author & Translator Daisy Rockwell
The translator of the 2022 International Booker Prize winner, Tomb of Sand, Daisy Rockwell speaks about the craft of translation, her affinity for Partition novels, and her upcoming projects.
We Don’t Recognise All The Ways Women Contribute To The Economy: Author Shaili Chopra
Founder of SheThePeople.TV and author of Sisterhood Economy, Shaili Chopra speaks with Kunzum about the often-invisible contribution of women to the economy.
I Am All My Characters: André Aciman on Writing about Desire, Shame, Insecurity, and Gender Fluidity
The bestselling author of Call Me By Your Name talks about his most popular novels, writing about desire and shame, gender-fluid characters, and his next book.
Reading List: Filmmaker Onir Lists His Favourite Books
Onir didn’t want his autobiography to be just another Bollywood memoir rife with glamour and gossip but a tool to empower and educate marginalised communities. This reading list serves the same purpose.
Bearing the Torch With Pride: Ameya Narvankar, Author | Conversations
It’s a world that has an instinctive itch to change. It evolves even as it stays the same. And in its everlasting quest to reform and repeat the bygone, it needs its crusaders, it finds its crusaders.
Ayesha, is one such crusader, bearing the torch...
“I wanted to tell the story of people whose traumatic experiences during the insurgency are silenced by political narratives”: Hannah Lalhlanpuii, Author | Conversations
The world has worked overtime to distance its children from everything that’s wrong with it. Wars, for instance. News and literature about real life wars were a taboo for children, even young adults, except for a The Diary of a Young Girl occasionally thrown in. Recently, however, the plot has changed.
That Sparkling hOle in the Little Bookshelf: Sayoni Basu, Consulting Editor, Penguin Random House | Conversations
A kid with a book is an onlooker’s delight. However, it is not just that. A kid with a book is an affirmation of an alternate future, a future that is hard to predict. A future that may never materialise. A luminous, promising future.
The Middle Finger travels through its strictly sheltered alleys and leaves behind a sparkling smudge: Saikat Majumdar, Author | Conversations
Where would we all return if not to love? Why won’t we die, to live? Saikat Majumdar’s latest novel is about love, and sacrifice. It’s about Eklavya giving up his thumb to his guru. It’s about Megha returning to arrange a bookshelf with Poonam.
The Land of the Thunder Dragons …and Its Little Monster Fighters | Evan Purcell, Author | Conversations
Superheroes are a common occurrence in children’s and YA stories. So Karma Tandin could be just another Batman or Spiderman next door. However, hold on! Evan Purcell, author of the Karma Tandin Monster Hunter series, planned this little superhero differently.
“Everyone Recognises the Value of Reading at Some Level”: Himanjali Sankar, Editorial Director, Simon & Schuster | Conversations
Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle and hurling it into the sea. Some bottles drown, some come safe to land, where the notes are read and then possibly cherished, or else misinterpreted, or else understood all too well by those who hate the message. You never know who your readers might be.
“I Write the Story for Myself”: Arefa Tehsin, Children’s Author | Conversations
Each time a story is told for children, a little nugget of intellectual innocence and truthfulness is added to the world. It swerves humankind towards a more enlightened prospect. Arefa Tehsin has stirred us in this direction quite a few times with her handful of children’s books – The Chirmi Chasers, Amra and the Witch, Globetrotters, Steel of the Jungle God.