Ep 324: Akshaya Mukul and the Life of Agyeya

Agyeya was a writer, a rebel, a soldier, a lover-- and a man who shaped modern Hindi literature. Akshaya Mukul joins Amit Varma in episode 324 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the life of this remarkable man -- as well as the art of biography and the state of the nation.

(FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.)

Also check out:
1. Akshaya Mukul on Amazon and Twitter.
2. Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya -- Akshaya Mukul.
3. Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India -- Akshaya Mukul.
4. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism — Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul).
5. Agyeya on Wikipedia, Amazon, Kavitakosh and Hindwi.
6. Shekhar: Ek Jeevani (Hindi) (English) -- Agyeya.
7. Dunning-Kruger Effect.
8. Poker at Lake Wobegon — Amit Varma.
9. Listen, The Internet Has SPACE -- Amit Varma.
10. Siddharth Chowdhury on Amazon.
11. The Power Broker — Robert Caro.
12. The Death and Life of Great American Cities — Jane Jacobs.
13. Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing -- Robert Caro.
14. Robert Caro on Amazon.
15. John Richardson's books on Pablo Picasso.
16. Sontag: Her Life and Work -- Benjamin Moser.
17. Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector -- Benjamin Moser.
18. Stephen Kotkin's volumes on Joseph Stalin.
19. Hilary Spurling's volumes on Henri Matisse.
20. India After Gandhi -- Ramachandra Guha.
21. Gandhi Before India -- Ramachandra Guha.
22. Here And Hereafter: Nirmal Verma's Life in Literature -- Nirmal Verma.
23. Ian Kershaw's books on Adolf Hitler.
24. Listen, The Internet Has SPACE — Amit Varma.
25. Why Are My Episodes so Long? -- Amit Varma.
26. The Life and Times of Jerry Pinto — Episode 314 of The Seen and the Unseen.
27. To the Book -- WS Merwin.
28. Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh, Raghuvir Sahay, Nagarjun, Maithili Sharan Gupt and Jainendra Kumar.
29. Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo -- Hayden Herrera.
30. Maya C Popa, Ilya Kaminsky, Mary Oliver, Nâzım Hikmet, Nizar Qabbani and Forugh Farrokhzad.
31. Francis Newton Souza, VS Gaitonde and Krishen Khanna.
32. A Life in Indian Politics — Episode 149 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Jayaprakash Narayan).
33. The Shah Bano case.
34. Hindi Modernism: Rethinking Agyeya and His Times -- Edited by Vasudha Dalmia.
35. Raw Umber : A Memoir -- Sara Rai.
36. Sara Rai Inhales Literature — Episode 255 of The Seen and the Unseen.
37. The email conversation between Pankaj Mishra and Amit Chaudhuri.
38. Rahul Sankrityayan on Wikipedia and Amazon.
39. Jahnavi and the Cyclotron -- Episode 319 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Jahnavi Phalkey).
40. Everybody Lies — Seth Stephens-Davidowitz.
41. Frank Sinatra Has a Cold -- Gay Talese.
42. Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me -- Ada Calhoun.
43. Sunita -- Jainendra Kumar.
44. Song of Myself, 51 -- Walt Whitman.
45. Tar Saptak.
46. Suraj Ka Saatwaan Ghoda -- Dharamvir Bharti.
47. Patrick French on Amazon and Wikipedia.
48. Leon Edel and James Atlas.
49. The Art of Biography No 1 -- Leon Edel interviewed by Jeanne McCulloch for Paris Review.
50. Delmore Schwartz: The Life of an American Poet -- James Atlas.
51. The Shadow in the Garden: A Biographer's Tale -- James Atlas.
52. The Most of Nora Ephron -- Nora Ephron.
53. What Makes Women Happy -- Fay Weldon.
54. Keeda Jadi Ki Khoj Mein -- Anil Yadav.
55. Bhuvanesh Komkali, Mukul Shivputra, Amir Khan and Alladiya Khan.

Check out Amit's online course, The Art of Clear Writing.

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Episode art: 'The Writing on the Wall' by Simahina.