This year, political non-fiction, written by people in the know, shed its sycophancy to reveal secrets of the nation's leaders. As the audience lap up the controversial content, publishers hunt for the next big reveal
Three men privy to the wheeling and dealing that unfolds in the highest echelons of political power published books this year, non-fiction that portrayed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Indian National Congress party in less-than-favourable light. And the controversial content propelled all three books to bestseller status: The Accidental Prime Minister by Sanjaya Baru (journalist and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s media advisor), One Life Is Not Enough by K Natwar Singh (senior Congressman and former Minister of External Affairs), and Not Just An Accountant by Vinod Rai (ex-Comptroller and Auditor General of India).
One Life Is Not Enough is enjoying similar success having sold around 90,000 copies since its publication on July 31, 2014. And in his book, too, Singh, a senior Congressman, dwells on historically contentious issues such as the relationship between Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Natwar Singh’s proximity to the Gandhi family manifests in the book as he talks about former Congress prime ministers and the relationship between 10 Janpath and 7 Race Course Road.
“Contemporary non-fiction is coming of age because when an issue goes viral or remains relevant, people want more details and a real account of things. This can come only from an insider’s perspective,” says Special Inspector General Brijesh Singh. The IPS officer is the author of Quantum Siege, a fictional story of a cop who saves Mumbai from religious fundamentalists. It’s difficult for government officers to write non-fiction because they are bound by rules, he says. “But things are changing and we will see a lot more non-fiction, especially about government and politics, mainly because publishers are focusing on finding writers.”
(This story appears in the 26 December, 2014 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)