What Alexandre Dumas can teach us (seven times over) about being a bestselling author

The swashbuckling French writer would have been 215 today, July 24. He could have taught a class on successful writing.

Jash Sen

· Jul 24, 2017 · 08:30 am

Go goyenda! A guide to the Bengali detectives who made it to the screen and the ones who need to

The Bengali detective is box office manna in Kolkata, and producers are snapping up rights for some of the most memorable characters.

Jash Sen

· Dec 18, 2016 · 01:30 pm

Four reasons to quarrel with the new James Bond novel

Anthony Horowitz maintains the tricky balance between the James Bond of the 1950s and the contemporary film version, but is let down by lack of pace.

Jash Sen

· Dec 26, 2015 · 01:30 pm

Five books that are crying out for illustrated editions

We’ve read these classics many times over, but an artist can help us see them all over again.

Jash Sen

· Nov 24, 2015 · 08:30 am

Five reasons you must discover the 19th century Russian James Bond: Erast Fandorin

Policeman, sleuth, heartbreaker, the hero is a literary legend of noir in his own right.

Jash Sen

· Oct 18, 2015 · 10:30 am

Why ‘And Then There Were None’ has been voted the best Agatha Christie novel ever

On her 125th birth anniversary, the book beat both ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’.

Jash Sen

· Sep 16, 2015 · 08:30 am

Why Agatha Christie still reigns: seven reasons other than the ones you knew

Detective and crime fiction have changed beyond recognition, but the creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple gains new readers every day.

Jash Sen

· Aug 22, 2015 · 01:30 pm

Five songs from Hindi films that celebrate books

Memorable melodies and books in the frame – what could be better for a reader sneaking a watch of a Hindi film?

Jash Sen

· Apr 25, 2015 · 05:30 pm

Nine Byomkesh Bakshi stories to read as you watch Dibakar Banerjee’s film

One film can only tell so many stories. Here are the must-reads featuring the Bengali detective.

Jash Sen

· Mar 28, 2015 · 09:00 am

Five reasons why Satyajit Ray’s detective Feluda is eternal

Pradosh C Mitter, aka Feluda, the detective created by Satyajit Ray, is a favourite not just in the original Bengali versions but also in translation.

Jash Sen

· Mar 14, 2015 · 07:30 am

The case of the new Sherlock Holmes story: whodunit?

In which the writer voices the suspicion that the recently discovered story isn’t really Conan Doyle’s.

Jash Sen

· Feb 23, 2015 · 06:30 am

Five thoughts on writing, and a post-script, from Amitav Ghosh

A rare, and tantalising, glimpse into the writer’s relationship with creating.

Jash Sen

· Jan 31, 2015 · 06:45 am