Lucknow: Jeffrey Archer’s tales are known to have a twist right before the climax, leaving the readers gobsmacked and wanting more. In a typical case of life imitating art, just when the world was waiting to grab his another-page turner ‘Adam and Eve’, the author suddenly passed away, a day before its release.A popular British author with multiple international bestsellers, Archer was especially popular among Indian readers. He visited select Indian cities, including Lucknow, in 2008 and interacted with the fans of his writing. He once said that “Indians and I have always been natural friends”.He had a huge readership base in Lucknow too. Pleasantly taken aback by his popularity, Archer had said, “I might not have been known by face here but those selling ‘the Jeffrey Archer’s latest’ at traffic signals in Lucknow or Delhi are a word on my popularity.”Surabhi Kapoor, an avid reader of Archer books and a Lucknowite, was among those who met her favourite author that summer 18 years ago. She recalls he was very affable and happily interacted with the readers and autographed the books for them.You could easily get your hands on the long list of his bestsellers as well as his latest release right here in Lucknow, even in the pre-online delivery era. The city’s popular bookshops, kiosks at railway stations and airport all had titles by him as if it was mandatory reading. Pradeep Kapoor, an old timer and expert on Hazratganj, shares how ubiquitous an ‘Archer’ was in Lucknow. “Right through the 80s and 90s you could get your hands on a copy of Archer’s work at little rent-a-book stores in the narrow lanes of Lovelane and Janpath or buy at bigger stores in Hazratganj,” he said.With the rise of cafes in Lucknow, book reading transitioned into a ritual to be embarked on with a piping hot cup of cappuccino or a frappé. Even among this cafe-hopping younger generation, Archer emerged as a crowd favourite. Some of the cafes even provide books to browse and ‘Archer’ is unfailingly part of their collections. “This continuity of being read by generation after generation was his hallmark. While many of his contemporary writers lost their readership over the years, Archer remains relevant among youth,” says Universal Booksellers proprietor Chander Prakash.The master storyteller also made his way to Lucknow classrooms, with students spending hours discussing themes and insights from his books. “I always recommended ‘Kane and Abel’ to students and encouraged discussions on it. Reason being the book gives a wide worldview. It’s an eye opener to the new and emerging world,” says Prof Nishi Pandey, the former head of Lucknow University’s English department. She adds that Archer had the ability to “lure the reader to his writings with his gripping style”. Prof Pandey describes him as one of the most notable British writers of post 1960s-era.Like his novels, Archer’s short stories collections too had avid readership, especially ‘A quiver full of arrows’. “People love to be told simple stories, those once-upon-a-time kinds, and that is what I am doing as a storyteller,” Archer had said during his Lucknow trip.One can say with assurance that his vast collection of fascinating tales will continue to enchant readers as they did in his lifetime.
