memoir - Comfortably Numb

Book review: The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre

The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre Reminiscences from the spy who can string a sentence or two. And how. Behind the smoke and the mirrors, this book, by this onetime MI5 agent, is a master class in the art of story-writing, because every one of these stories from his life are fascinating anecdotes. And…

Book review: Moonglow by Michael Chabon

Memory chaser Price 12.99 Pounds Sterling. Michael Chabon’s Moonglow is a feel-good story with darkness at its heart. Chabon, a novelist who has frequently moved between themes and genres, presents this as a family memoir. Then again, given the many literary flourishes contained within, the reader could be forgiven for thinking this…

Book review: Sepia Leaves and Interview with author Amandeep Sandhu

Sepia Leaves by Amandeep Sandhu. Rupa Publications. This book was written in 2008 but the topic, sadly, is one that never really goes out of date or loses its relevance. I say `sadly` because the subject matter here is one weighted with sorrow. Sandhu`s book is the account of an eight-year-old boy in Rourkela who…

Book review: Love, Loss and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi

A tasteful tell-all If Padma Lakshmi’s memoir is more memory and less food, it does not matter. Warmth and honesty infuses this candid account of her life and times; it is, quite literally, an answer to everything you wanted to know about her but didn’t know who to ask. As the whole reading world…

Feature: Dev Lahiri on Educational Reform

`Schools today are not about education, they are about certification` Highly intelligent. Quicksilver character. Maverick. Impassioned. Born educationist. All these words fit Devapriya Lahiri , former Headmaster of Lawrence School, Lovedale as well as Welhams Boys, Dehradun, to a T. It has been an eventful, even chequered career for the educationist who has recently written…

Book review: With a Little Help from my Friends by Dev Lahiri

The Headmaster`s Story Highly intelligent. Quicksilver character. Maverick. Quick study. Impassioned. Born educationist. All these words fit Devapriya Lahiri , former Headmaster of Lawrence School, Lovedale, as well as Welhams Boys, Dehradun, to a t. It`s been an eventful, even chequered career for the educationist who has recently written his memoir, called With A Little…

Book review: Mrs Funnybones by Twinkle Khanna

Neat cute Mrs Funnybones by Twinkle Khanna (Penguin ) does that difficult to do thing: it sheds the baggage naturally accruing to a book written by a former starlet now star wife. What`s more, it sheds that weight while not repudiating a single fact of the author`s life and lifestyle. Meaning, it isn`t quite tales…

Book review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Healing while walking Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed is not a fresh- off-the- press book. Wild released in 2012 and has been successfully made into a movie; the author has now branched out as a podcasting star with a `Dear Sugar` show online and of course, dealing with the multiple…

Book review: Leaving Home with Half a Fridge

Life after divorce Part primer, part memoir, this book takes readers down the post-breakup road. Memoirs are tricky to write. Beyond a certain point, your memories might just not be the stuff of interest, leave alone inspiration to readers. What you reveal, what you veil, what you gloss over, what you decide to delve deep…

Feature: The Jerry Pinto Interview

‘One per cent writing and 99 per cent rewriting’ Jerry Pinto speaks to SHEILA KUMAR about craft and the catharsis involved in telling the story of a mentally ill mother. Jerry Pinto is a writer who explores all the avenues of writing that open before him. His resume includes teaching mathematics and journalism, writing television scripts,…