For some strange reason I am yet to completely fathom I am drawn to autobiographies and memoirs, especially of writers. Over the years I have collected more than two dozen such books. Sunday’s find was another memoir and this was, coincidentally, by a film critic writing about her husband’s illness and recovery. The book I found last Sunday was Molly Haskell’s ‘Love and Other Infectious Diseases’ that I picked up from a heap of books selling for only ten rupees. It was a paperback and was quite chunky. Molly Haskell, I discovered, is a revered film critic who writes for several top notch publications.
It was a hot day last Sunday as I started my hunt in the morning. After Haskell’s book I saw a good enough copy of Nicholas Monsarrat’s autobiography- ‘Life is a Four Letter Word’ which I already have with me. It was such a good copy that I saw at Abids I was tempted to buy it. However the seller was one guy who quotes abnormally high prices so I avoided buying it. There was also a good copy of Peter Matthiessen’s ‘Snow Leopard’ with the same guy so I did not want to pick up another extra copy. I had seen Elmore Leonard’s ‘Out of Sight’ too but left it.
Every Sunday I come home from my hunt in Abids regretting not buying some book that I had seen. I had seen AK Ramanujam’s book on folk tales of South India which I did not feel like buying since the guy was asking too high a price. But after I got home I realized I should have picked it up. I love his poetry though I haven’t read any of his other works. If it is available next Sunday then it would be the first book I will pick up the moment I land at Abids.
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