David Davidar
Encyclopedia
David Davidar is an Indian novelist and publisher. He is the author of two published novels, The House of Blue Mangoes (2002) and The Solitude of Emperors (2007). His third novel, Ithaca will be published in September 2011. In parallel to his writing career, Davidar has been a publisher for a quarter century. He is the co-founder of Aleph Book Company, a literary publishing firm based in New Delhi
in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. His father was a tea planter in Kerala and his mother was a teacher. Davidar grew up in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and both states feature prominently in his fiction. He has one sibling, Ruth Swamy, a nutritionist and dietician.
in 1979. In 1985, he obtained a diploma in publishing from the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course at Harvard University
, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. When that magazine closed down, Davidar joined a features magazine called Keynote which was edited by the distinguished poet Dom Moraes
, and his actress wife, Leela Naidu. His last job in journalism was with another features magazine called Gentleman where he was Executive Editor. In addition to his magazine career, Davidar was a columnist for the Hindu newspaper in the 1990s. He has also written numerous articles and book reviews for newspapers and magazines in India, the UK and the US.
, then chairman of the multinational publishing company, Penguin
, as one of the founder members of Penguin India. As its first Editor, and later Publisher, Davidar edited or published a distinguished line-up of authors including Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, Vikram Seth, Suketu Mehta, Shashi Tharoor, Khushwant Singh, Vikram Chandra, Rohinton Mistry, Salman Rushdie, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Mark Tully, William Dalrymple, Ramachandra Guha, Nandan Nilekani and Romila Thapar. In the course of his career with Penguin in India, Davidar held a variety of senior positions, among them, Publisher, Penguin India; CEO, Penguin India; Managing Director, Dorling Kindersley India; and CEO, Pearson India.
In 2004, he moved to Toronto, Canada, as Publisher, Penguin Canada, where the authors he published included Philip Roth, Khaled Hosseini, John Le Carre, Stieg Larsson, Nadine Gordimer, Alice Munro, Fatima Bhutto, Amitav Ghosh, Margaret Macmillan, Zadie Smith, Kim Echlin, Hisham Matar, Joseph Boyden, Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul. In Toronto the various positions he held at the company included the following: Publisher, Penguin Canada; CEO and Publisher, Penguin Canada; and CEO, Penguin International, a division of Penguin Books that comprised Penguin companies in Canada, India, South Africa and the Middle East.
In August 2010, he left Penguin and moved back to India from Toronto to co-found Aleph Book Company, in partnership with Rupa Publications India, one of the country's largest English trade publishers.
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, will be published in Fall 2011.
Early years
David Davidar was born in a small town in what is now Kanyakumari districtKanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. His father was a tea planter in Kerala and his mother was a teacher. Davidar grew up in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and both states feature prominently in his fiction. He has one sibling, Ruth Swamy, a nutritionist and dietician.
Education
He attended Sainik School Amaravathi Nagar, in Coimbatore district. He earned a B.Sc degree in Botany from Madras Christian CollegeMadras Christian College
The Madras Christian College, commonly known as MCC, is a liberal arts and sciences college in Madras , India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. Currently, the college is affiliated to the University of Madras, but functions as an autonomous institution from its campus...
in 1979. In 1985, he obtained a diploma in publishing from the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course at Harvard University
Journalistic career
Davidar began a career in journalism after graduating from college. His first job, in 1979, was with the Bombay-based activist magazine, Himmat which was founded by Rajmohan GandhiRajmohan Gandhi
Rajmohan Gandhi is a biographer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and a research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.Gandhi's maternal grandfather was C...
, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. When that magazine closed down, Davidar joined a features magazine called Keynote which was edited by the distinguished poet Dom Moraes
Dom Moraes
Dominic Francis Moraes , popularly known as Dom Moraes, was a Goan writer, poet and columnist. He published nearly 30 books.-Early life:...
, and his actress wife, Leela Naidu. His last job in journalism was with another features magazine called Gentleman where he was Executive Editor. In addition to his magazine career, Davidar was a columnist for the Hindu newspaper in the 1990s. He has also written numerous articles and book reviews for newspapers and magazines in India, the UK and the US.
Publishing career
In 1985, after obtaining his diploma in publishing, Davidar was hired by Peter MayerPeter Mayer
Peter M. Mayer is an American independent publisher who is president of The Overlook Press/Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., a Woodstock, New York - based publishing company he founded with his father in 1971. At the time of Overlook’s founding, Mayer was head of Avon Books, a large New York - based...
, then chairman of the multinational publishing company, Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, as one of the founder members of Penguin India. As its first Editor, and later Publisher, Davidar edited or published a distinguished line-up of authors including Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, Vikram Seth, Suketu Mehta, Shashi Tharoor, Khushwant Singh, Vikram Chandra, Rohinton Mistry, Salman Rushdie, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Mark Tully, William Dalrymple, Ramachandra Guha, Nandan Nilekani and Romila Thapar. In the course of his career with Penguin in India, Davidar held a variety of senior positions, among them, Publisher, Penguin India; CEO, Penguin India; Managing Director, Dorling Kindersley India; and CEO, Pearson India.
In 2004, he moved to Toronto, Canada, as Publisher, Penguin Canada, where the authors he published included Philip Roth, Khaled Hosseini, John Le Carre, Stieg Larsson, Nadine Gordimer, Alice Munro, Fatima Bhutto, Amitav Ghosh, Margaret Macmillan, Zadie Smith, Kim Echlin, Hisham Matar, Joseph Boyden, Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul. In Toronto the various positions he held at the company included the following: Publisher, Penguin Canada; CEO and Publisher, Penguin Canada; and CEO, Penguin International, a division of Penguin Books that comprised Penguin companies in Canada, India, South Africa and the Middle East.
In August 2010, he left Penguin and moved back to India from Toronto to co-found Aleph Book Company, in partnership with Rupa Publications India, one of the country's largest English trade publishers.
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, will be published in Fall 2011.