Mayank Austen Soofi

Mayank Austen Soofi is a Delhi-based Indian writer, blogger and photojournalist, who writes popular columns for Hindustan Times and Mint on culture, food and literary landscapes of Delhi.

Mayank Austen Soofi
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Writer, blogger, and photojournalist
Known forDelhiwale

He is best known for his website and blog, Delhiwale, a multifaceted guide of the city, that has been praised as being "the most compelling guide to India's capital" (The Independent)[1] and "a one-man encyclopedia of the city" (Time Out Delhi).[2]

Biography

Soofi was born in Nainital in the mountains of Uttarakhand and moved to Delhi around 2004.[3] He uses 'Austen' as his middle name as a tribute to the author Jane Austen, about whom he often blogs.[4][5] His writings were featured in Volume 4 of "Penguin Book of New Writing from India" published by Penguin.[6]

In 2011, he published four alternative guidebooks to the city of Delhi: The Delhi Walla - Portraits, Delhi Food, Delhi Hangouts and Delhi Monuments.[7] His latest book Nobody Can Love You More, published in 2012 by Penguin Books, deals with the life of a 'kotha', Hindi for brothel, in Delhi's largest red-light district, G. B. Road, which is home to 5,000 sex workers.[8][9][10]

Also well known for his popular columns on Delhi in the city supplement of Hindustan Times titled "The Delhiwalla",[11] Soofi now writes a column, "Delhi's Belly", for the weekend supplement of the business newspaper Mint.[3][12]

He has initiated many projects, including Mission Delhi, which aims to profile 1% of Delhi's 14 million people,[13] and a blog dedicated to Arundhati Roy's debut novel, The God of Small Things, and to its readers. He recently started a reading club called The Delhi Proustians, which centers around the French novelist Marcel Proust and his seven volume novel, In Search of Lost Time.[14]

Works
  • The Delhi Walla: Delhi Monuments – HarperCollins, 2011. (ISBN 978-9-350-29005-7)
  • The Delhi Walla: Delhi Hangouts – HarperCollins, 2011. (ISBN 978-9-350-29006-4)
  • The Delhi Walla: Delhi Food+Drink – HarperCollins, 2011. (ISBN 978-9-350-29004-0)
  • The Delhi Walla: Portraits – HarperCollins, 2011. (ISBN 978-9-350-29064-4)
  • Nobody Can Love You More – Penguin Books, 2012. (ISBN 978-0-670-08414-2)

References
  1. Andrew Buncombe. "The Delhi Walla – the most compelling guide to India's capital". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  2. "Mayank Austen Soofi". The Hindu. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  3. "Delhi Walla: An Interview with Mayank Austen Soofi". Knowledge Must Blog. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  4. Dow, Gillian; Hanson, Clare (2012). Uses of Austen: Jane's Afterlives. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 25–. ISBN 978-1-137-16481-0.
  5. Harman, Claire (2007). Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World. Canongate Books. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-84767-578-1.
  6. First Proof: The Penguin Book of New Writing from India. Penguin Books India. 2010. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-14-341551-0.
  7. "Oh, That Taste of Delhi!". Thebookreviewindia.org. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  8. Varsha Naik (18 January 2013). "Book review: Nobody Can Love You More- Life in Delhi's Red Light District". DNA, India. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  9. "The author as a voyeur and many other questions". The Hindu. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. "'There's nothing romantic about the life of a sex worker'". Rediff. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  11. "The Delhiwalla". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  12. "Mayank Austen Soofi". Livemint. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  13. "Outlook,". BBC World Service. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  14. Patrick Barkham. "Local bloggers: voices from the global village". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
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