Hyderabad, November 09: When Jeffery Archer began reading his bestseller Kane and Abel 30 years after it was published in 1979, he began making a few changes and after nine months of making the changes, he’d re-crafted his masterpiece.
It is 7,000 words shorter but there’s no change in the plot, assured Archer at an interactive session with Hyderabadis at Landmark bookstore at Road 12, Banjara Hills on Sunday.
With a twinkle in his eye, 69-year-old Archer told the crowd, “And in 30 years time, I will be re-writing it again. I will be 99 at the time. And all you wimps out there who can’t make it, I am sorry.” As the audience burst into surprised laughter, Archer continued regaling everyone with what his publishers put him through to publicise the book in America. Archer told the tale of his failure to make the most of his 2-minute TV appearances and finally his climb to the No. 1 slot on the bestsellers list of The New York Times in the same manner that he writes his books, like a master storyteller.
Jeffery Archer revealed that he was a very disciplined writer. “I go to Spain to write my books. I write from 6 to 8 am, have my breakfast, read the papers, write from 10 am-12 noon, then from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. I sleep from 10 pm-5.30 am. The first draft takes about 40 days. Then I take a 3-week break and work again,” said Archer talking of his writing routine.
Every word that Archer writes is handwritten because the author can’t operate a computer. “I can’t turn a computer on.
I can barely switch the lights on in my hotel room out here,” he said as the crowd enjoyed every bit of his charm.
The writer of books like Not a Penny Less, Not a Penny More, Prodigal Daughter, Shall We Tell the President?, As The Crow Flies, Paths of Glory, Prisoner of Birth, told his fans in the crowd that he did not have the courage to write a book on India because he wouldn’t get the nuances right. Saying that there might be many great writers in India, Archer felt nobody could hold a candle to R K Narayan who knows how to tell a story.
“Storytellers are born. Writing depends on how well-educated or well-read you are.” Talking about his frequent trips to India, Archer said he liked coming to India “because nowhere on earth do they care more about reading as much as in India.” When a lady in the audience said she had two questions for him, Archer smiled and nodded, saying, “That’s the thing with women. There are always two questions.” Archer is also coming out with a new book of short stories, And Thereby Hangs a Tale, which includes a story about a young couple he met in Delhi and their amazing love story. The story is titled Caste Off and is his first story set in India.
To a question from an audience member, Archer said the two books he’d pick as the greatest of all time would be The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas and All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque.
After the session, Archer signed copies of the new edition of Kane and Abel for several people who’d lined up at Landmark to see their favourite author in the flesh.
—Agencies