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‘Irritating and ignorant’: William Dalrymple slams Western media for questioning India’s love for books
William Dalrymple noted that authors in India see the longest signing queues of their careers at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
William Dalrymple stated that JLF attracts not just students and schoolteachers but rickshaw drivers too
(Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
William Dalrymple, noted historian and author, recently slammed The Guardian over their article questioning why India hosts over 100 literature festivals despite allegedly low readership. The news report suggested that India has limited reading-for-pleasure habits.
Dalrymple, who is the co-founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), strongly criticised the article, calling it “irritating and ignorant”.
“Irritating & ignorant article: our @JaipurLitFest literary sessions are massively crowded with passionate, nerdy young readers & our authors regular report the longest signing queues of their careers: in 5 days of the last JLF we sold over 44,000 books,” he wrote on X.
Further, he stated that JLF attracts not just students and schoolteachers but rickshaw drivers too, as the event covers a wide range of books and authors from Nobel and Booker Prize winners to Dalit poets and Rajasthani folk singers.
See the post here:
Irritating & ignorant article: our @JaipurLitFest literary sessions are massively crowded with passionate, nerdy young readers & our authors regular report the longest signing queues of their careers: in 5 days of the last JLF we sold over 44,000 bookshttps://t.co/lC6EVLF1Qa
— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) February 10, 2026
The post has since gone viral, with several mentioning India’s thriving second-hand book markets and street bookstalls. “This is very upsetting. While India has a strong oral tradition of storytelling (also music), it is one of the richest countries when it comes to literature. A country where books are sold on the streets, where there is a huge market of second-hand books, and much more- this kind of story just isnt making sense to me,” a user wrote.
“Most Americans don’t read for pleasure either. I have only a couple of friends who do. Visited many houses without a single book in sight. A roommate threw away books after reading them!! Shock!!” a third user reacted.
“Indeed they are ignorant for some reasons. Just to feel the pulse, one must visit Patna Book Fair. Apart from selling pov, enthusiasm for books and reading beat all odds there,” a third user reacted.
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