Hope: that is what it all boils down to. The promise of new beginnings and better endings. And nothing sums up that more than a crisp new book. In 2016, since fact read almost like fiction, there was safety in turning to the written word even as the world was turning upside down. Ask Hillary Clinton, who after her stunning defeat in the American presidential elections, chose a very Pico Iyer formula for peace, a hike in the woods and, later, a book store for soul comfort that solitude couldn’t offer.
The coming year may not be disappointment-proof, especially in the real world. But for every problem, there’s always a sure-shot cure, a book. And, 2017 has plenty to choose from. There is Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, a novel she is writing after nearly 20 years. And the new romance-writer-with-tremendous-promise, Nikita Singh, who has penned Every Time It Rains. Then, there is the lingering belief that the most awaited sequel to A Suitable Boy will finally be published in the coming year. Vikram Seth, who moved homeward with Aleph, is due to submit his manuscript soon.
There is no word on when A Suitable Girl will hit the stands. But David Davidar of Aleph promises that there will be plenty of choice in the coming year. “The list is 30 per cent larger and more diverse than last year and it shows that five years after it was established, Aleph has hit its stride,’’ says Davidar.
Mass market success, like the 1100-crore club in Bollywood, remains elusive for the Indian publishing sector. “Howsoever rewarding the year may have been, there were challenges and these will only become bigger,’’ says Diya Kar Hazra, publisher, Pan Macmillan India. “High discounts in online retail continue to threaten the industry; literary fiction is getting more and more difficult to sell. It’s the ‘big’ books: ‘big’ names, ‘big’ subjects and commercial nonfiction and fiction that are selling. We will see more celebrity memoirs, biographies, quick reads as well as ‘quickies’ on what’s capturing the nation’s imagination.”
In India, it doesn’t get bigger than politics. The tell-all political biography or the tell-enough kind that can rake up controversy has become a staple in the publishing field. Aleph has two such biggies lined up. My Kashmir by Omar Abdullah will be out in November and A Life in Politics: A Memoir by Jayanthi Natarajan by the middle of the year. Sheila Dikshit is coming out with Delhi: Power, Politics, Destiny, which will be published by Bloomsbury. It is certain to grab headlines, especially with the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
The original silver-haired politician will find a place on the bookshelves again in 2017. As the year marks the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi, her life, her style and her India will be the focus of more than one work. Veteran journalist Sagarika Ghose is deconstructing the life of India’s original iron woman for Juggernaut in Indira Gandhi: Her Life and Her Afterlife. A book that is not likely to deviate from the right image will be Jairam Ramesh’s biography of Mrs G. Published by Simon & Schuster, the book will look at her role not only as a hard-nosed and strong-willed politician, but also as a protector of the environment.
Indian films may often be all about taking a leap of imagination. But when it comes to the world of letters, it is fact that dominates fiction. “This is a trend that will continue,’’ says Kapish Mehra, managing director, Rupa Publications. “People earlier thought that it was only one genre that got sold. But now that has expanded to include many more genres within the nonfiction narrative space.”
The focus of a book, especially a biography, is no longer necessarily on a hero. Hussain Zaidi has proved that with his sketches of the underworld. His books have gone on to make gritty Hindi thrillers. Zaidi is back with another one on underworld don Chhota Shakeel, exploring the seamier side of Mumbai. The book is published by Penguin Random House India. Continuing on this trail is a first-person account by K. Vijay Kumar, the police officer who hunted down forest brigand Veerappan. His account of the end of Veerappan’s reign of terror will be published by Rupa.
For those who like to read real stories by people who have made a difference, 2017 has plenty to choose from. The Unforgettable KS, a portrait of Khushwant Singh by his daughter Mala Dayal, promises to be a delightful read. India’s Railway Man E. Sreedharan by Rajendra B. Aklekar will be published by Rupa. Penguin Random House India will bring out the biography of Baba Ramdev, and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan will find himself the hero of a book published by Pan Macmillan India. Written by R. Jagannathan, the book on Rajan will bring out his rise and eventual exit as RBI governor.
Thomas Abraham, managing director, Hachette, says his publishing house is looking at some new trends in the coming year. “If I were to pick one trend, I think it would be narrative history establishing a stronger presence than before,’’ he says.Hachette has dropped hints about books on Sachin Tendulkar and Viswanathan Anand, but has not divulged the details. “We have a fairly strong local programme with a mix of superstars and new voices,” says Abraham.
The Bollywood mass market books, which offer a little more insight than the average tweets by stars, have become a must-have for every publishing house. It is a genre popularised by actors like Emraan Hashmi and Twinkle Khanna. Penguin Random House has acquired the biggest name of all in this genre with Karan Johar’s book An Unsuitable Boy. Written with Poonam Saxena, the book is likely to be as glamorous as Johar’s television show Koffee With Karan. While the book was to be out in the market this year, now it seems it will hit the stands only in 2017. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s memoirs are also published by Penguin. He has co-written the book, Nawaznama: A Memoir, with Rituparna Chatterjee.
The coming year will also see a return of Pankaj Mishra with Age of Anger: A History of the Present. Published by Juggernaut, it will look at Islamic fundamentalism as viewed by the west. Amit Chaudhuri, too, will be back with a new book.
Cross-border infiltration is likely to continue in 2017, through books, at least. Fawad Khan may be out along with other Pakistani artists, but 2017 will see Pakistani writers reaching out to readers across the border. Mohsin Hamid, whose book gave Fawad his first role, is out with a love story, Exit West. It follows a young couple forced to become migrants as their own city collapses. Hamid has always managed to hit the right notes with his sensitive and topical books. Published by Penguin Random House, the book will be out in the first half of the year.
Those who prefer a more poetic version of love can wait for Nadeem Aslam’s new book, The Golden Legend. It has all the ingredients that make his books so unforgettable—love, hope and a sense of duty. The Golden Legend, published by Penguin Random House is likely to be lapped up by those who like their romance heady. The rather eccentric but brilliant Pakistani writer H.M. Naqvi will bring out his long awaited book Adventures of the Cossacks this year.
Going beyond the A-listers, there are other writers from Pakistan who have a committed following in India. Omar Shahid Hamid, a senior officer of the Karachi counterterrorism department, is out with his third book. The Party Worker is a thriller set in Karachi, which weaves together the larger-than-life politics of the city and the publishers claim that it is Hamid’s best work so far.
Myths and mythology will continue, with Amish bringing out the second instalment of his Ram series. Mass market fiction, especially romance, is likely to remain popular. Anuja Chauhan is back with Baaz, her new book on love. The book, set in 1971, is published by HarperCollins India.
Anand Neelakantan is embarking on a new series called Bahubali, while Ashok Banker, who started his career as a rock and roll mythology writer, has turned his focus to history. His book, Ashoka: Lion of Maurya, is being published by Westland.
Internationally, 2017 will be a year of big thrillers. From Dan Brown’s Origin to Ken Follet’s next one in the Kingsbridge series, A Column of Fire, and David Baldacci’s The Fix. And then, there is Oprah Winfrey’s memoirs to look forward to.
As Forrest Gump famously said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get.” But in 2017, each choice might be a good one.
