History is going to remember author Jeffrey Archer as a global phenomenon. What if he was earlier dismissed as a storyteller and failed to get the critics’ nod, today is a different day and a different story. Now his titles are read in 60 languages all over the world. Indians almost worship this Briton and have made him the highest-selling firang author here.
Archer was recently in the city to present his latest work Only Time Will Tell, the first of the five-part series, The Clifton Chronicles that spans a hundred years from 1920 to 2020, and traces the life of Harry Clifton.
With an authoritative poise and a sure command, he frowned as he started on with his predictable yet delight-to-Indian-ears speech on India, the Indian roads and the Indian cricket team. His fans came in hordes to Landmark, a suburban bookshop to have their Jeffrey-esque moment and by the look they bore on their faces, went into trance as their 70-year-old hero spoke about the nuances of storytelling.
We ask him which of his books he liked the most? And the Lord replies, “I am very sentimental about Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. Maybe because it was my first and started it all. Kane and Abel made me what I am today.”
Archer feels that writing means hardwork to him and he feels fortunate for doing so. “It is not easy. I plan very little. Mine is impromptu writing. I am very happy with the novel, which, according to me, is a great challenge. But I do enjoy short stories. I have written 75 of them,” he says.
Then we shoot the most hackneyed question if he plans to write a novel based on India, expecting an equally hackneyed reply, but he surprises us by telling us that no such idea crossed his mind. He says, “India is a very complex nation. I have to live here for 20 to 30 years to even understand the psyche of the people. I am an Englishman. I live in England and understand my own countrymen. My experiences of India are airports, motorways, appalling driving and hotel rooms. I wouldn’t like to write about India if I wasn’t living in India, without understanding the subtleties of this big country.” But, he confesses, he knows that India is quite fascinated with short stories. “Maybe because you have a tradition of short stories and R.K. Narayan has greatly influenced young minds. He is one of the finest short story writers of all time and I love him. The way he could tell a story is unparalleled,” he further adds.
Coming back to Only Time Will Tell, taking up the series was a “terrific challenge” for Archer and like always, he knows nothing of what’s going to come next. He finished the first book without knowing the future of Harry and is already done with the first draft of the second book that is expected to come out next year. “The first one goes from 1920 to 1940, right up to the Second World War. After writing the second instalment, I now know what happens to him, only till 1960. But I certainly don’t know what’ll happen in the third book,” he informs.
Every morning Archer is up by 5.30 and writes for eight hours a day. He wants young authors to be prepared for hard work if they aspire to be an author. “If you think you can knock out a book in a night, forget about writing. It doesn’t happen overnight. There is no shortcut and one has to be ready to work on everyday basis for unbelievable hours,” he sums up.