Rupture

Sampurna’s first novel Rupture, published by HarperCollins is now available in bookstores across the country.

Readings from Rupture:

DELHI: Saturday, 5th September 2009 at the IIC (India International Centre) Annexe, Conference Room III, at 6pm

Poet and novelist Keki Daruwalla released the book, after a very  lively discussion with Sampurna, moderated by publisher-editor, Zubaan Books, Urvashi Butalia.

JAIPUR: Sunday, 6th September 2009 at Albert’s 1589, Albert Hall Museum, at 6.30 pm

Sampurna was in conversation with publisher-editor, Yatra Books, Neeta Gupta, followed by an interactive session with the audience, and wine and cheese.

MUMBAI: Friday, 11th September 2009 at Oxford Bookstore, Churchgate, at 7 pm.

Following the formal release of the novel, Sampurna was in conversation with poet, curator and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote.

BANGALORE: Wednesday, 28th October 2009 at Crossword, at 6.30 pm.

Sampurna engaged in an extremely stimulating conversation with Dr. Arul Mani, professor of English, St Joseph’s College. This was followed by a Q&A with the audience, and of course, book signing!

CHENNAI: Monday, December 21st, 2009, at Landmark, Apex Plaza, Nungambakkam at 6.30 pm.

Sampurna was in conversation with young writer Anshumani Ruddra.

KOLKATA: Friday, 28th May, 2010, at Oxford Bookstore, Park Street, at 6.30 pm.

Sampurna was in conversation with writer and filmmaker Ruchir Joshi.

On Sunday, June 13, 2010, Sampurna read at Ranan, and talked about her novel, her poetry and her translations with fellow poet and arts writer, Anjum Katyal.

Extracts from some reviews of Rupture:

“Pick up a debut novel from the Indian fiction section of your local bookstore, and chances are you’ll find a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale told in plain, simple English. It’s a relief, then, to find that Sampurna Chattarji’s Rupture is anything but that. This novel is intricately layered, not confining itself to a specific character, background or mode. The language, too, is coiled and charged — as befits, one supposes, a poet writing in prose.”

– Sanjay Sipahimalani, Tehelka, Sunday 2 August, 2009

To read the full review, visit:

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main42.asp?filename=hub080809how_to.asp

“I’m going to begin with a spoiler: don’t pick this book up if you like happy endings. The prelude to Sampurna Chattarji’s debut novel makes it pretty clear that the end is near – and it’s not a happy one. Nine characters are caught in a dream-like sequence, running “towards the centre of their own deaths.” What compels them to self-destruct is the subject of the novel Rupture.”

– Karishma Attari, DNA, Sunday 6 September, 2009

To read the full review, visit:

http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_fiction-that-s-drenched-in-poetic-prose_1287878

“The opening quotation from Lucretius, (‘Nothing appears as it should in a world where nothing is certain. The only thing certain is the existence of a secret violence that makes everything uncertain’) sets the tone for this novel. It is a dark tale with no fairy tale solutions in sight and yet compelling and hard to put down. The reader is hooked and caught up in the maze of characters, as they make their labyrinthine passage through the book and their burdensome lives.”

–  Melanie P Kumar, Deccan Herald, Sunday 27 September, 2009

To read the full review, visit

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/27423/in-world-uncertainty.html

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Here’s a review of Rupture in World Literature Today

(the review starts at the bottom of Pg 61 in the PDF)

Review of Rupture in World Literature Today (March-April 2010)

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The Sakaal Times Interview