The Blue Book: A Writer's Journal

by Amitava Kumar

'In those terrible days of the lockdown during the pandemic, we were all waiting. We were waiting for things to be all right. And one day, they will indeed be all right. But the dead will never come back. The businesses that have closed and will not reopen; the dreams dashed; the families and relationships that could not withstand the strain. This is why it is important to note down all the changes in our lives. Write them down in a journal. When we do that, we are recording our own history.'

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Drawing as a way of keeping a diary, writing down thoughts in a journal as a way of maintaining a historical record - in watercolours and also in words.

These were resources that Amitava Kumar had been using even before the pandemic arrived. But the task gained urgency just when he felt most isolated and afraid. The Blue Book is a writer's artistic response to our present world: one that has bestowed upon us countless deaths from a virus, a flood of fake news, but also love in the face of loss, travels through diverse landscapes, and - if we care to notice - visions of blazing beauty.

From one of the acclaimed and accomplished authors of our time, this writer's journal is a panoramic portrait of the experience, both individual and collective, of the pandemic.

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'To mull over a beautiful line while looking upon a beautiful painting is the sublime pleasure offered by Amitava Kumar's The Blue Book. This painted diary is a collage of the personal and the political, of terrifying news, the fleeting seasons, everyday pleasures, precious conversations, families and friendships-and on every page, the solace of art.' -- KIRAN DESAI

'A lovely homage to--and extension of--the tradition of writer-artists such as John Berger.' -- GEOFF DYER

'It's not good to read another person's diary. But Amitava Kumar makes the experience so intimate in The Blue Book that you don't feel guilty. You feel like it is your own.' -- GULZAR

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir, India, Journal, Essays

154 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2022

About the author

Amitava Kumar is a novelist, poet, journalist, and Professor of English at Vassar College. He was born in Bihar, India; he grew up in the town of Patna, famous for its corruption, crushing poverty, and delicious mangoes.

He is the author of Nobody Does the Right Thing; A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb; Husband of a Fanatic: A Personal Journey through India, Pakistan, Love, and Hate, a New York Times “Editors’ Choice” selection; Bombay—London—New York, a New Statesman (UK) “Book of the Year” selection; and Passport Photos. He is the editor of several books, including Away: The Indian Writer as an Expatriate, The Humour and the Pity: Essays on V. S. Naipaul, and World Bank Literature. He is also an editor of the online journal Politics and Culture and the screenwriter and narrator of the prize-winning documentary film Pure Chutney.

Kumar’s writing has appeared in The Nation, Harper’s, Vanity Fair, The American Prospect, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Hindu, and other publications in North America and India.

Reviews

[Vivek Tejuja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will say this at the onset of this review: This book definitely makes it to one of my top reads of this year, and we are only in February. The Blue Book by Amitava Kumar is a whole lot of heart, meditations on loss and living, and above all on the resilience of the human spirit, in several circumstances, the pandemic being one of them.

The Blue Book is a journal of the pandemic, it is an ode to the ones who have left us, it is a memoir, it is a journal of the passing of time, and how in all of this literature saves us, most of the time. It is also a collection of paintings and drawings – of life observed as it came to a standstill, and somehow did not.

Amitava Kumar’s musings aren’t just that – you could even call them contemplations, or profound thoughts but to me they were nothing but deeply personal and emotional. He speaks of his parents, their mortality, his mother’s passing away, his children, his friends, and how it all comes together for him as a writer.

The Blue Book is a book that makes you see things around you, in a more calm and balanced manner. It did that for me at least. It made me slow down in a sense and appreciate what I had and also what I did not. Kumar’s paintings say so much – they represent life, death (since he also started painting over the obits from the pandemic in NY Times), and a sense of life coming full circle in a strange way. Art brings forth the grief – the unsaid, the understated, and perhaps how to let go.

[Chythan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a precious book. A book which brought me a smile at various points of reading.
Amitava's book feels like the comfort of a balmy afternoon and his drawings are like the quite, soothing breezes that come in every once in a while. Drawings, in his words,"are a response to our present world - a world that bestows upon us love and loss, travel through diverse landscapes, deaths from a pandemic, fake news and, if we care to notice, visions of blazing beauty.". Amidst all the warmth, all the endearing anecdotes he recounts, one cannot miss Amitava's reflections on the violent political realities permeating all around. Pandemic era and the isolation he experienced forms the backdrop of his journaling. Pandemic, unfortunate as it is, begets a time to chronicle the crisscrossing of the personal and political.

The portion which captured me the most is his ruminations on language and his writings as a novelist. The introspective honesty with which approaches the same is heartening. Out of the many illuminating quotes from the book, one continues to resonate inside my head : "Language is your closest ally and if you align it with your desire for freedom, you will be able to live forever. "

The Blue Book is like a beautiful patchwork quilt. A collection of meditations on Amitava's travels, conversations, people, loneliness, love, writings, language and politics. Everything woven together by his fascinating illustrations .

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What is the central conceit of art? That someone reading or looking at your work will be moved, that your words or images will leave someone altered or changed. I cannot say I have bought into that worldview completely. But I do want to remember, and for my words or art to keep alive a memory."

I have read only one of Amitava Kumar's books previously, The Lovers, around the time he had come to India for JLF. He was quite personable and we briefly connected over our shared roots in Bihar. When I found out about this journal, it seemed like a brief window into his mind. It did help that it included many of his paintings that he often posts on his Instagram. As he says in the introduction, "[These] are my drawings and writings that have occupied me while writing a new novel." While, I have not yet read this latest book, A Time Outside This Time, I am sure now this journal will cast it in a new light when I do.

The Blue Book is arranged into five chapters on general themes with the coronavirus pandemic casting a looking shadow on them all. So at its heart, the journal explores what it's like to write and live (during) a devastating global pandemic that is causing widespread tragedy. He states: "It is important to note down all the changes in our lives. Write them down in a journal. When we do that, we are recording our own history." Kumar is quiet in these contemplations and his journal makes for a meditative reading, flipping through a few pages at a time and not wanting it to end. The paintings complement it brilliantly.



(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

[Ashish Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What I’m sharing here in The Blue Book are my drawings and writings that have occupied me while writing a new novel, A Time Outside This Time. For the past two years, I have been painting watercolors. Like my novel, thee drawings are a response to our present world- a world that bestows upon us love and loss, travel through diverse landscapes, deaths from pandemic, fake news and if we care to notice, visions of blazing beauty.”

The Blue Book is pure delight, a meal so wholesome you never want it to end. A journal that accompanied Amitava Kumar since the start of pandemic and through it, containing within itself the comfort of literature and writing, the longing for connection, endearing encounters, the loss and suffering of millions around the world and the incredible resilience of humans in tough times. It’s personal and political and meditative with watercolour pictures of the world around us; of crows in mid-flight, of desert, dried flowers, of death and injustice. On the whole, it’s a very aesthetically pleasing book with french flaps!

It’s a wonder to look through a writer’s journal, to see their everyday life, their everyday thoughts. It somehow makes the reader come a little closer to them. It reinforces that they are not so different from us, that they do struggle with the same mundane things as we do and see with our own eyes, what inspires them, what pushes them to creativity and maybe learn from it, imitate it. The Blue Book is not a guide on how to be a writer, it’s more about his experiences with the world, the authors, festivals and of course the mother of all, the pandemic.

I really enjoyed flipping through it. The full coloured pictures are so complimentary to the texts, the small snippets so engaging and also hilarious at times, the commentary on the present so responsive. It was a brilliant opportunity to peep into the life of an author and it genuinely made me sad what the book ended. I wish it could have gone on and on and on.

[Niel (Thelectorem) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshing and candidly beautiful.

After going through a long reading slump, today I decided to pick this book and already finished it and by the time I reached the very last page, it felt as if I was with the author over the coffee table and after a long conversation on a myriad of topics—where mostly author talked, it was time to say goodbye and part ways.

I am not new to this genre nor have read many of such works except Sabarna Roy’s works and what I like the most about such journals or diaries of authors, is that they offer something very candid and unfiltered content. There's no story, plot or characters, or anything that may suggest continuation, but with every couple of pages, the author shares something entirely different.

The beauty of this book was the watercolor paintings by the author—minimalist and yet beautiful. Every painting has its significance and the placing and presentation of them along with their respective topics was brilliant, it was as if first the author takes the painting from his envelope and slides it over to you and then starts telling you the story behind it.

On this insanely hot Indian summer afternoon, this book/journal offered me calm and contentment where the author talks about people and places, literature and writing, pandemic and lockdown, his observations and ideologies, and many incidents.

Note to the author: The decision to use the paintings in this book was indeed very good and I cannot imagine myself enjoying this book as much as I did if there weren't those paintings. Each painting is like a personal touch that made me (or may make every reader) feel more close and engaged in the brief premise they revolved around.

[raj dasani · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Amitava Kumar opens the doors to his inner world for the readers. The entries and paintings feel like a lonely summer afternoon; the heart takes pleasure in the games of shadows and stings with pain under the force of sunlight. His writing shines as a red post office box would, odd in these times and yet familiar. His paintings so impressionistic that you feel them under your skin.

Kumar writes very gently, even when writing about violence, grief, or lynching which can make one passionate. The smoke of words rises in his style not from explosives or bullets but from an incense stick.

I felt I was listening to a familiar elder talk, someone I know intimately. He does not preach much about writing but his work itself makes him a model for anyone with even a slight streak for writing. He is a model for anyone aspiring to break the moulds of a genre and come up with something personal, something original.

Take some time out for yourself and read this book. For yourself. Reading ’The Blue Book’ was like looking at a reflection of myself on a textured surface—I am there sometimes, at other times I am missing completely.

[Ruchi Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has very artistic and catchy cover. It’s the unique most book that I have ever picked up till date. We all maintain notes, diaries or a journal. It’s way of expression. And also maintaining historical records. The same way is the drawing. It’s a collection of drawings and related descriptions. That’s the unique most concept. The Blue Book is a writer's artistic response to our present world: one that has bestowed upon us countless deaths from a virus, a flood of fake news, but also love in the face of loss, travels through diverse landscapes, and if we care to notice visions of blazing beauty. Author started with the chapter “Residencies” when he was in Marfa for his residency. It includes some pictures of post cards and handwritten notes. But I liked the drawings of “Journeys” section. They are too beautiful. My father does painting. So I know difficulty, value and passion of an artist. These drawings are too beautiful. So is the writing. Author has also incorporated different style of writing. Read that because it’s enjoyable in that way. Author has also covered recent pandemic section too. I liked the idea, the concept, drawings and writings. All the artists, art lovers and those who are seeking different reads, this one is a must read for you guys. Good one.

[Vaibhav Srivastav · Rating 5 out of 5]

An innovative book, with reflections represented in both words and writing, as someone who aspires to write, reading Amitava Kumar's words act as an assurance

[Deepan Maitra]

Reading is almost always a predecessor of slow, brewing writing. The afternoons in which you write are strange ones, where even the most dingy patches tagging along start to seem evocatively humanised.

There were times while reading ‘The Blue Book’ that I wanted to keep it aside and fall asleep. Waking up, I would find myself swapping through the thick pages, gazing at the paintings more than reading the text, oddly transfixed and lost in thought, mostly of something else. Something else. I stopped keeping count of all the something else-s I thought about while reading and watching this book. I say watching because it’s just that, this book. Deeply comforting, with equal measurements of passages that tinted me with boredom. Yet, I came back. Soon enough. Mostly when I was alone. At around the fifty seventh page— the word ‘around’ doesn’t make sense as I’ve already gone back and checked that it is indeed page fifty seven—I rummaged through the drawer alongside my study table to retrieve a set of fluorescent, transparent set of sticky book-tabs that suddenly seemed attractive. I annotated. Stuck such a tab on the length of that page, and took a neon green colour-pencil from my pencil pouch and underlined the lines that struck me. Very momentary, almost impulsive. But so alive. So scintillating. In the next hour I went back from page fifty seven to page one, in reverse order reading the pages again and glueing more sticky pages of more colours into those abandoned but new-found pages, green pencil at hand and another purple one for better clarity. It felt so calming, like being able to read again.

The day that I finished the last chunk of the book, I left the sticky tabs aside—peeled some of them, felt the glue glistening on the sticky side, played with my fingers but then crumpled them and kept them aside. That day annotating felt alien. Marking seemed futile, but inaction seemed so versatile. Kumar’s book hit the crescendo at about three-fifth of the book where he delves into his writing process—‘process’ is a lazy word, it read more like an yearning. I loved it, read and re-read some of the passages, felt the need to again bring back the neon green pencil but I didn’t. I suddenly found three pages at stretch that were shockingly bland after the wordplay I had grown accustomed to. Drowsiness called again, did I sleep? Perhaps. This time too after some hours I was again in the book, flipping the coloured paintings of gouache on newspaper cuttings, the bright colours so exciting to see, thinking about all the things I could have drawn on my own journal—but didn’t. All the waves I would have stirred within my diary, but didn’t. But thankfully Amitava Kumar did, maybe more.

I do not know why this is called a ‘Blue Book’—although there’s a hint at one point in the book. There’s a lot of thought in this book, a lot of grassroot-level sharp intellect and also sweeping vastness. So much honesty, and so unusually effortless—that it glides above the want of the readers occasionally. Nevertheless you become a part of these journalistic entries—you become privy to so much beautiful weaving in this world, some pure satin, some fermented scrap. You want to hold this book close, and closer.

Thanks HarperCollins India for the copy.

[Sheetal Bahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was lovely. I'm not sure I've read anything like this is adult literature - where the pages are almost equally divided between the word and the paint. And it made me wonder why, because this formula works really well in children's literature. Is it considered too childish for adults? Will it not be taken seriously?

Ok, back to the book. I bought this book because I want to know how people experienced the pandemic - how they thought, what they felt, what their day-to-day life was like. This book provided some of that, but unlike what the blurb suggests, it wasn't all about that. I'd say not more than a third of the book is given to pandemic ruminations actually. Most of it is about writing - the author's diaries, his books, his residencies, his connections with other writers, their work, etc. And then there is a little bit of this and that, and even that somehow feels like it's about writing.

But it didn't matter that the book was not about the pandemic, because it was lovely anyway. The book has this slightly dreamy, distant, languorous, pensive observation style, which while hazy, is still very evocative. You know, the kind of hallucinogenic experience in which you're a little outside of yourself and observing what the influenced part of you is doing. Another thought that crossed my mind was that it felt like a "what I write about when I write about writing" kind of book.

The artwork is beautiful - one should own the book for that alone. And it's completely in sync with the writing so it all comes together seamlessly.

An easy read, on an easy Sunday. Highly recommend.

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Book: A Writer's Journal by Amitava Kumar is NOT a check list on how to maintain a journal and become a writer but it IS indeed a peek into the creative process of the author, the anecdotes and events around him that have led him to write or react in a certain manner and the many literary connections he has made across his writing career. There are quotes and excerpts from letters and correspondence with literary peers and reproductions of his artwork and scribbling of thoughts that make this artistically appealing. 


So, is this a diary then or excerpts from one? This is no chronological documentation but more a meditative framework of things and thoughts that strike or stay with the author?Are there themes that stay central in the journal? Well it moves from the author's musings on literary festivals and literature (he says that no literary festival can ever match the depth of literature. That's both wicked and profound and made me chortle); on the demands of literary pursuits on his time and family even as it brings the beauty of literary friendships, including the feeling of despair and helplessness when caught between the hostile non fictional life and having to create fiction when the real world is driven on fake news and prejudices born from hate.

The production quality of the book shows in the vibrant artwork and makes reading the book a double delight with the visuals of the colour pallet and brushstrokes. 

[Nikhil Kamath · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Book by Amitava Kumar is a look inside a writer's mind. It is a collection of his thoughts during the process of writing a book that he has captured here.

I love how each illustration/painting complements the write up in a way and lets you in on what the writer is thinking at that time. From writing a book to thoughts during the pandemic and while teaching students at university, there are various themes that are covered here. Each one more unique than the other.

Writing and maintaining a journal is an important part of a writer's life and not everyone lets you in on it. The Blue Book acts as a guiding light for budding writers on how to practice the art of writing and how to find their own voice.

[shivani kaul · Rating 5 out of 5]

how exquisite. this book has been so comforting to read. as a fellow (albeit irregular) journal keeper, the act of sharing your private thoughts to the public space is quite bold and mr amitava doesn’t shy away from doing so.
the blue book helps us navigate the life post pandemic. he gave us a concrete evidence of what we all collectively suffered through in the covid struck world. and his paintings are well icing on this bittersweet cake.
my particularly fav parts of the text all include his sweet anecdotes with his kids.

[Abhishek Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Good book to read over a weekend. Reflects the writers thoughts over various events that have unfolded during 2019 & 2020, penned down as little notes in his diary, which he has now opened up for the readers to read. Some pictures painted in water colours also draw our attention towards them, as self speaking portraits.

[Ananya Vats · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book read like a journal and was very honest in its explorations. I like how the form of writing deviated and was peppered by drawings. It was a sneakpeek into a writer's mind and some of the conundrums were the ones I have had- in the process of writing a book.
However I did not enjoy it as much as I would enjoy a fiction. It functioned like more of a coffee table book for me.

[H R Venkatesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read, full of lyrical passages and beautiful paintings. Made me think nice feelings. Lavishly produced too, with thick and smooth pages. The only bum note for me was the eco-anxiety I had while reading about how many trees were axed to make copies of this book.

[Manish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Book was a wonderful read. There's something fascinating about getting to peep into the minds of an other person. The book captures Kumar's notes and drawings covering a range of topics - memories of Patna, life in New York, music, friendships and of course literature.

[Zaara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me feel like I was talking to a long distance friend who you talk to months later and discuss everything happening in your life. Beautiful paintings too. Felt like such a treat after going through a reading block for months.

[Twishaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a treat

[Ushnav Shroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most beautiful recollection of a writer's life.

[samruddhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

re-read it and it still rules.

[Digvijay Nikam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!!!!

[foolscap · Rating 3 out of 5]

always more interesting to read a journal than actual fiction

[Dhiraj Sindhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been an excellent resource for me as a writer as it is literally the writer's journal, a very personal yet professional memoir of the writer, spanning a few years before and after the pandemic. This is probably the only book, each word of which weighs some value that you cannot discard at all. Not a single word. The insights into a writer's life are so precious. The purpose of writing, its need, the wants of it too, especially how? Amitava Kumar also tells many stories in this book, he brilliantly accommodates them in just a few sentences or even a few words. Of course, paintings, gouache, and ink on newsprints have their own charm of explaining those stories in an instant as if they had been made while chanting those stories in verses, be it an encounter with an American author or stories close to home like that of migrants of the pandemic. The author also shares the feelings of an expatriate writer, the sense of homelessness, and the detachment from his mother tongue.

[Preethi Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Book by Amitav Ghosh is a beautiful journal . It takes us through the life and loss and pandemic times.It is indeed a journal of the pandemic and makes us think back to lives lost and lives that changed therefore. It has emotions and feelings that can be empathised by anyone. The book has some lovely illustrations, paintings of what he says in his mundane life during the pandemic, travel, people he meets, places he goes, and how he adds colors to them. It's all woven together to form a warm blanket you want to hug and keep safe. This book will make you appreciate the small things and be grateful for what you have in life. It is a gem - a must read book with raw and unfiltered emotions