Caroline Moorhead or Clara Zetkin, one of these two writers. I’ve drawn up a list of 23 books to read on this topic, so my next read is possibly going to be from there. I’m reading a lot of non-fiction these days, particularly on Fascism. I just wish all of that was made more accessible. “No matter what, nobody can take away the dances you've already had.” Marquez, of course.Ī lot of non-fiction, academic writing is insufferable.

Which is that one quote you'll never forget? I think it’s also respectful to the author if you don’t finish their books if it doesn’t interest you.

Unless of course, you are reading it for a review, in which case it is very painful and you have to struggle hard and finish it. If it doesn’t work for you, the best thing to do is to put it down and move on. Life is very very short to finish all the books you start. Which is that one book you put down without finishing? If it doesn’t work for you, the best thing to do is to put it down and move on: Meena Kandasamy. My three-year-old son acts out every single line from memory. Which is your all-time favourite children's book? I think one Indian writer who consistently delivers in writing funny stuff is Anees Salim. My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite was a very funny fictional novel. There is something about that book, about its beauty and the way it holds together tragedy.

I think the book that did not make me cry but filled me with a very heavy sadness which I carried around for many days was The God of Small Things. So, we are speaking about a very, very low threshold here. I even cry when I read the newspaper, and look at some statistics about infant mortality in Madhya Pradesh or something. Which is that one book that made you cry? In poetry, my favourite writer is Kamala Das, she never ages-there is always this stark moment of beauty and pain packaged together. In fiction, my favourite writer is Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the best work of his to my tastes is Chronicle of A Death Foretold. I think this is a very very difficult question, and I wish I can pick one book for each genre that exists.

Ms Militancy by Meena Kandasamy