Ask the Author: Srikumar M. Menon
Answered Questions (9)
Srikumar M. Menon
A Storm of Songs: India and the Idea of the Bhakti Movement by John Stratton Hawley
Seasons of the Palm by Perumal Murugan
"Njanenna Bharateeyan" (Malayalam) by K. K. Muhammed
The Unfinished: The Stone Carvers at Work in the Indian Subcontinent
by Peter Rockwell and Vidya Dehejia
Seasons of the Palm by Perumal Murugan
"Njanenna Bharateeyan" (Malayalam) by K. K. Muhammed
The Unfinished: The Stone Carvers at Work in the Indian Subcontinent
by Peter Rockwell and Vidya Dehejia
Srikumar M. Menon
My favourite fictional couple are minor figures from John Steinbeck's Cannery Row - Mary and Tom Talbot. The narration of Tom's struggles as an aspiring writer and Mary's efforts at "keeping the dark things out of the house" somehow touches a nerve....
Srikumar M. Menon
For me, with my training as an architect, creating a story is very similar to creating a building. Both the processes deal with presenting something to a reader/user. One uses brick and mortar (and lots of other stuff..!!) to create a visual narrative, and the other uses words. Both are immensely satisfying occupations.
Srikumar M. Menon
I cannot think of any better advice for aspiring writers than that gem given by the veteran author Ruskin Bond - "Never despair. And even if you do, continue working." :-)
Srikumar M. Menon
Tough question; but I will try to list out my all-time favourites.
(Not in any order of preference!)
1. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen (It is a travel account but I am including it here because I'm very much inspired by it!)
4. The Aitihyamala (in Malayalam) by Kottarathil Sankunni
5. Stones of Silence by George Schaller (Once again, many might not agree with putting this account by a scientist as "literature")
6. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(Not in any order of preference!)
1. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen (It is a travel account but I am including it here because I'm very much inspired by it!)
4. The Aitihyamala (in Malayalam) by Kottarathil Sankunni
5. Stones of Silence by George Schaller (Once again, many might not agree with putting this account by a scientist as "literature")
6. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Srikumar M. Menon
Tough one! I usually do something else for a while, sometimes, quite a while! Fortunately, there are sufficiently large number of things that engage my interest, so it is not difficult to find something to do.. But at times (especially when beset with deadlines), one has to just be stern with oneself and grind it out..
Srikumar M. Menon
My inspiration comes from the world around me, be it the landscape, people or the sky above! Thanks to my wanderings in pursuit of my academic interests in ancient architecture, I get to see a lot of lesser known locales, some of them truly spectacular, as well as the heart of rural southern India. The stories I see unfold in front of my eyes inspire me..
Srikumar M. Menon
I am currently working on a book about the beautiful Badami region in Karnataka, India. A stunning landscape inhabited from the Stone Age onwards and some of the earliest examples of temple architecture in southern India make it spectacular. However, this region is also important that it might contain clues about the link between prehistoric cultures, their practices such as erection of megaliths and later monumental architecture. I am writing this book as a culmination of extensive field work in this area. The book will be written for general readers.
Srikumar M. Menon
My recent book was about comets. The spate of comet-related activities in 2013 - with the promise of a "Great Comet" in end-2013, provided the inspiration. Unfortunately, "Comet ISON" fizzled out, destroyed during its close encounter with the Sun..
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