30 January - 3 February 2025 | Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur
Ernest van der Kwast published his first book in 2005 and had his breakthrough with the novel Mama Tandoori in 2010, which went on to become a bestseller in both the Netherlands and Italy. Other works include the novella Giovanna’s Navel and the novel The Ice-Cream Makers, which has been sold to seven countries. His fluid, sensual style has charmed critics everywhere. As German daily FAZ put it “Ernest van der Kwast flutters around his storyline like a butterfly and his playfulness delights the reader.” Van der Kwast is also active as an interviewer and columnist and, since 2016, as a volunteer counsellor for disadvantaged youth in Rotterdam.
A loving tribute by a son for his mother. Ernest Van Der Kwast’s book, Mama Tandoori, brings together the author’s multicultural household with its humour and eccentric Indo-Dutch union. Painting a moving portrait of a family’s aspirations and search for identity in the face of personal tragedy, the narrative surrounds Van Der Kwast’s overbearing mother, her iron will, undying spirit and talent for haggling! Van Der Kwast is also the author of Sometimes Things Are Better When People Applaud, The Ice-Cream Makers and Giovanna's Navel. His most recent book is Ilyas. His playful eccentricities, marked by wit and satire, pulse through his writings that masterfully evoke raw undertones of emotion. In conversation with author, translator and musician Zac O'Yeah, he gives us an enduring glimpse into his family and the power of the rolling pin that held them all together.