Interview: Chandrahas Choudhury

Manipal: Chandrahas Choudhury is a literary critic and a blogger based in Mumbai. He is the author of a widely read literary blog The Middle Stage. He was in Manipal for the Manipal Media Students’ Convention, 2008 (MMSC – ’08) held on April 18th and 19th. He spoke on ‘Blogging and Literature’ at the Convention. 

Q: How long have you been a literary critic?
A: I started out in 2005. That was when I started writing for The Middle Stage. It has been three years now. I had a day job then, I freelance now. 

Q: What print publications do you write for?
A: I write a weekly review column for ‘Mint’, Delhi. I also write for ‘The Observer’, London; ‘Sunday Telegraph’, London, ‘Los Angeles Times’, Los Angeles and ‘The San Francisco Chronicle’, San Francisco. 

Q: If a blog is ill-read, does it need publicity? If not, why blog?
A: I don’t believing in publicising blogs. My blog recently turned three years of age (April 12) and I don’t earn anything out of it. Coming to the question of- why blog? When I write for a print publication, I reach only a fixed number of people who buy that publication on that day. Chances are high that they don’t buy to read my literary review column. They may chance upon it and read it. I do get letters from readers of print but the reach is limited. Also, there are constrains of space and deadlines to be met. In my blog, I write for a niche audience who are interested in reading quality literature. I don’t have to limit my word count and can review varied books that have long since been published. 

Q: Since a reviewer gives only his/her opinion about books, how long does it take to establish credibility for your readers to believe you?
A: It definitely is a business of forming certain informed opinions. Initially it is difficult. It takes between six months to one year for your readers to take your word as good. 

Q: What does it take to be a literary critic?
A: One has to have some training in content and literary analysis. Competence is the key. It is a very specialised field. I’m the only freelance literary reviewer and blogger in India. There are certain ethics to the profession. Even if I know that a certain book is not going to be a good read, I have to go through it completely before I can review it. The only exception to this rule would be reviewing anthologies. Once you read the majority of the anthology, you get a feel of how it may be and can review it based on that knowledge. There are times when a much awaited book is published late but a review has to be carried in the weekend edition of a print publication. If such be the case, I have to drop everything and read the book. The job is a good one though if you enjoy quality literature. The essential point is to try and understand the special quality that is in the author’s work. 

Q: So, what are your favourite works in fiction and non-fiction?
A: (smiles) In fictional works, I like ‘Crime and Punishment’ a novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, ‘My name is Red’ by 2007 Nobel Prize (Literature) winner Orhan Pamuk. I think it is the best work in fiction of the 21st century. Among Indian writers I like Saadat Hasan Manto. In non-fictional works I like ‘The Paris Review Interviews’. ‘The Paris Review’, New York City, is a quarterly literary magazine which carries interviews with authors. Anyone who wants to understand the nuts and bolts of writing should read these interviews which are available in volumes that are compiled in the form of ‘The Paris Review Interviews’. 

Q: What is your take on vernacular literature in India?
A: Though I’m a writer of English, I think there is an unfair bias toward English language writers in India. It is relatively easy to be a writer in English in India. My sympathies lie toward vernacular language writers. However, the translation scene is improving for the last three or four years. I make it a point to read at least four to five quality translations every year. 

Q: You advocate unorganized reading and cover a vast variety of books. How do you notice such obscure and relatively unknown writers?
A: For anyone who wants to read quality literature, I suggest the reading of foreign literary supplements. Indian newspapers neglect literature. Our newspapers carry only one literary page per week. Not much can be covered in that. Foreign newspapers like the Sunday edition of the ‘New York Times’ and the Saturday edition of ‘The Guardian’ carry detailed supplements of noticeable works on the literary scene worldwide. The Internet has made this easier than it was 10 years ago. 

Q: You are writing a book...
A: Yes! I finished the final revision of my manuscript just a day before I flew to Manipal. It may be out between December and March. I want the book to be priced low so that it may be read by students. It is sad that the good books are priced at Rs. 395 or so. I also wish to balance simplicity in language and class in style of narrative. The title is decided but I don’t want to disclose it. It is a comic work. 

Q: Finally, how was MMSC – ’08?
A: It was very nice. I was at leisure, well attended to and it reminded me of my best days as a student. It was as much a learning experience for me as for anyone else. It helped me to democratically meet people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Life is all about relations and friendships. If I were to offer criticism, it is just that the event was organised in summer during which many students may not come owing to exams; winter would have been a better time. I’d like to be a part of the Convention for the years to come.

Apart from developing a huge female fan following, Chandrah Choudhury’s session at the convention was a huge success. With his promise on returning to Manipal in the years to come, TMJ hopes to catch up with him sometime again.

Sub-edited by Sara Mohd Siddiqui