BENGALURU: A recent wave of picture books hitting the US market narrates stories of migrants, refugees and same-sex relationships. They are apparently appealing to people across age groups. Publishers and readers back home point out that picture books in India too are also breaking the mould of catering only to children.
“Illustrations are art, which means they are being interpreted differently by people across age groups,” said Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, cofounder, Neev Literature Festival. The three-day event starting on September 27 has panel discussions and an award dedicated to picture books. The idea behind this, she explained, is to create awareness about Indian picture books on relevant social issues that get drowned in the noise created by international titles.
`I Will Save My Land’ by Rinacina, for instance, talks about land-grabbing that leads to villages being gobbled up in the name of ‘development’. Bijal Vachharajani’s ‘So You Want To Know About The Environment’ addresses climate change, food and water security. Neha Singh’s ‘I Need to Pee’ makes a case for safe and hygienic public toilets while `Pink and Blue’ by Ritu Vaishnav breaks down gender stereotypes.
“Picture books often occupied a minuscule part of our list of titles. The print run was smaller and more expensive. Now, we have changed our strategy to annually publish three-four titles that get people talking about contemporary issues,” said Sohini Mitra, an associate publisher at Penguin Random House. “The best kind of picture books are the ones that both children and adults access and derive a value addition out of. For that, one needs to pay attention to the packaging and illustration quality.”
Artist Bakula Nayak often buys picture books for her sons (aged 8 and 13) in order to get them into the reading habit. She, however, ends up reading them herself. “In an age where we are inundated with information and have short attention spans, I find picture books engaging and informative without needing to concentrate or analyse.”
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Priya Krishnan, editor at Tulika Publishers, said that the narrative must be balanced so that it is neither in-your-face nor superficial. The publisher brings out about 20 picture books annually in English and eight Indian languages. “For the book to be taken seriously across age groups, we are simple but not simplistic. It is important to use the right words and not stereotype.”
Amar Chitra Katha, among the oldest publishers of illustrated titles, has also evolved in its approach, said executive editor Reena Puri. Its most avid readers, therefore, fall between ages 25 and 30. “Earlier, we have published stories on Padmini or Ranakdevi that spoke about sati. With younger teams and well-read readers, we will not pick stories like that today.”
When Murakami, Toni Morrison, J D Salinger's Books Were Banned
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By Apoorva Puranik
As Haruki Murakami’s new book faces a ban in Hong Kong for being obscene, here are some other literary masterpieces that fought a hard battle to reach bookshelves.
By Apoorva PuranikAs Haruki Murakami’s new book faces a ban in Hong Kong for being obscene, here are some other literary masterpieces that fought a hard battle to reach bookshelves.
The Nobel-Prize-winning author is no stranger to censorship. Her novel 'The Bluest Eye' (1970) was ranked as the second most banned book in the United States by the American Library Association.
The book has been attacked for its ‘pornographic language’ and ‘inappropriate content’. A part of reading lists in schools across the US, it was banned after several parents’ association protested against its inclusion in the syllabus. Despite explicit sex scenes describing incest, rape, and pedophilia, the book is held as a thought-provoking literary work.
Set in 1941, it centres around the life of an African-American girl named Pecola. Morrison’s other works, 'Beloved' (1987) and 'Song of Solomon' (1977), have also met with calls to be removed from school libraries and reading lists.
The Nobel-Prize-winning author is no stranger to censorship. Her novel 'The Bluest Eye' (1970) was ranked as the second most banned book in the United States by the American Library Association. The ..
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In 1929, Norah James wrote her 'stream-of-consciousness' novel about two lovers who form a suicide pact.
Deemed obscene because of expressions such as 'b***s', 'bloody' and 'For Christ's sake give me a drink', the British Home secretary Sir William Joyson-Hicks prompted a raid on the premises of Scholartis Press, the publishing house owned by the New Zealander Eric Partridge. Copies were seized and then destroyed after the final judgement was made that the novel suggested 'thoughts of the most impure character.'
However, a clandestine French edition, published by Jack Kahane of Obelisk Press, made it to bookshelves.
In 1929, Norah James wrote her 'stream-of-consciousness' novel about two lovers who form a suicide pact. Deemed obscene because of expressions such as 'b***s', 'bloody' and 'For Christ's sake give me..
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This 1857 masterpiece by the French writer caused public outcry over its sexualised content and themes of adultery when La Reveau, a French magazine, released some of its excerpts.
While Flaubert and his publishers agreed to remove certain passages, it wasn’t enough and Flaubert was charged with offending public morality. At the trial, Imperial Advocate Ernest Pinard famously said, “No gauze for him, no veils — he gives us nature in all her nudity and crudity.”
While the public opinion remained that Flaubert's work would inevitably lead to the decay of public decency, the jury acquitted him and 'Madame Bovary' was republished in its entirety and sold 15,000 copies in two months.
This 1857 masterpiece by the French writer caused public outcry over its sexualised content and themes of adultery when La Reveau, a French magazine, released some of its excerpts. While Flaubert and..
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The controversial English writer’s tryst with censorship goes beyond the hotly debated Lady Chatterley’s Lover. With 'Women In Love', Lawrence once again shot to infamy, sparking controversy over its sexual content.
The book, published privately in 1920, examines the ill effects of industrialisation on the human psyche through intensity and passion.
The book was banned during Lawrence’s lifetime and after years of misunderstandings, accusations of duplicity, and hurried letters, Thomas Seltzer finally published the first edition of 'Women in Love' in New York City, on November 9, 1920.
This had come after three drawn out years of delays and revisions.
The controversial English writer’s tryst with censorship goes beyond the hotly debated Lady Chatterley’s Lover. With 'Women In Love', Lawrence once again shot to infamy, sparking controversy over its..
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Ever since J D Salinger’s 'The Catcher in the Rye' was published in 1951, it attracted the attention of the censors.
One of the earliest works of fiction exploring male teenage consciousness, the book is narrated in the first person by Holden Caulfield, who struggles with feelings of alienation and anxiety.
During 1965 to 1975, it was the most frequently banned book in American schools, with the common complaint being of obscene language and the portrayal of inappropriate adolescent behaviour.
Although challenged many times, the book remains on many reading lists, and is constantly reprinted.
Ever since J D Salinger’s 'The Catcher in the Rye' was published in 1951, it attracted the attention of the censors. One of the earliest works of fiction exploring male teenage consciousness, the boo..
