This is more in the nature of an advance mail about Chandrahas Choudhury’s readings in Hyderabad. Please save the dates and come for either/both events, since they will be slightly different. Proper invitation will follow. [Some of you are getting these mails so that you can tell people you might know who might be interested. Do forward.]
*1. Friday, 18th September. 2.30pm HCU, English Dept.*
* *
*Chandrahas Choudhury speaks on The Reading Life and The Writing Life**
* *
*2. Saturday, 19th September. 5.30 pm Crossword, City Center Mall, Banjara Hills Road 1&10.*
* *
*Chandrahas Choudhury reads from his book, Arzee the Dwarf and is in conversation with me about his book and writing.*
* *
Do pass the word around, forward this mail and come.
* *
Chandrahas Choudhury grew up in Bombay and his native Orissa, was educated at the Universities of Delhi and Cambridge, and lives in Mumbai. He writes about books for *Mint*, and his reviews also appear in the *Observer *and the *Sunday Telegraph. Arzee the Dwarf *is his first novel. He is also the editor of the forthcoming anthology of Indian short stories, *India**: A Traveller's Literary Companion.*
*Arzee the Dwarf* is on the Shakti Bhatt First Book Award short list for 2009. Choudhury blogs at *The Middlestage <http://middlestage.blogspot.com/> .* **
**THE READING LIFE AND THE WRITING LIFE* *by Chandrahas Choudhury*
Date:
Friday, September 18 2009
Time:
2:
300pm - 3: 30pm
At:
HCU, Hyderabad.
In this interactive session on the pleasures of reading and writing, Chandrahas Choudhury, author of the novel *Arzee the Dwarf* and the weekly book critic of *Mint Lounge*, will speak about a range of issues connecting the life of reading with the writing life.
How can we make ourselves closer, more attentive readers? What is the value of keeping a notebook? Is there a relationship between empathy, which is an attribute of character, and point of view, which is an attribute of fiction? What can prose writers gain from the reading of poetry? Do writers need to go to creative-writing school? What is to be gained from thinking closely about questions of form? How has the Internet changed our access to reading and our view of literature? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in the talk.
Choudhury will also speak (but not for very long) about the composition of *Arzee the Dwarf*, and about some of the things he had to learn or unlearn while writing the book.
The lecture is meant to be no more than a set of suggestions, from the perspective of a working writer and book critic, about how we may read better and write better. There will be a question-and-answer session afterwards.
On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 8:51 AM, Sridala Swami <srid...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear All,
> This is more in the nature of an advance mail about Chandrahas Choudhury’s
> readings in Hyderabad. Please save the dates and come for either/both
> events, since they will be slightly different. Proper invitation will
> follow. [Some of you are getting these mails so that you can tell people you
> might know who might be interested. Do forward.]
> *1. Friday, 18th September. 2.30pm HCU, English Dept.*
> * *
> *Chandrahas Choudhury speaks on The Reading Life and The Writing Life**
> * *
> *2. Saturday, 19th September. 5.30 pm Crossword, City Center Mall, Banjara
> Hills Road 1&10.*
> * *
> *Chandrahas Choudhury reads from his book, Arzee the Dwarf and is in
> conversation with me about his book and writing.*
> * *
> Do pass the word around, forward this mail and come.
> * *
> Chandrahas Choudhury grew up in Bombay and his native Orissa, was educated
> at the Universities of Delhi and Cambridge, and lives in Mumbai. He writes
> about books for *Mint*, and his reviews also appear in the *Observer *and
> the *Sunday Telegraph. Arzee the Dwarf *is his first novel. He is also the
> editor of the forthcoming anthology of Indian short stories, *India**: A
> Traveller's Literary Companion.*
> *Arzee the Dwarf* is on the Shakti Bhatt First Book Award short list for
> 2009. Choudhury blogs at *The Middlestage<http://middlestage.blogspot.com/>
> .* **
> **THE READING LIFE AND THE WRITING LIFE*
> *by Chandrahas Choudhury*
> Date:
> Friday, September 18 2009
> Time:
> 2:
> 300pm - 3: 30pm
> At:
> HCU, Hyderabad.
> In this interactive session on the pleasures of reading and writing,
> Chandrahas Choudhury, author of the novel *Arzee the Dwarf* and the weekly
> book critic of *Mint Lounge*, will speak about a range of issues
> connecting the life of reading with the writing life.
> How can we make ourselves closer, more attentive readers? What is the value
> of keeping a notebook? Is there a relationship between empathy, which is an
> attribute of character, and point of view, which is an attribute of fiction?
> What can prose writers gain from the reading of poetry? Do writers need to
> go to creative-writing school? What is to be gained from thinking closely
> about questions of form? How has the Internet changed our access to reading
> and our view of literature? These are some of the questions that will be
> addressed in the talk.
> Choudhury will also speak (but not for very long) about the composition of
> *Arzee the Dwarf*, and about some of the things he had to learn or unlearn
> while writing the book.
> The lecture is meant to be no more than a set of suggestions, from the
> perspective of a working writer and book critic, about how we may read
> better and write better. There will be a question-and-answer session
> afterwards.
-- Thanks,
Best Regards,
Aruna
Dr.Aruna Chaluvadi
+919849046189
All high truth is poetry. Take the results of science: they glow with
beauty, cold and hard as are the methods of reaching them. -Charles Buxton,
brewer, philanthropist, writer and politician (1823-1871)
Just to let all of you know that the University talk has been
cancelled.
So do come for the reading on the 19th.
**
Chandrahas Choudhury in conversation with Sridala Swami
Saturday September 19, 5.30 pm
Crossword Bookstore,
City Center, 1st Floor, Shop No. 101-108,
Junction of Road No: 1 & 10,
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500 034.
BOOK SUMMARY
Arzee the dwarf's dream has come true. He has been crowned as head
projectionist at the Noor, the Bombay cinema where he has been working
since his teens. Arzee thinks that the worst of his troubles are
behind him, and that he can marry and settle down now. But not for the
first time, Arzee has it all wrong!
Arzee the Dwarf follows Arzee through day and night, slow time and
fast time, agitation and reverie, setting off the inner world of
Arzee’s jagged ruminations against the beating and pulsing of the
great city around him. The narration vividly brings to life not just
the protagonist, but also a host of characters to whom Arzee turns in
his hour of need. Can Arzee find a place for himself in "the world of
the fives and the sixes"? This bittersweet comedy, shuffling between
hope and dread, between the yearnings of body and soul, is a book
about the strange beauty of human dreaming.
Author bio
Chandrahas Choudhury grew up in Bombay and his native Orissa, was
educated at the universities of Delhi and Cambridge, and now lives
again in Bombay. He is the book critic of Mint Lounge, and his reviews
also appear in the Observer and the Sunday Telegraph. Arzee the Dwarf
is his first novel. He is also the editor of the forthcoming anthology
of Indian short stories India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion.
REVIEWS OF ARZEE THE DWARF
‘This is a triumph of storytelling.’ – Outlook
‘Choudhury has an ear for dialogue, an eye for the peculiarities of
modern life, and a heart for its rich and strange possibilities.’ –
Tehelka
‘The success of Chandrahas Choudhury’s debut novel lies in how
movingly he manages to bring out this little truth through the life of
the eponymous Arzee the dwarf.’ – India Today
An excerpt from Arzee the Dwarf is here:
http://www.livemint.com/Articles/PrintArticle.aspx?artid=2A395418-415...
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