EXCLUSIVE | Author Nandini Das: Wasn't sure what to expect when I first attended the Jaipur Literature Festival

The internet says Nandini Das is professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture in the English faculty at the University of Oxford. She is a specialist in Shakespeare studies, Renaissance romance writing, early travel literature, and encounters between different cultures. In an exclusive interaction with Firstpost, author Nandini Das spoke about her experience of attending the Jaipur Literature Festival over the years, its importance in today’s times, and her take on scholar and poet John Donne, whom she spoke about at this year’s session. On her first experience of Jaipur Literature Festival I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was wonderful. I knew it would be huge and crowded. It’s glorious because I see so many young people. I’ve also seen a few in school uniforms. They get a lot of exposure of literature from across the world. On the importance of JLF For us as authors, it’s difficult when you’re writing. We think of our writing in isolation and when it goes out to the world, we never get to see anyone who reads it. So to being able to interact with people on different topics and your books is wonderful. This is a very precious opportunity. You’re also able to listen to others. On how poet, scholar, and soldier John Donne inspired her At this year’s JLF, the author spoke about Donne’s work and when asked about him, she said, “I came across his poetry when I was in school in West Bengal. He was an over-confident know-it-all and I was exactly like this as a 14-year old. He was also clear-sighted and wanted to know the truth. Donne is not someone who prettifies poetry, he says things the way they are and that’s what makes his poetry beautiful.” Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .