Deepa Anappara

"Based on a true story--Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality police shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari (even though she gets the best grades), and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job). When a classmate goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from TV to find him. He asks Pari and Faiz to be his assistants and together they draw up lists of people to interview and places to visit. But what begins as a game turns sinister as other children start disappearing from their neighborhood. Jai, Pari, and Faiz have to confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force, and their fears of soul-snatching djinns. As the disappearances edge ever closer to home, the lives of Jai and his friends will never be the same again. At times exuberant, at times heartbreaking, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line traces the unfolding of a tragedy while capturing the fierce warmth and resilience of a community forged in times of trouble"--

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

Longlisted for the Women's Prize 2020

Taymour Soomro

Seventeen Authors on Craft, Race, and Culture

Letters to a Writer of Color

A vital collection of essays on the power of literature and the craft of writing from an international array of writers of color, sharing the experiences, cultural traditions, and convictions that have shaped them and their work “Electric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery . . . a guide, a comfort, and a call all at once.”—Laila Lalami, author of Conditional Citizens Filled with empathy and wisdom, instruction and inspiration, this book encourages us to reevaluate the codes and conventions that have shaped our assumptions about how fiction should be written, and also challenges us to apply its lessons to both what we read and how we read. Featuring: • Taymour Soomro on resisting rigid stories about who you are • Madeleine Thien on how writing builds the room in which it can exist • Amitava Kumar on why authenticity isn’t a license we carry in our wallets • Tahmima Anam on giving herself permission to be funny • Ingrid Rojas Contreras on the bodily challenge of writing about trauma • Zeyn Joukhadar on queering English and the power of refusing to translate ourselves • Myriam Gurba on the empowering circle of Latina writers she works within • Kiese Laymon on hearing that no one wants to read the story that you want to write • Mohammed Hanif on the censorship he experienced at the hands of political authorities • Deepa Anappara on writing even through conditions that impede the creation of art • Plus essays from Tiphanie Yanique, Xiaolu Guo, Jamil Jan Kochai, Vida Cruz-Borja, Femi Kayode, Nadifa Mohamed in conversation with Leila Aboulela, and Sharlene Teo The start of a more inclusive conversation about storytelling, Letters to a Writer of Color will be a touchstone for aspiring and working writers and for curious readers everywhere.

Nine-year-old Jai drools outside sweet shops, watches too many reality police shows and considers himself to be smarter than his friends Pari and Faiz. When a classmate goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from TV to find him. He asks Pari and Faiz to be his assistants, and together they draw up lists of people to interview and places to visit. But what begins as a game turns sinister as other children start disappearing from their neighbourhood. Jai, Pari and Faiz have to confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and rumours of soul-snatching djinns. As the disappearances edge ever closer to home, the lives of Jai and his friends will never be the same again. Drawing on real incidents and a spate of disappearances in metropolitan India, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is extraordinarily moving, flawlessly imagined and a triumph of suspense. It captures the fierce warmth, resilience and bravery that can emerge in times of trouble and carries the reader headlong into a world that, once encountered, is impossible to forget.

Djinn Patrol on the Purple

La pattuglia dei bambini

Les disparus de la Purple Line

Book Club Kit

Filled with empathy and wisdom, personal experiences and creative inspiration, this is a vital collection of essays on the power of literature and the craft of writing from an international array of writers of colour. 'Electric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery . . . a guide, a comfort, and a call all at once' Laila Lalami, author of Conditional Citizens 'A whip-smart collection' Kamila Shamsie, author of Best of Friends What if we reconsidered our assumptions about how fiction should be written? And can we then apply our discoveries to both what we read and how we read? This book explores these questions and encourages us into a more inclusive conversation about storytelling, featuring: • Taymour Soomro on resisting rigid stories about who you are • Madeleine Thien on how writing builds the room in which it can exist • Amitava Kumar on why authenticity isn't a license we carry in our wallets • Tahmima Anam on giving herself permission to be funny • Ingrid Rojas Contreras on the bodily challenge of writing about trauma • Zeyn Joukhadar on queering English and the power of refusing to translate ourselves • Kiese Laymon on hearing that no one wants to read the story that you want to write • Deepa Anappara on writing even through conditions that impede the creation of art Plus essays from Tiphanie Yanique, Xiaolu Guo, Jamil Jan Kochai, Vida Cruz-Borja, Femi Kayode, Nadifa Mohamed in conversation with Leila Aboulela, Myriam Gurba, Mohammed Hanif and Sharlene Teo. 'This book is essential' Nikesh Shukla 'Bracing and moving . . . No one interested in how we read and should read fiction can afford to miss this' Pankaj Mishra, author of Run And Hide

Letters to a Writer of Colour

„O carte uimitoare, minunată." Elif Shafak Jay, un băiețel de nouă ani care urmărește toate serialele polițiste pe care le prinde (în special Patrula de poliție), pornește, alături de cei doi prieteni ai lui, Faiz și Pari, în aventura unei anchete iscate de dispariția unui copil pe care-l cunosc. Acțiunea îi poartă prin cele mai periculoase locuri ale metropolei indiene în care trăiesc: bazarul pe timp de noapte și chiar capătul Liniei Purpurii de tren. Însă în jurul lor copiii dispar în continuare, unul după altul, iar trioul de detectivi trebuie să înfrunte părinți îngroziți, polițiști indiferenți și chiar legenda unor djinni înspăimântători pentru a descoperi adevărul. Ceea ce a început ca o joacă se transformă într-o realitate sinistră. „Un debut genial!" Ian McEwan „Nu e greu de înțeles de ce Patrula djinnilor a fost cel mai așteptat debut al anului 2020. Lectura lui pare un fel de dezvăluire a Indiei moderne și a multiplelor și complexelor ei probleme... Anappara trece cu inteligență o poveste de groază indiană prin filtrul unei narațiuni detectivistice și prin vocea unui erou isteț și prietenos." The Times „Patrula djinnilor este literatură la cel mai înalt nivel. Proza aceasta nu e doar plină de viață și de detalii splendide, ci e și condusă cu mână sigură, fără stângacii. Ne atașăm de aceste personaje de la prima pagină, iar grija noastră este pe deplin răsplătită." Anne Enright „Avertisment: dacă începeți să citiți cartea asta de dimineață, nu vă așteptați să mai faceți altceva în ziua respectivă." The New York Times Book Review

Patrula djinnilor

Drie weken geleden was ik gewoon een schoolkind, nu ben ik detective en heb ik een baantje bij een theekraam. De negenjarige Jai woont in een naamloze stad in het noorden van India. Hij kijkt te veel realityshows over politie, denkt dat hij slimmer is dan zijn vriend Pari (ook al haalt die altijd hogere cijfers) en ziet zichzelf als een betere baas dan Faiz (terwijl Faiz degene is met een baan). Wanneer een jongen van hun school vermist wordt, besluit Jai de kennis die hij heeft opgedaan tijdens het kijken van Police Patrol in de praktijk te brengen. Met Pari en Faiz aan zijn zijde waagt Jai zich in de gevaarlijkste delen van de uitgestrekte Indiase stad: de bazaar na sluitingstijd en zelfs het laatste metrostation van de paarse lijn. Maar kinderen blijven verdwijnen en het drietal moet doodsbange ouders, een onverschillige politie en kwaadaardige djinns onder ogen zien om de waarheid aan het licht te brengen.

Deepa Anappara

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