When you read his books, they seem effortless and fluid, a stream of words, and comfortable and familiar, like a conversation that you are a part of — yet they are extraordinary, and their impact, sublime. When he talks, you recognise the voice — it feels like, for a change, you have the pleasure of hearing one of his characters speak, rather than reading about them in his books. Verve has award-winning author Amitav Ghosh — whose Flood of Fire, the third installation of his bestselling Ibis trilogy, has been creating waves in literary circles all over the world — letting you in into his private space.
WHAT ATTRACT YOU TOWARDS HISTORICAL FICTION?
I’ve always loved reading historical fiction, even as a child. I used to read it in English and Bengali. I remember when I was in school, I wanted to write a novel about the great Mughals. To me, there is no essential difference between fiction and historical fiction. All fiction is historical fiction — because technically you can’t write about the present for by the time you write it, it has become the past. So fiction does have a very intimate relationship with the past, and how you remember and narrate it.
HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT IS IT TO MAINTAIN THE BALANCE BETWEEN HISTORY AND FACT?
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Making Amends
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As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
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