Bookshelf/Dominique Lapierre

All that8217;s not given is lost. This maxim is the force that propels writer Dominique Lapierre8217;s endeavours. The royalties from his acclaimed novels Freedom at Midnight, The City of Joy and A Thousand Suns go towards financing various rescue, rehabilitation and development programmes in the slums of Calcutta and the Sunderbans of West Bengal. When not on a tour to raise funds and foster friendships, this author relaxes with a good book. A believer in the maxim Truth is stranger than fiction,8217; he veers towards non-fiction. 8220;I8217;m enthralled by biographies and historical essays. Novels are not my cup of tea. The truth is so much more piquant,8221; he says. 8220;I last read Into Thin Air, a gripping true-life tale about a Himalayan expedition that goes wrong. It taught me a thing or two about what it is to have courage under fire, to climb the highest peak, literally speaking.8221; General De Gaulle is the hero Lapierre admires, and prominent on his bookshelf is a four-volume edition of his biography. 8220;When I8217;m down andout, I seek inspiration from his words and deeds,8221; he says. A plethora of books on his first love 8211; India 8211; jostle for shelf space. 8220;I must have been an Indian in my last life,8221; says this Indophile in mock seriousness.

He has tomes ranging from India8217;s geography to its gastronomic delights. Oblivious to his name and fame, Lapierre feels, 8220;My novels have touched readers8217; hearts, but the greatest sense of satisfaction comes when my royalties bring a ray of light to the hopeless.8221;