Salim’s third manuscript, and the first he managed to sell, toed the line between commercial appeal and literary merit just enough to pique the interest of publishers. Tales from a Vending Machine (2013) was light-hearted and playful, but beneath the surface, Salim delved into some of the larger themes that occupy his entire oeuvre: the significance of the literary act, Islam’s often fraught relationship with contemporary India, and the humour that trickles, largely unnoticed, through daily life. And unlike many commercial fiction writers before him, Salim harnessed the impetus from the sale of Tales from the Vending Machine to return to his high-minded literary roots. Between finding an agent in 2010 and winning the 2013 Hindu Prize for Literature, Salim sold and published two older manuscripts, wrote a new novel, and inserted himself into the upper-echelon of contemporary Indian letters. Adam B Lerner on how the novelist Anees Salim takes a light-hearted approach to India’s big issues.
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 08:40:38 +0000