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English Summer
Amit Chaudhuri
‘What am I doing in London? And what’ll I do once I’m back in India?' Amit Chaudhuri on identity, youth and nostalgia.
Doing the Work
Doing the Work
‘I think there should be a National Service of Hospitality. The best way to see the true face of humanity is to serve it a plate of chips.’
Camilla Grudova on bad-mannered customers.
Doing the Work
‘Anyone who has ever worked night shifts will understand the vertiginous feeling that comes with staring down the day from the wrong end.’
A.K. Blakemore on working nights.
Doing the Work
‘I was constantly reading job ads, trying to find my holy grail – a job I could stand to do, and someone foolish enough to hire me.’
Sandra Newman on learning how to play professional blackjack.
Doing the Work
‘I loved being a receptionist. What I loved about it was playing the part of being a receptionist.’
Emily Berry on being a temporary office worker.
Doing the Work
‘Every part of you would swell, including your eyeballs, and no matter how much water you drank, you were always dehydrated.’
Junot Díaz on working for a steel mill.
Amit Chaudhuri
Amit Chaudhuri is the author of seven novels, including Friend of My Youth. He is also a musician, poet and essayist. His new book, Finding the Raga: An Improvisation on Indian Music, will be published in 2021 by Faber & Faber in the UK, New York Review Books in the US and Penguin Random House in India. Ramanujan, his new collection of poems, will be published by Shearsman Books in 2021.
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