BENGALURU: As 2014 draws to a close and the Indian publishing industry survives another year despite the challenges thrown up by a competitive and difficult market for booksellers, it is remarkable that the output has been this diverse. With the impending end of brick and mortar book stores, increasing dilemmas over pricing in the digital realm as well as the rapidly rising power of online retailers especially Amazon and Flipkart, the industry teeters on the brink of uncertainty and yet manages to adapt and reinvent itself to the changing dynamics of the world of books and turn the pages of the calendar into a new year.
This year has seen the creation of new trends as well as releases across genres old and new. While some have cashed on an existing wave of mass market popularity, others have missed the bestseller bandwagon, thankfully disappearing into much-deserved oblivion. As Chetan Bhagat continues to rule this unpredictable market with his simplistic tales of love, loss and achievement in modern-day India. He alone seems to have found a genre-bending formula that works, competing against games like Candy Crush and mobile apps, vis-a-vis other writers. 2014 also saw the new trend of Indian erotica spearheaded by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu with her take on a middle class Indian woman’s desires in Sita’s Curse and Ananth’s Play With Me, an urban tale of love, lust and infidelity. The new year will tell whether these books will start a sub genre of their own in the market.
There have also been some stellar collections of poetry by stalwarts Arvind Krishna Mehrotra as well as a collection of Kamala Das’s works in beautiful editions that will tempt fans, collectors and first time readers alike.
My favourite translations of the year include Arunava Sinha’s faithful and sensitive rendition in English of Sangeeta Bandopadhyay’s fascinating, bold and contemporary Panty. Hangwoman by KR Meera, translated from the Malayalam original by J Devika is another important and notable work.
However, apart from the vagaries of the business, this year has also seen remarkable debut voices, a new spurt in YA fiction, the rise of Indian erotica, controversial political narratives and fresh translations.
While our list is by no means extensive, it attempts to capture some of the standout books of the year that was.
Top 5 Literary Fiction
Literary fiction certainly got a fair boost with a crop of extremely talented first -time writers on the block.
Apart from these debut offerings, some literary gems stood out this year for their remarkable narratives, nimble prose and extremely relevant stories.
The Smoke
is Rising
Mahesh Rao’s debut offering The Smoke is Rising provided insight into a modern fractured Indian identity and the ancient-modern small town of Mysore with all its contradictions and struggles.
The Gypsy
Goddess
Meera Kandasamy’s first novel which is in turns lyrical and horrifying as it looks at the shocking massacre of Dalit farmers in 1968 and revisits the events through a fictional lens.
The Scatter Here Is Too Great
Bilal Tanweer’s book is an evocative collection of interlinked stories about Pakistan and its modern conundrum with its unforgettable history, tragic brutality and the survival strategies of its various inhabitants.
The Blind Lady’s Descendants
Anees Salim’s sweeping family saga, The Blind Lady’s Descendants, which traces the trials and tribulations of an Indian Muslim family through the narration of the protagonist Amar Hamza.
The Book of Gold Leaves
Mirza Waheed’s beautiful Sunni-Shia love story, captures nuances of politics, relationships and the tragic state of Kashmir in all its harrowing poetry.
Top 5 Non-Fiction
From politics to sports, from cinema to elections, this year's picks of non fiction cover a wide gamut of subjects, each providing an engrossing read and an insightful window into our times.
And Then
One Day
Naseeruddin Shah’s sparkling memoir And Then One Day is an honest and compelling account of an actor’s struggles with blazing wit and tongue-in-cheek humour.
Out of Line: A
Personal and Political Biography of Nayantara Sahgal
Ritu Menon’s biography is an insightful chronicle into the rich life of one of India’s finest woman writers and commentators of the post-Independence period.
The Accidental Prime Minister
Sanjay Baru’s riveting account of what it was like to ‘manage’ public opinion for Manmohan Singh while giving us an insider’s look at Indian politics as it happened behind the scenes is acute and packed with political gossip.
Kismet Korma and Kheer: Five Seasons in Old Delhi
Pamela Timms’ culinary travelogue through the streets of Old Delhi captures the food and the character of a people and an ancient shahar in all its colour and glory.
Playing It My Way: My Autobiography
Sachin Tendulkar’s much-awaited autobiography outlines the remarkable story of a living legend in his own words and providing a fascinating insight into his personal life, giving a frank account of a sporting life like no other.
Top 5 comMercial fiction
From the political intrigue and mythological settings to the humourous romances of chick-lit; from taut corporate and cyber crime thrillers to the edge-of-the-seat hardboiled crime fiction, commercial fiction has seen a variety that is quite refreshing this year.
Fraudster
RV Raman brings an insider’s perspective to this fast-paced thriller about a world where illicit finance, high-stakes crime and vicious manipulation come together to create a story of corruption, greed and treachery among corporate India’s black sheep.
Half Love, Half
Arranged
Debut writer Itisha Peerbhoy’s book follows a 30-year-old’s misadventures in the marriage market. Awash in caricature and banter, this book is all about what it takes to search for the perfect man.
The Aryavarta Chronicles Book 3: KURUKSHETRA
In this final episode of The Aryavarta Chronicles, Krishna Udayasankar’s recreates the drama and excitement of the world of the Mahabharata with great imagination.
The Butcher of Benares
Mahendra Jakhar’s crime thriller follows Hawa Singh, a senior inspector from Delhi crime branch, who must solve a gruesome murder in Benares which brings together astrology, cannibalism, the occult and murder with ease.
Private India
This collaboration between Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson throws up an exciting work of detective fiction. In it, Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, a leading investigation agency, must solve the mystery behind a series of murders that have rocked Mumbai.