A true story of an Indian boy with an American Dream—of becoming a recognized novelist in America—that results in his meeting powerful writers, editors, and Nobel Prizewinners: from Joseph Brodsky to John Updike, John Irving, and Kurt Vonnegut.
With fantasy moments such as this: Indeed, had Jesus Christ been living in America around 1990 A.D., he would certainly, as is the fashion for presidents as well as film stars and retired generals, bagged a book contract, possibly more than one, for Memoirs of a Godman, Fifty Neat Tricks with Loaves and Fishes, What if Lucifer Had Won? And maybe The Truth About Me and the Magdalene Babe.
It is also a book full of regrets and self-examination, providing a catalogue of mistakes writers might avoid (such as making a god of freedom of expression, complimenting a female editor’s beauty, or sending angry faxes to literary agents). It is a literary thriller leading to some dark or at least sobering truths about the world of publishing…and life itself.
Above all, this books should be viewed as a literary tragicomedy, a book of regrets and lessons in how not to deal with editors and agents. This book made NDTV’s list of five best new books for nearly a full year, and this 2021 edition contains additional material that is not in the original 2007 edition.
