Jeffery Archer: RK Narayan Greatest Story Teller, New Gen to Bring Change India’s Been Waiting For
Best-selling story teller, Lord Jeffrey Archer, has been touring India promoting his latest book “Paths of Glory”. New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune saw people flocking to the respective venues to get a glimpse of him, to get a copy signed and hopefully get a snap with him.
Yesterday he was in Pune at the Landmark store. The usual charmer, one would not have noticed but he repeated a lot of things from his last tour across India. He did indirectly back it by saying that a lot of his chatter has been pre-written, but he still manages a certain level of spontaneity.
Introducing Paths of Glory to the audience he went on answering a lot questions that had risen up in his readers minds. After his past fictional works, he ventured into a true story as he found his main character George Mallory very exciting and the fact that no proof existed if he did end up placing his wife’s picture on the Everest summit.
With a discussion on the new version of Kane & Able coming out this October, he had the audience ooh-aah-ing. With over 23 million copies sold [after his apparent pushing the publishers to print 25k copies each month] over 30 years, he had decided to bring in some changes to the story and let them be without announcing to the world, and probably leave it for his readers to point the changes out. After 27,000 words he ended up re-writing the novel, and while giving it a modern touch, he even made it shorter by 7000 words. The original version has already stopped being reprinted and the only copies on the racks are the ones left.
One of our readers had sent in a question asking if Jeffrey would come out with another short stories book. And well he indeed is. With a dozen short stories in place, that’s the next book after Kane & Able. One of the short stories is on a romantically involved couple from Mumbai whose opening paragraph he just finished two days back. A family saga is next in line, and he is quite adamant that nothing will make him change his mind about it. Jeffrey, hopefully, doesn’t look forward to moving away from fiction again.
Responding to the audience questions, he said that according to him R.K. Narayan is a legendary story teller and was surprised to see not a single statue of his in the country and requested that if this plea can reach the ears of the Chennai people. Malgudi Days is a book he has always looked up to and would not like to ever venture into an India based story as he wouldn’t want someone else toeing his line.
What America had seen in the 1920’s and 30’s, what Europe had seen during the 1960’s and 70’s, that’s what India is preparing to experience by the end of the next decade. The people behind it? Current kiddos like the 10 year old, who asked Jeffrey on what basis can one believe if facts haven’t been constructed which was the best question asked by anyone in Delhi. The best question from Mumbai was from a 14 year, and from Chennai it was a 12 year.
No wonder Jeffrey wants to be a part of this country’s system. And that too the transport minister.And then off he went to signing books for his beloved fans, wishing he could bake the cake and eat it too.
Sahil Khan
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