On the Writer’s Shelf with Amrita Tripathi

On Her Collection

Amrita’s collection spans over 400 tomes, consisting largely of English books (she studied literature in college), with a smattering of French, Spanish, and Hindi. Genre-wise, there’s a good balance of fiction and non-fiction, including graphic novels and comics. It’s a collection that has developed organically over the years. “Mostly books I’ve bought, read, and loved; some are particularly thoughtful gifts, and some are signed copies,” she says.

On Acquiring Books and Letting them Go

One of the biggest challenges any book lover faces is letting go of books. Amrita doesn’t impose hard and fast rules. She buys new ones fairly often, either monthly or every other month. And she supports indie bookstores as much as possible. “They do such a good job with shipping and packaging and curating good books, which I discovered was a lifeline during the pandemic.”

She has also shifted houses multiple times and she uses every move to cull her collection, giving books away to friends and neighbours. But one section of her library she keeps a close watch on is her “favourites”, she ensures that collection stays intact, even if it keeps growing. 

Another thing she’s particular about is keeping the pages neat. “I do like to take care of my books, so would really try not to write in or deface covers or pages. I used to write my name in my books but haven’t done that for years now, but to each their own!”

On the Aesthetics of a Bookshelf

Some people like having a clean, minimal bookshelf; others like displaying art and décor alongside their books. Amrita straddles a middle ground and does what feels natural. “I have a couple of giraffes on the blue bookshelf because it reminds me of one of my parents’ postings…and similarly, have a few knick-knacks on another one. But apart from functionality (and I think being aesthetic-adjacent), a bookshelf should feel like an inviting space.”

What are the Oldest and Newest Books on Amrita’s Shelf?

She says, “One of the oldest is Franny and Zoey by JD Salinger, acquired decades ago at a secondhand book stall in New York. The newest is RF Kuang’s Katabasis from Midland book shop in New Delhi.”

All images by Dhawal Bumb (Ruuhchitra)