David Davidar - Novelistic Career

Novelistic Career

Always literary minded, Davidar published short stories and poems in newspapers and literary magazines, before publishing his debut novel, The House of Blue Mangoes in 2002. The novel, which was based on Davidar's own family, and covered fifty years of South Indian history, had been twelve years in the writing. It was greeted with acclaim throughout the English speaking world, and was eventually published in 16 countries and translated into as many languages. Among the newspapers and magazines which praised the novel, were The New York Times which called it "a polished and accomplished book", London's Sunday Times which thought it was "dazzling" and the San Francisco Chronicle which said Davidar was "an intriguing new voice".

Davidar's second novel, The Solitude of Emperors, which was based on his experiences as a journalist, and the outrage he felt at the communal riots that took place in India in the 1990s, was published in 2007, and was short-listed for a regional Commonwealth Writers Prize.

His third novel, Ithaca, set in the world of international publishing, was published in Fall 2011. It was praised by several newspapers; The Hindu said it provided "a fascinating insight into the world of publishing".