The evening was special and delightful as Chennaiittes gathered at Landmark Bookstore to witness the launch of best selling novel Paths of Glory by Lord Jeffrey Archer along with his two other novels A Twist in The Tale and Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less, translated and published in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, recently.  

Present on the occasion was Jeffrey Archer himself. Sharing some beautiful moments with the audience, he spoke about the new book and some of his future plans.

The book Paths of Glory is about George Mallory who had a dream of conquering Mount Everest and becoming the first man to put a photograph of his wife on top. Paths of Glory is a toe-curling reminder of the snobbery, chauvinism and favoritism exhibited by the upper classes in England in the 20th century.

Archer has skillfully woven fact with fiction to create an epic tale of one man’s obsession. ‘My novel is half-fact and half-imagination. This is the story of a man in 1924 who had a dream to climb the Everest.

It was during the Raj that he came here to climb the mountain. Unfortunately he was not permitted to climb since he was an Australian and Britishers wanted their people to be the first to conquer the Everest. So the mystery of the book is what happened to George,’ Archer said.

Archer is a widely known contemporary writer, but his all-time favourite author is R K Narayan and his book Malgudi Days.

‘I have read this book a number of times and I never tire of reading it again and again. He is one of the best story-tellers in the world but less read outside India. He had a God given gift in writing.’

He delighted his ardent fans with a special book reading session and presenting autographed books for his ardent fans. Archer firmly established himself as a literary force with the publication of his first novel, Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less in 1975. Now, 33 years later, Jeffrey continues to defy critics and delight his fans.