Ranbir Singh Sidhu's Blog, page 5

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here

In an excerpt from Daniel Menaker’s memoir about his years working in publishing, My Mistake: A Memoir, he offers a deadpan and often hilarious take on what goes on there behind the scenes. Read it at Vulture.com. Publishing is an often incredibly frustrating culture. If you want to buy a project—let’s say a nonfiction proposal […]

“Tender, uproarious and incredibly insightful”

In a brief, but glowing, one line review, Barnes & Noble Review says some very nice things about my book (though they misspelled my name). Link here. In twelve vivid stories, Ranbir Singh Sidhu paints tender, uproarious and incredibly insightful portraits of Indians living in America.

False floors and a lot more, all in the world of Harry Mathews

Harry Mathews has been a friend and supporter of my work for some years. He wrote a glorious blurb for the book, all heartfelt, for which I’m deeply grateful. One day, I’ll write a short piece on how we met, which was certainly amusing, and involved large quantities of alcohol and cigarettes. In the meantime, […]

WORD Bookstore reading, November 12

So last night the lovely and marvelous Lynne Tillman joined me in helping to celebrate the publication of GOOD INDIAN GIRLS at WORD Bookstore in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We had a great crowd, and a good conversation after we both read. All in all, a really lovely evening. Thanks to all who attended!

Herman Melville tries to sell a story

Melville letters are rare things, and this one is a fine example, pushy, in need of money, and at its heart a difficult, rebellious story which he was trying to sell called “The Two Temples.” Stephen J. Gertz tells the whole story over at The Booktryst. And as a side note, the five dollars per […]

“Stuck on a story for years…”

A lovely new interview up over at W3Sidecar. Check it out here. I can be stuck on a story for years—actually many of the stories included here were written in part, left unfinished, and then returned to years later to finish. Where that final push comes from I don’t know, except that time is mysterious, […]

Reading: Tuesday, November 12th

If you’re in New York City next Tuesday night, come out to a reading from GOOD INDIAN GIRLS at WORD Bookstore in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I’ll be reading with the marvelous Lynne Tillman. Details here. 7 PM, WORD Bookstore, 126 Franklin St, Brooklyn.

“Good Indian Girls”

Read an extended excerpt from the title story over at The Aerogram. That night she dreamed of a naked old man in a cowboy hat hopping cross-legged from one feathery cloud to another while his knees streamed blood and his limp penis flopped menacingly between his hairy thighs. The dream must mean something and she […]

“I get bored when everyone is going along nicely and not questioning”

The fine folks at The Aerogram have published an extended interview with me on the book. Take a look here. In my view, one of the central purposes of art is to unsettle, and to destabilize our own fixed notions of who we are, and who our fellow humans are. If, after having read this […]

Writing in bed, and other revelations

Over at her Intermittent Visitors site, the marvelous poet and blogger Joanne Merriam has a brief interview with me up. What will you learn? That I’m a messy writer who hates getting out of bed, thinks you should ignore all writing advice, and oh yeah, still an Alasdair Gray fanboy after all these years. Take […]