While fiction and poetry takes us to imaginative corners of our world and beyond, non-fiction like biographies and historical accounts reminds us of the realities around us.
There are some great books to look forward to this year.
After Salman Rushdie was attacked in the Chautauqua Institution of New York state and lost an eye, he had recuperated enough to release one novel, ‘Victory City’. This year, he is releasing a biographical account of his attack and its aftermath, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder”.
Another writer who experienced life-changing events two years ago is South Asian-British author Hanif Kureishi.
Following an accident in Rome in late 2022, Kureishi found himself physically paralysed and dictated these travails to his family who posted on social media.
‘Shattered’ will be a compilation of his experiences as he struggled with survival and hope. As he says, “Deprived of newspapers, music, and all the rest of it, you will find yourself becoming very imaginative”.
The re-telling of history continues with authors examining the complex realities that shaped imperialism.
Sathnam Sanghera’s landmark book ‘Empireland’ is now followed by “Empireworld: How British imperialism has shaped the globe”. This will be another rich study on what the consequences of imperialism were on the rest of the world, which continues to pay a price until today.
Globalisation is now being seen, not as a recent twenty-first century phenomenon but one that goes well into the past, in fact into the prehistoric past.
The Silk Road and trade across the Indian Ocean show how the world was well connected much before it got its current trademark name of globalisation. William Darlymple’s latest historical work “The golden road” will explore the ancient links between India and the Roman Empire, focusing on the sea route along the Red Sea.
A more inspirational and relaxed read is Chitra Divakaruni’s “An uncommon love: The early life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy”, exploring the life and early challenges faced by the well-known entrepreneur and founder of Infosys, India’s foremost technology company. His wife, Sudha Murthy is now widely known as a philanthropist and author in her own right.
For those who are more connected with current technological trends, there is a digital edition of “Effective social media marketing for nonprofits: Tactics, strategies, tools and homework to get more out of your social media marketing efforts’ by Raul Tiro.
This book looks into the current phenomenon of affiliate marketing in social media, giving a step-by-step process of how to maximise profits from this platform.
Similarly, Erwin Lima’s “Is there life beyond the touch screen? - Understanding the true impact of smartphone addiction: Protect your mental health now and in the future” is a timely study into the true impact of this tiny device without which life cannot be imagined today. The book argues for the importance of awareness and suggests that the choice to use, or over-use technology, remains with us.
The world of fiction creates plots and characters in whose world we may shortly live, but other kinds of writing shows us the realities of our living world, and often points to ways in which we can cope with the pressures of our world.
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