Latest news with #Higginbothams
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal: A rite of passage for the yesteryear readers of Madras
It has been a fortnight when words paused and two authors died. On May 28, African legend Ngugi wa Thiong'o passed away, and on Monday (June 9), Frederick Forsyth became part of the mists of time. And an essential part of growing up in Madras for an entire generation. If the former was the classical purveyor of the hard-hitting story, the latter was all about the quickening of the pulse, thanks to his fast-paced books. One common thread, however, was that both writers mined their material from reality. Relatively, Forsyth was the more popular of the two, dabbling in thrillers linked to the world of espionage, now fashionably called the deep state. A terrain that John le Carre too dabbled in. For many readers in the Madras of the past, an essential rite of passage was to read Forsyth's masterpiece The Day of the Jackal. It was akin to watching Pretty Woman at Casino, another growing up ritual. The historical fiction that looked into an assassination attempt on the then French President Charles de Gaulle has aged well just like one of his subsequent books, The Odessa File. Back then, it was a book you picked at Higginbothams, that is if the pocket money allowed this indulgence. Else you had to be prepared to haggle with second-hand book dealers on the pavement adjoining the General Post Office on Mount Road or rush to Moore Market and look for a dog-eared version or a pirated copy. For anyone moving from Nancy Drew, Famous Five and Hardy Boys, it was a step up from jam tarts and grisly murders. Forsyth, or for that matter, Harold Robbins, Irving Wallace and much later Jeffrey Archer and Sidney Sheldon were deemed the real deal, portraying a world slipping into crime and envy, and one with a harried sleuth on hot pursuit. Forsyth led the way and other commercial authors followed. His style of fiction, marinated in current events, proved to be a template for men like Leon Uris, whose novels centred around Jewish characters, and exposed us to traditions like Yom Kippur. Be it Uris or Erich Segal, whose Love Story was another essential read, there was always a Jewish or Israeli element in their tales. Whether it was the celebrated Forsyth or a James Hadley Chase, the booksellers at Moore Market, were clued in and reeled out titles that were deemed must-reads. Bargaining and stealing a deal, it would be then time to leaf through the pages while waiting to board a suburban train either at Central or Park, while sipping an HPMC apple juice. It surely was a Madras of a gentle pace and a lingering word.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Chennai Book Park sees a steady stream of crowd on Day 1
Status: cleared Chennai: Those entering the Central Metro station now have one-stop access to books from prominent publishers, spanning from Higginbothams to Katha, at the Chennai Book Park, opened by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday. An initiative of the School Education Department to kindle a reading habit among the public, the book park saw a steady stream of visitors on the first day. Nestled between a pharmacy and an eatery, en route to the ticket counter, one would rarely miss the park. Decked up with flowers and carpets, over 4,300 titles from over 13 publishers were on display. Among these, 84 titles were released on Tuesday. Most of the stalls belonged to the Tamil Nadu Text Book and Educational Services Corporation (TNTESC), which manages the functioning of the park. Nakkheeran, Shanti, and Coral were among the prominent publishers who set up stalls. Schoolbooks, guides, and books for competitive exams, mostly Tamil, were available. The cost of books ranged from ₹50 to ₹3,500. The CMRL is yet to fix signage for the park at entries and exits. TNTESC superintendent G Balaji said the park will be open from 9 am to 9 pm. "The schedule on weekend timings will be finalised in a couple of days. At least three staff, including security personnel, will man the premises," he said. Chezhian Kumarasamy, Executive Director of an advertising firm, said it was good to see people at a book park in a digital age where mobile phones call the shots. "I wish more such parks would be opened in places such as airports and MRTS stations," he said. Some, like law student L Lakshmi, who walked in thinking there would be a lot of autobiographies and non-fiction Tamil books, said she was surprised to find English books on self-help. Publication managers, however, aren't too optimistic about sales. "I don't know how many people will walk in. They are in a hurry to board trains," said Sivakumar, manager of one of the publications. By 8:50 pm, the facility registered a sale of about ₹35,000. The stalls have tied up with the TNTESC on a revenue-sharing model, said Katha Books CEO Ravin Carr. "Between 25% and 40% of the sale cost (depending on the size of the stalls) will be shared with the govt," he said. At the event, the Chief Minister also inaugurated 110 library buildings built across all districts at a cost of ₹29.80 crore and 70 special libraries at bus stands, hospitals, and district collectorates. MSID:: 121757662 413 |
