16 March,2010 09:12 AM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
Long before Chetan Bhagat made waves with his Three Point Someone and One Night At A Call Centre, IAS officer and writer Upamanyu Chatterjee redefined modern Indian English writing with his novel English August. He is back with his new novel 'Way To Go', which is a sequel to his second book The Last Burden. CS caught up with Upamanyu with a chat:
Latest book
Way To Go is a family drama. It tells the story of what happens to a family when the father dies leaving behind two sons. I had previously described the same family in my second book Way To Go. So, this book is like a sequel. As a story, it's quite sad and tragic.u00a0
Brand of humour
My books have a lot of situational humour. But humour is a very subjective matter. It depends on a person's point of view and vision. It changes from situation to situation. Humour also depends on the circumstances. While I derive a bit of the humour from what I experience around me, there are other sources too.
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Love for writing
My last few books have been about families. They are not set in the Indian Administrative Service. All the books are funny but they address different concerns. As a writer, I want to explore different worlds and situations. I don't find it tough to juggle my job and writing. I have been doing it for the past 27 years. I write a little in the mornings, and then head to office. If I feel fresh in the evenings, I write some more.u00a0
Indian recognition
It's very heartening to see the kind of response Indian English writers are getting nowadays. This will provide encouragement to a number of budding writers. I strongly feeling reading and writing should be an integral part of a person's life. Love for literature should be given encouragement from an early age.
I love to read...
I read indiscriminately left, right and centre. However, I don't have any favourite writers. I read in whatever spare time I get. I love Agatha Christie and James Hadley Chase. I also enjoy reading autobiographies.
