Bookshelf/Dominique Lapierre

Alison Pereira

All that's not given is lost. This maxim is the force that propels writer Dominique Lapierre's endeavours. The royalties from his acclaimed novels Freedom at Midnight, The City of Joy and A Thousand Suns go towards financing various rescue, rehabilitation and development programmes in the slums of Calcutta and the Sunderbans of West Bengal. When not on a tour to raise funds and foster friendships, this author relaxes with a good book. A believer in the maxim `Truth is stranger than fiction,' he veers towards non-fiction. ``I'm enthralled by biographies and historical essays. Novels are not my cup of tea. The truth is so much more piquant,'' he says. ``I last read Into Thin Air, a gripping true-life tale about a Himalayan expedition that goes wrong. It taught me a thing or two about what it is to have courage under fire, to climb the highest peak, literally speaking.'' General De Gaulle is the hero Lapierre admires, and prominent on his bookshelf is a four-volume edition of his biography. ``When I'm down andout, I seek inspiration from his words and deeds,'' he says. A plethora of books on his first love - India - jostle for shelf space. ``I must have been an Indian in my last life,'' says this Indophile in mock seriousness.

He has tomes ranging from India's geography to its gastronomic delights. Oblivious to his name and fame, Lapierre feels, ``My novels have touched readers' hearts, but the greatest sense of satisfaction comes when my royalties bring a ray of light to the hopeless.''

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