Clayfaces

Khudu, a brusque, fiery-voiced dwarf, and Nayan, a controversial writer, at odds with himself in the autumn of his life-two unequal brothers with layers of reservation and contempt against one another-what compelled them to hole up in a secluded bungalow after snapping off every contact with the outside world.And why would Khudu, hitherto contemptuous of his brother's legacy, invite a controversial media figure to write Nayan's official biography-the man once rejected by Brinda, Nayan's ex-girlfriend?The spite of a spurned lover, a new way of squaring off, or a play of chance-Brinda teams up with Rupam, a rival biographer with revenge on his mind, for answers.They track down the female trapezist, in whose possession are Khudu's three journals-scathing documents that unmask the myths about Nayan, the literary culture he lives in, and Khudu's machinations to humiliate his brother.Dwarfed by identity and teed off by the insults he has received from the world, will Khudu succeed in the game he is drawn to?Clayfaces explores this duality-through ingenuity, humour, and compassion-the warring pulls behind our acceptance and rejection, adoration and rebuff on an ever-changing axis of greed, obligation, power play, and redemption-themes that echo contemporary society and culture, leaving the reader with only one question: Who is this little dwarf inside us all?About Shiladitya SarkarShiladitya Sarkar is a writer, painter, and art critic based in Mumbai. Clayfaces is his latest contemporary fiction. His previous books include Thirst of a Minstrel, Abstract Reality, and Day's End Stories: Life After Sundown in Small-Town India, an anthology where he is one of the featured writers. He has contributed essays on art, politics, and culture to leading publications, including the Times of India, The Telegraph, The Indian Express, Art India, Art Affairs, The Hindu, and The Statesman. His monograph on contemporary Indian art was published by the University of South Asia Studies, Austin, Texas, USA. Sarkar has also served as an assistant editor for Art India and as a consulting editor for Art Journal. He has exhibited his work in a number of solo and group shows in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, the USA, South Korea, the West Indies, and various private and public galleries across India. He also participated in several workshops, such as at the Austin Art Fair in Texas, USA, the India Art Summit, and the Kochi Biennale. He is an invited faculty member at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India (SRFTI), Kolkata, where he lectures on various topics in the fields of literature, art, and culture.