Naveen Kishore’s keynote address at Jaipur Book Mark, JLF 2018
Naveen Kishore, founder, Seagull Books — one of the best publishing houses that produces exquisite books in translation. He was invited to deliver the keynote address at the recently concluded Jaipur Book Mark, JLF 2018. It was titles: ‘Translation rights that which is wrong. It describes the injustices hidden in the dailyness’.
It is a keynote speech worth reading. Naveen Kishore is a publisher who is utterly brilliant but in this speech it is apparent he lives his craft. He plays with words. His theatre life where he specialised in controlling the lights has undoubtedly influenced his writing. To me the very act of writing for him is like a performance meant to enrich the experience not only for himself but for those who read/listen to him. So when he talks about the role of a publisher facilitating good writers to be heard while underplaying his own voice, I wonder. He definitely underplays it but is also very much in control. It is like the person in charge of lights in the theatre. Critical role. To give the desired effect, atmosphere, experience and impact of performance , the lights are crucial. Likewise with writing, writers, translators, publishers. It’s a creative act which is underpinned by many other considerations and this has to be recognized.
Read the speech.
2 February 2018
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