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Why don't you write something I might read?: Reading, Writing & Arrhythmia
What do Ved Mehta, Gabriel García Márquez and Agatha Christie have in common—apart from being celebrated writers, that is?
What makes a writer or a book ‘great� and canonical while others that sold millions of copies in the first years after publication fade into oblivion?
How much of a reader’s appreciation of a book stems from their own early reading and friendships?
Journalists, novelists, ghostwriters, translators, playwrights and poets—what are the hierarchies to contend with in the world of publishing?
These are some of the thoughts that light up this eclectic collection of essays which seek out the pleasures and techniques, the spaces and memories, the little moments and the life-changing sentences that encompass and enrich a reader’s life. A natural fit in every book lover’s heart and shelf.
Literary writers occasionally write on their passion for sport. The traffic is seldom in the other direction. This book is a small attempt to redress that—a sportswriter writing on his passion for literature.
What makes a writer or a book ‘great� and canonical while others that sold millions of copies in the first years after publication fade into oblivion?
How much of a reader’s appreciation of a book stems from their own early reading and friendships?
Journalists, novelists, ghostwriters, translators, playwrights and poets—what are the hierarchies to contend with in the world of publishing?
These are some of the thoughts that light up this eclectic collection of essays which seek out the pleasures and techniques, the spaces and memories, the little moments and the life-changing sentences that encompass and enrich a reader’s life. A natural fit in every book lover’s heart and shelf.
Literary writers occasionally write on their passion for sport. The traffic is seldom in the other direction. This book is a small attempt to redress that—a sportswriter writing on his passion for literature.
- GenresWriting
288 pages, Hardcover
Published December 27, 2021
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 27, 2022
I had read many of Suresh Menon’s articles while harboring an unfulfilled ambition to be a cricket writer. I didn’t know that he is India’s youngest sports editor. His biographies of Bishan Singh Bedi and Nawab Pataudi are books that I have read with great pleasure. But this book, coming out of pandemic days, full of his life-long reading experiences, opinions on writers, and other interests outside sports, is his best book, in my opinion. It is a pleasant consolation, that he had or still has an avid interest in science.
The essays are diverse in range. There are 44 essays and 10 short notes in the book. He talks about Orwell, Wodehouse, V. S. Naipaul, Ved Mehta, R. K. Narayan, Albert Camus among well-known writers. Popular science writings of Martin Gardner, Steven Pinker, Brian Greene, V. S. Ramachandran, Venki Ramakrishnan also get ample amount of space. So as bookshop owners from Bangalore, and bibliophiles such as Pradeep Sebastian, Alberto Manguel. There are some thought-provoking essays on the habit of reading, art and suffering, alcoholism and writing.
I found he is at his best when talking about other sportswriters. Here, is his parting meeting with , the author of perhaps the best cricket book ().
This could have been about Haynes-Greenidge, Langer-Hayden, Sachin-Sehwag, Kirsten-Gibbs, Gilchrist-Waugh. In the current times, I think there is no opening pair that comes close, Dhawan and Rohit, Warner and Finch in white-ball formats, perhaps. These days most Test teams are struggling to find one decent opener.
He was equally gracious while talking about his younger colleague, , a sportswriter from my state Odisha.
OK, not someone you can accuse of not having warmth or stranger to friendship. But sometimes you have to take sides when lives are stakes, and not only yours. The following excerpt is from the last section in the book, “Excerpts from a pandemic diary�, my favorite section in the whole book.
There is a sad but hilarious episode of him inviting a friend home, only to find out that the fellow is not vaccinated.
I will come back to this book later when I am at loss to find my next book.
The essays are diverse in range. There are 44 essays and 10 short notes in the book. He talks about Orwell, Wodehouse, V. S. Naipaul, Ved Mehta, R. K. Narayan, Albert Camus among well-known writers. Popular science writings of Martin Gardner, Steven Pinker, Brian Greene, V. S. Ramachandran, Venki Ramakrishnan also get ample amount of space. So as bookshop owners from Bangalore, and bibliophiles such as Pradeep Sebastian, Alberto Manguel. There are some thought-provoking essays on the habit of reading, art and suffering, alcoholism and writing.
I found he is at his best when talking about other sportswriters. Here, is his parting meeting with , the author of perhaps the best cricket book ().
That morning Marquesee made the coffee-his companion and fellow traveler Liz Davies had to leave for a meeting- and we also spoke Chola bronzes, the Carnatic music season in Chennai, and his forthcoming book on William Blake. He signed for me a copy of his poetry collection, Street music. ‘In friendship,� he wrote, adding, ‘See page 80.�
On page eighty was this wonderful paean to an Opening pair:
One of us drops anchor
While the other gets off to a flyer.
It’s not because one is more impetuous
Or cautious than the other.
The assault, like the defense, is calculated.
We play the same percentages
to different rhythms, following
our own sequence
of stressed and unstressed beats,
each of us fashioning
our own departure from the norm.
After the crescendo, the rest,
after the rest, the crescendo.
One of us foils for the other, as it should be.
Personality will out.
We perform in our styles
Because that is the function.
We never get in each other’s way.
We perform who we are
Because that is what the situation demands-
But at a pinch we can swap roles,
One coming out of the shadow of the other.�
This could have been about Haynes-Greenidge, Langer-Hayden, Sachin-Sehwag, Kirsten-Gibbs, Gilchrist-Waugh. In the current times, I think there is no opening pair that comes close, Dhawan and Rohit, Warner and Finch in white-ball formats, perhaps. These days most Test teams are struggling to find one decent opener.
He was equally gracious while talking about his younger colleague, , a sportswriter from my state Odisha.
'Cricket is my source of energy,' he said in the last piece he wrote, one that ended mid-sentence with the word 'and ..' The symbolism is inescapable. Patnaik was only thirty-four when he succumbed to cancer. He brought together in one person qualities that go into the making of sports journalists: passion, energy, empathy for the underdog, an eye for the unusual, searing honesty, a phenomenal memory, and a nose for the real story lay.
When he first walked into my office at Wisden India Almanack, he said international cricket could take care of itself, he was focused on the neglected: juniors, under-19, and, above all, women’s cricket. He soon became the country’s go-to man in these areas. His book on the history of women’s cricket in India. (co-authored with ) is a seminal work. He was working on a book on the Ranji Trophy even as his strength ebbed away and pain and frustration became his chief companions.
OK, not someone you can accuse of not having warmth or stranger to friendship. But sometimes you have to take sides when lives are stakes, and not only yours. The following excerpt is from the last section in the book, “Excerpts from a pandemic diary�, my favorite section in the whole book.
You lose friends in other ways too. The one who refuses to believe the virus is real or dangerous, The one who refuses to wear a mask. The one who thinks vaccination is for the birds. Friendship shouldn’t depend on thinking alike. But stupidity is a turn-off.
There is a sad but hilarious episode of him inviting a friend home, only to find out that the fellow is not vaccinated.
There goes another friend, I said to myself. You can come, I told him, but you will have to bring your own food and have it outside in the garden, away from the house (you can’t say that to a stranger).
How many more unvaccinated friends am I likely to lose?
There are no strangers, wrote the poet W. B. Yeats, only friends you haven’t yet met. But I am beginning to think there are no strangers, only friends you haven’t offended yet.
I will come back to this book later when I am at loss to find my next book.
January 24, 2023
"Life happened because I turned the pages." :)
Fantastic read ! And a lovely ode to books. With one of the finest (mini)-diaries on the pandemic at the end.
I have read Suresh Menon's books on Bishan Singh Bedi and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and liked them. And I expected a decent read which might be good at times but this was simply too good ! The quality of the writing stunned me. Highly recommended for all avid readers.
PS:-Similar books by Indian authors :-
Fantastic read ! And a lovely ode to books. With one of the finest (mini)-diaries on the pandemic at the end.
I have read Suresh Menon's books on Bishan Singh Bedi and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and liked them. And I expected a decent read which might be good at times but this was simply too good ! The quality of the writing stunned me. Highly recommended for all avid readers.
PS:-Similar books by Indian authors :-
May 1, 2022
Suresh Menon is brilliant with his articles about his reading and passion for literature. One can get introduced to many authors and books in this one. Lovely writing as usual, and the pandemic diary was the best.
December 1, 2023
What do Paolo Coelho, Dan Brown, and Chetan have in common?
They are authors of terrible page turners according to Menon. And what do you get when you read a page turner? You become good at turning pages 🤦🏽♂�
"Why Don't You Write Something I Might Read?" by Suresh Menon left me with a taste of disappointment and a lingering sense of condescension. While the title promised a discussion on engaging writing, the execution fell short, marred by an authorial tone that seemed more interested in belittling the reader than fostering a genuine conversation.
One of the most striking aspects of the book was the pervasive condescension that permeated its pages. The author consistently took a patronizing stance, as if addressing an audience of novices incapable of appreciating and understanding "elevated" forms of literature that didn't align with their narrow definition of "quality". This haughty attitude not only made the reading experience uncomfortable but also undermined any potential value the book might have offered.
The tone aside, the content itself failed to deliver on the promise of insightful discussions on writing. Instead of constructive advice and thoughtful analyses, the author's arguments often devolved into dismissive remarks and self-aggrandizement. There was a distinct lack of humility, with the author seeming more interested in showcasing their perceived superiority rather than helping readers understand the nuances of effective writing.
Also, the book's structure is convoluted. The disjointed chapters and abrupt shifts in topic made it challenging to follow any coherent thread of thought. It felt as though the author was more concerned with showcasing their wit and clever turns of phrase than providing a well-organized, accessible guide to writing.
They are authors of terrible page turners according to Menon. And what do you get when you read a page turner? You become good at turning pages 🤦🏽♂�
"Why Don't You Write Something I Might Read?" by Suresh Menon left me with a taste of disappointment and a lingering sense of condescension. While the title promised a discussion on engaging writing, the execution fell short, marred by an authorial tone that seemed more interested in belittling the reader than fostering a genuine conversation.
One of the most striking aspects of the book was the pervasive condescension that permeated its pages. The author consistently took a patronizing stance, as if addressing an audience of novices incapable of appreciating and understanding "elevated" forms of literature that didn't align with their narrow definition of "quality". This haughty attitude not only made the reading experience uncomfortable but also undermined any potential value the book might have offered.
The tone aside, the content itself failed to deliver on the promise of insightful discussions on writing. Instead of constructive advice and thoughtful analyses, the author's arguments often devolved into dismissive remarks and self-aggrandizement. There was a distinct lack of humility, with the author seeming more interested in showcasing their perceived superiority rather than helping readers understand the nuances of effective writing.
Also, the book's structure is convoluted. The disjointed chapters and abrupt shifts in topic made it challenging to follow any coherent thread of thought. It felt as though the author was more concerned with showcasing their wit and clever turns of phrase than providing a well-organized, accessible guide to writing.
March 25, 2022
I felt sad when reached the last page. It is that kind of a book. Readers, writers, and anyone who loves books will enjoy the insights and interesting perspectives by Suresh Menon.
I enjoyed each and every chapter but there are a few that I would probably read again. The chapter titled Rejecting Naipaul is about two (in)famous rejections in the publishing industry. The chapter will provide solace to aspiring writers who have faced harrowing rejections.
A Gentle Truthteller about author Mike Marqusee. The chapter includes a brilliant poem by Marqusee, a paean to the Opening Pair in cricket.
I enjoyed each and every chapter but there are a few that I would probably read again. The chapter titled Rejecting Naipaul is about two (in)famous rejections in the publishing industry. The chapter will provide solace to aspiring writers who have faced harrowing rejections.
A Gentle Truthteller about author Mike Marqusee. The chapter includes a brilliant poem by Marqusee, a paean to the Opening Pair in cricket.
December 28, 2023
The book comes off as an attempt to show off the author’s knowledge of literature and ends up as a glorified bibliography. It touches upon dozens of famous pieces of literature but rarely does justice to any of of them. It reads like a bunch of short op-eds put together in no organised manner. The few pieces of sports writing do shine through and have a different quality to them. This is a difficult read.
January 10, 2025
I came across Suresh from articles in HindU; I liked the way he writes, and I ended up reading 2 of his books, Pataudi and this. this is more about the history of writers and their lives but fun read
February 10, 2023
One of my favourite “books-about-books�.
May 5, 2024
A book version of the Mint Lounge.
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