Mumbai has been and continues to be an important setting for contemporary authors. In her new book, writer Sampurna Chattarji writes yet another ode to the city, bringing to life the sights, smells, structures, animals and the people of Mumbai in what is essentially a dark and visceral landscape. Chattarji, who started off as a poet and a translator, has already written a collection of poems (Absent Muses) and a novel (Land of the Well). With Dirty Love, she has finally forayed into short stories.
In a recent reading of her book in Delhi, Chattarji read her favourite passages to an eager audience. She was in conversation with Anita Roy, senior editor of Zubaan, who described her book as “the smelliest novel of recent times”. According to Roy, the city is described with honesty so vivid that you can almost smell the places, the roads, the filth, even the people.
