William Dalrymple

Harvard University Press, the publisher of the Loeb Classical Library designed to make Greek and Roman classics available for general readers hopes to do the same for classical Indian literature with the launch of The Murty Classical Library of India.

As Jennifer Schuesslerjan reported in the New York Times, the first five dual language volumes that have been released include "not only Sanskrit texts but also works in Bangla, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Persian, Prakrit, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and other languages. Projected to reach some 500 books over the next century

 Bloomsbury is expanding internationally, with the launch of Bloomsbury India today (21st September).

The New Delhi-based company will publish both Indian and international authors, in fiction and non-fiction.

In November 2012, it will release the first Wisden India Cricketers' Almanack 2012, which will be followed in December by Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple, whose previous book Nine Lives was a number one bestseller in India, according to the publisher.

At an old Mughal palace accommodating what organizers called “the greatest literary show on earth,” the headliners on Sunday included Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra and Tom Stoppard. But the absence of another star, Salman Rushdie, continued to overshadow the event.

A free-speech controversy has raged at the event, the Jaipur Literature Festival, since Friday, when Mr. Rushdie said he would not attend because the law enforcement authorities had warned of a threat against his life by “paid assassins.” But the story took a twist over the weekend: Was there really a threat?