Posts Tagged: Amitava Kumar

A Train is Approaching

Aleph Book Company in India have published several of my books and in December this year they will be bringing out a new one. A short book in their excellent Essential India series. My thanks to Aleph—in particular, David Davidar. I’ll be participating on November 30 at a book event at Champaca Bookstore in Bengaluru… Read more »

NYPL Researcher Spotlight Interview

My current trip to India is coming to an end. Have spent a lot of time in Bengal and it has been good. Tonight I’ll conduct a writing workshop at The Bookshop in Jor Bagh, and then get on a plane. In this post I want to share something different. In mid-July, while I was… Read more »

A Lover’s Discourse

I was interviewed for Frontline magazine, for their new “Bookmarks” column. The interview has been published under the title “Reading is Good When It Disturbs You.”  In the interview I had mentioned A Lover’s Discourse by Roland Barthes and, after listening to Merve Emre’s podcast “The Critic and her Publics,” I have posted a Substack… Read more »

The Writer as Father

In a few hours, I will have the privilege of handing my daughter her diploma during Vassar College’s 161st commencement. The ceremony will be live-streamed, starting at 10 AM EST (7.30 PM IST). I have just now posted a new note on Substack; it is inspired by a short-story by Grace Paley called “Friends.” A… Read more »

House of Speakeasy

“A literary mixtape [with] perfect flow and variety.” — The New York Times, March 2016 House of SpeakEasy continues its electrifying 2025 season at Joe’s Pub on May 13 with a night of fresh, original storytelling from four celebrated writers. Inspired by the theme “Let the Great World Spin,” each author will take the stage… Read more »

Train Dreams

  I’m lucky to have an essay of mine published as the Weekend Essay at the New Yorker. Please read the piece here. I have also compiled a few images from my trip in my latest Substack newsletter. Here’s an image that I was unable to include in the album, of Bihari migrant workers from… Read more »

Happy Pub Day

Feb 11. Happy pub day. The paperback of A Time Outside This Time comes out today. When the hardcover was published, The New Yorker described the book as “a shimmering assault on the Zeitgeist.” Also, it is my father’s birth anniversary today. Here is a link to a piece in Granta magazine; the piece was… Read more »