Books and the Blues

Over the years,in India’s publishing circles,there’s been virtually no criticism of Davidar,the writer. Personally,I never managed to finish his book The House of Blue Mangoes. Maybe that’s just me. But prudence would kick in and I would think hard before bluntly commenting on a heavyweight publisher in print or elsewhere,since like most journalists I harboured some vague and romantic literary ambitions. (Luckily for everyone,I’ve tossed them all aside.) Because of his formidable position at Penguin,Davidar has escaped the scrutiny and brutal assaults authors are usually subjected to by unforgiving reviewers,and readers.

Man Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai endorsed his second book The Solitude of Emperors describing it as “unflinching,unsentimental and deeply moving”. Of course,it is possible Desai loved it. But for information’s sake,Penguin published Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss. Murky? Nah,we’re all too cynical. On Amazon,there is not a single customer review for The Solitude of Emperors,published in 2007. It’s rated at 2,933,150 on the all-time great books list. In other words there are almost three million books in print right now considered better than his. That’s a figure that should make Davidar flinch.

I’m sure Davidar has bigger problems right now than the fact that nobody reads his books. But public memory is short and fans are generally forgiving of bad behaviour by writers,musicians and actors as long as they appreciate their work. The child-abuse accusations against Michael Jackson didn’t diminish his popularity one bit and he’s as much,if not more of,an icon,exactly a year after his death. Bill Clinton remains a sought-after speaker and Russell Crowe,not known for his people skills,has his fan following intact with Robin Hood . Davidar can maybe salvage his reputation by writing a good book. Let’s just hope he finds a publisher.

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