The Cooking of Books: A Literary Memoir

The book explores the forty-year relationship between historian Ramachandra Guha and his editor Rukun Advani, highlighting their enduring friendship despite their disagreements on politics, human nature, and India. It is based on letters and emails between the two, showcasing their wit, humor, and drollery.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 18 January 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

The bond between an author and his editor is a rare and remarkable connection that spans forty years of epistolary exchanges and intellectual sparring. In the case of historian Ramachandra Guha and his editor Rukun Advani, their friendship has defied the odds and endured through countless letters and emails.

The story begins in Delhi in the early 1980s, when Guha was an unpublished PhD scholar and Advani was a fresh-faced editor with Oxford University Press. Despite their vastly different backgrounds and personalities, they struck up a connection that would shape their professional and personal lives.

Over the years, their friendship blossomed, with Guha becoming a pioneering historian of the environment and cricket, while also penning his groundbreaking biography of Verrier Elwin. Advani was Guha's most constant confidant, his most reliable reader, and his most trusted literary adviser. He encouraged Guha to craft and refine the literary style for which he became internationally known, narrative histories that have made vast areas of scholarship popular and accessible.

Despite their enduring friendship, Guha and Advani have not always seen eye to eye on politics, human nature, and their commitment to India. Their disagreements often led to heated debates and private outbursts of savage sarcasm. However, they have learned to make up, realizing that their odd relationship is too valuable to let die.

This book, which is built around letters and emails between an outgoing and occasionally combative scholar and a reclusive editor prone to private outbursts of savage sarcasm, is a testament to the enduring power of wit, humor, and drollery. It is a rare glimpse into the professional and personal dynamics of an author and his editor, and a reminder of the importance of maintaining a strong and lasting relationship despite differences.

In conclusion, the bond between Ramachandra Guha and Rukun Advani is a remarkable example of the enduring power of friendship and intellectual sparring. Their forty-year relationship has been marked by wit, humor, and drollery, and has defied the odds to become a source of inspiration and guidance for both men. Despite their disagreements, they have learned to make up and continue to support each other in their respective endeavors. This book is a testament to the value of such a relationship and a reminder of the importance of maintaining strong connections in the world of literature and beyond.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 144 x 225 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008670146