Literature, it is said, gives room for life to shape itself in the mind of the reader.
The old-world setting of the Alliance Francaise library proved to be a good place for such shaping of minds when close to a dozen book lovers gathered here last week to exchange ideas about the world of books.
LaunchThe ‘soft launch’ of the Alliance book club saw discussions on ‘White Mughals’ by William Darlymple, and ‘Madame Bovary’ by Gustave Flaubert.
There was also, of course, a short tribute to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the master writer who passed away recently.
Bindu Murali, cultural coordinator at the Alliance, told The Hindu that the club’s sessions would be held once in two months.
Next session“Anyone can walk in and participate in the discussions. That way, we have a very flexible agenda. Next session we plan to discuss South American literature,” she said.
The book club aims to be a forum for book lovers to learn about books and authors, to share their opinions about authors and works, and even to meet writers and poets.
Writers to be invitedFrom the July session onwards, the Alliance plans to invite writers too to participate in the book club’s sessions.
That way, the discussions can be more focussed and meaningful.
Malayalam tooIt wouldn’t be all about just Western literature, said Ms. Murali.
According to her, the club would welcome discussions on books in any language, including those in Malayalam.
The Alliance can be reached on phone 0471 2320666.
