A Writer’s Guide to Reading Keki N. Daruwalla

Afternoons reading and learning from Keki N Daruwalla is one of the best ways to welcome Spring 2025. Personally, AHouse of Words is a good first to return to after a year’s conscious break from review-writing. For a writer invested in their craft, the collection is a reminder, ‘Creative writing is a voyage… No point keeping a score card’ (p. 125) or be ‘watchful not to be caught imitating’ (p. 125), and acts as a cautionary tale, ‘Fiction…was not very hospitable’ (p. 124) or that life disruptions exacerbate ‘lack of discipline in…writing’ (p. 124). One can start reading the book from anywhere—each page honours more than the luminary and absorbs readers to its core.