The Literary City

Mar 05 2024 8
The Literary City Podcast artwork

EXPLOCITY PODCASTS presents THE LITERARY CITY With Ramjee Chandran. This literary podcast is devoted to books and authors. It features interviews with a stellar line up of authors, both world famous and also authors who are being discovered—the only criterion being the quality of the prose. Topics are generally literary and include history, biographies, literature and literary fiction. The Literary City podcasts celebrates authors, poets, playwrights, grammar police, literary lounge lizards...and, oh yes, a cunning linguist or ten.

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Celestial by Abhay K And 10 Indian Languages by Karthik Venkatesh

Mar 05 2024 43 mins  
In this episode of The Literary City, we embark on a journey with two distinguished guests—each bringing a unique perspective to our exploration of literature and language.Abhay K, a poet-diplomat, and the author of "Celestial," a poetic masterpiece comprising 100 couplets that intricately weave the enchanting tales of the 88 constellations in our galaxy. Abhay's j

The Literary Life Of Ramachandra Guha

Feb 20 2024 47 mins  
My guest today is a titan of Indian history, Ramachandra Guha.He is known for his monumental works on Gandhi and Indian history, but today we're taking a detour into the realm of literature.We'll be diving into his latest book, "The Cooking Of Books," a slice-of-life memoir that offers a poignant glimpse into his relationship with his first editor, Rukun Advani.

The Lighthouse Family: A Compelling Novel From The Turkish Ambassador

Feb 13 2024 41 mins  
My guest today, is an author from Turkiye, Firat Sunel. He is a career diplomat. He is currently the Turkish Ambassador to India.Firat is a demonstrably fascinating novelist. His latest novel, “The Lighthouse Family”, is a wonderful example of storytelling, of craft and of everything literary. I venture to say without qualification that it is one of the best novels I have read

Churchill And India Fighting Retreat With Historian Walter Reid

Dec 12 2023 43 mins  
You know how some people just seem to have that star quality? Winston Churchill, he was one of those. No matter how many books, documentaries you may have imbibed—or, speaking of imbibed, tales you may have heard of his brandy-infused mornings, there's always an insatiable appetite for more and more Churchill.His wit, his wisdom, and yes, even his lack of a filter in his sho

A Disquiet In The Queen Of All Nations With Abhijit Sengupta

Nov 28 2023 40 mins  
In what is meant to be his quiet and reflective corridor of retirement, my guest today, Abhijit Sengupta grapples with a disquiet that lingers. A former senior IAS officer and therefore, you might say, a custodian of order and democracy, a lifetime of service to the nation has clearly left him with a profound sense of duty that refuses to retire with him.Abhijit’s expression of a

The Secret Of More With Tejaswini Apte-Rahm

Nov 21 2023 33 mins  
The essence of historical fiction is telling stories set in a particular period of time. They transport us to a different place, offering insights into the past while exploring themes that are relatable across generations.In the craft of historical fiction, authors take creative liberties with places, events, and characters, using them as foundations for their stories. Here are som

Mani Shankar Aiyar And The Memoirs Of A Very Literary Maverick

Nov 07 2023 52 mins  
My guest today is the remarkable Mani Shankar Aiyar. If you haven’t heard of him, let’s simply admit that you’ve been living under a rock.If you've been anywhere near the worlds of diplomacy, politics, or literature, you will know of him in detail but let me sum up his remarkable journey as succinctly as I can.Mani Shankar Aiyar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1963.

The Art Of The Thriller And The American Boyfriend With Ivy Ngeow

Oct 24 2023 39 mins  
In an essay, published in a 1964 edition of The Times Literary Supplement, V S Naipaul wrote:"The language was ours, to use as we pleased. The literature that came with it was therefore of peculiar authority, but this literature was like an alien mythology. There was, for instance, Wordsworth’s notorious poem about the daffodil. A pretty little flower, no doubt; but we had n

What Happens When The Big Man Passes On? After Messiah With Aakar Patel

Oct 10 2023 50 mins  
Most of us do not colour code our threat levels. But nations do.Following 9/11, the Homeland Security Advisory System in America in 2002 came up with the warning system that we all know and love today in our TV shows—green, blue, yellow, orange and red, depending, obviously, on the severity of the threat.Government officials plan and practice their responses to each threat level�

Reason And Hope In A Dark Time With History's Angel And Anjum Hasan

Sep 26 2023 45 mins  
Good literature can help us navigate our own emotions and motivations, and it helps us see the world through the eyes of the writer. The best literature touches our hearts and our minds. It triggers our emotions, and makes us think critically about the world around us, by challenging our assumptions and consequently, expanding our understanding of what it means to be human.Some wri