Mark of an author

For the record,it does exist. No mythical manifestation of some archaic duke or earls lunacy,this. Were talking about that quintessential British eccentricity of which weve all heard so much about.

For the record,it does exist. No mythical manifestation of some archaic duke or earls lunacy,this. Were talking about that quintessential British eccentricity of which weve all heard so much about. To us,it came in the person of Lord Jeffrey Archer with his upper crust English marked by the clipped and crisp cadence of his Ps and Rs,the audacity to commit that most unpardonable of fashion offencesteaming a custom-tailored blue pin-stripe with gym shoesand a propensity to take a dig at whichever race is stationed in front of him. (We say that with the grave hope that Indians werent the only ones to face the firing squad of his wit.)

There are redeeming factors. In this case,it comes in the form of Jamal and Nisha and their story set in Mumbai (based on the lives of some people that you might know very well),the last of Archers latest collection of 15 short stories titled And Thereby Hangs A Tale. Archer terms it as his favourite story. Or is it a floundering attempt to appease our hurt pride?

Like all his other books,And Thereby Hangs A Tale,published by Pan Books,is no literary masterpiece but offers the ephemeral gratification of chomping through it page by page. With his ear for character and eye for dialogue,Archer weaves tales that often strain credulity but move in a rollicking pace from Germany to Italy to the Channel Islands to England. The book had its world-wide launch in Mumbai on Monday evening,coinciding with the opening of the latest Landmark store at Palladium,Lower Parel. With 42,000 square feet,this is the citys biggest bookstore till date.

If youre a great writer,10 people might read your work. But if youre a great story teller,the whole world will clamour for your books, says the author,who,till date,uses a felt pen to write his books and has a strict writing regime of four sessions of two hours each every day and is promptly in bed at 930 pm. There are perhaps only two subjects that can inject Lord Archers voice with animation: writing and politics.

Perhaps for the first time,with the Liberals gaining popularity,we might witness a hung parliament in England. That means that no one will be in charge, says Lord Archer before that lacerating humour takes over. Sounds like India,doesnt it?

The story of Lord Archer could itself provide the fodder for one of his books. Disgraced and bankrupt after an investment went sour,he resigned from the House of Commons in 1974 and bounced back when his book Not A Penny More,Not A Penny Less became a bestseller. When he was imprisoned for perjury in 2001,many thought that might sound the death knell for his writing. He proved his detractors wrong with Prison Diaries.

And now,hes signed a $18 million deal with MacMillan for what might well prove to be his magnum opusa series of five books called The Clifton Chronicles that follows the rags-to-riches tale of the famous poet,Harry Clifton,which should bring him back to India soon. As Lord Archer says,I wont be here to see England cream India in the Twenty20 but Ill be back next year to promote the first of The Clifton Chronicles.

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Our top picks from the new Landmark
* John Updikes famous Rabbit Quartet
* Books by Roberto Boleno,mainly 2666 and The Savage Detectives
* Eddie Campbells Alec,a novel in woodcuts,
* The DVD of a rockumentary profile of Jimi Hendrix

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Mark of an author

For the record,it does exist. No mythical manifestation of some archaic duke or earls lunacy,this. Were talking about that quintessential British eccentricity of which weve all heard so much about.

For the record,it does exist. No mythical manifestation of some archaic duke or earls lunacy,this. Were talking about that quintessential British eccentricity of which weve all heard so much about.