Literary Activism, the Amit Chaudhuri-led project, recently produced two new imprints, Books of Rahim and Other Poems by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and On Being Indian by Chaudhuri. At the Calcutta launch of the titles at Experimenter Ballygunge Place on September 23, Chaudhuri along with Anirban Das and Jean Frederic Chevallier, were in conversation with Anjum Katyal. The panel provided thoughtful and deep insights into the literary marketplace and the nature of literary products in the contemporary world.
Literary Activism, which describes itself as “a series of presentations and interventions”, started its journey in 2014 and has thus included symposiums, workshops, and other activities.
Speaking about On Being Indian, Chaudhuri mentioned how the book does not conform to any particular genre or narrative form. “When we think of narrative, we always think of it in terms of fiction. However, narrative can also be used to tell non-fiction,” said Chaudhuri as he spoke on the literary forms of narrative and even employing the non-narrative. He also mentioned authors like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, famous for employing non-traditional forms of narrative even in fiction.
Das added to this discussion, agreeing on the use of narrative and also noting the role of the literary marketplace in helping a text reach a larger audience. Philosopher, dance-theatre director and video artist Jean Frederic Chevallier joined in on the conversation to speak of his experiences with the literary text and especially, on its translation to other mediums, such as the visual or the performative. The discussion was enriched by Katyal’s thoughtful leads and timely interventions to further the ideas spoken about.