On editors, the invisible architects

New Indian Express

5 days ago

In a world that celebrates authors as solitary geniuses, the role of the editor remains largely invisible. A name tucked into acknowledgements, buried in footnotes, or sometimes not mentioned at all.
Yet anyone who has truly wrestled with the written word knows: behind every great book stands a quiet co-creator. Editors do more than fix grammar or polish style. They are critics, confidantes, coaches, and often, crisis managers.
They are the invisible architects of literature.Take Maxwell Perkins, the legendary editor who shaped the careers and voices of giants of American literature such as F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe. As Scott Berg's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius (later adapted into the film Genius), brilliantly reveals, Perkins was more than an editor. He was a career counsellor, a therapist, a financial lifeline, and above all, a believer.
My own writing journey has been shaped by the steady, compassionate hands of remarkable editors. My wife, Deepali, was my first and fiercest critic. She was never afraid to tell me when something didn't work, but always with the faith that it could. She reminded me that writing, like any practice, demands repetition and resilience.
C K Meena, my co-author, wields her editorial scalpel with grace and precision. She taught me the value of brevity: that writing is not just about what to say, but what to leave out. And then there was Abhivyakti Singh at Hachette. Gentle yet unwavering. She believed in my voice even when I doubted it myself.
The work of great editors often hides in plain sight. Take Ursula Nordstrom, the visionary children's editor at Harper & Row. Her letters, compiled in Dear Genius, are a testament to editorial empathy. Alternately playful, firm, maternal, and fiercely protective, her correspondence with authors like Margaret Wise Brown, Maurice Sendak, and Shel Silverstein reveals a sacred trust.
Harold Ross, the founding editor of The New Yorker, left his imprint on the very tone of the magazine. His letters, collected in Letters from the Editor, reveal a man obsessed with rhythm, honesty, and precision.
Closer to home, Ramachandra Guha's The Cooking of Books offers a delightful glimpse into the Indian publishing ecosystem. Built around his irreverent and witty exchanges with the reclusive editor Rukun Advani, the book reminds us that editorial relationships are often marked by friction, pushback, and negotiation, but at their best, they are built on mutual trust.
Chiki Sarkar represents a new breed of editor – entrepreneurial, intuitive, and in tune with the digital generation. From her time leading Penguin India to founding Juggernaut Books, Sarkar has championed new voices and unconventional formats such as mobile-first literature.
One of the towering figures in modern publishing was Sonny Mehta. As the publisher of Knopf, Mehta was a soft-spoken force who balanced literary excellence with commercial appeal. He wasn't interested in trends but in truth. He guided the careers of Haruki Murakami, Michael Ondaatje, Toni Morrison, and countless others. Speaking of Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, few know she was a trailblazing editor who championed Black voices at Random House long before the industry prioritised diversity.
Fewer still know that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lived a second life as an editor – a talented one, with a discerning eye – at Viking and Doubleday.
What connects unsung editors across the globe is their courage to say 'not yet' when everyone else is saying 'good enough'. They listen, hearing what isn't yet said; they sense the story beneath the syntax and then reveal it. Their fingerprints may be invisible, but their impact is unmistakable. The rewards they seek are not fame or fortune but a line that sings, a paragraph that finally breathes. Their work is a labour of devotion – to the writer, to the reader, and most of all, to the story.
To all the invisible architects who shaped the books that shaped us – this is your story too. Thank you.
(The writer's views are personal)