# Overview

- Link: https://writersworkshopindia.com/overview/
- Published: 2015-07-07T00:10:12+00:00
- Author: admin

**WRITERS WORKSHOP** was founded in 1958, consisting of a group of writers headed
by Professor P. Lal who agreed in principle that English had proved its ability,
as a language, to play a creative role in Indian literature, through original writing
and translation. Its task was of defining and substantiating the role by discussion
and diffusion of creative writing and transcreation from India and other English-
using countries. Discussions were held on Sunday mornings at 162/92 Lake Gardens,
Kolkata 700045, and diffusion done through books issued under the WRITERS WORKSHOP
imprint and a periodical, _The Miscellany_. Since 1970 the **WORKSHOP** laid increasing
emphasis on its publishing programme, and has over 2500 titles to its credit, including
the early works of many now-established authors of Indian writing in English, like
Nissim Ezekiel, Kamala Das, Asif Currimbhoy, A K Ramanujan, K R Srinivasa Iyengar,
Ruskin Bond, Shiv Kumar, Adil Jussawalla, Keki Daruwalla, Jayanta Mahapatra, Shashi
Deshpande, Meena Alexander, Pritish Nandy, Lakshmi Kannan, Agha Shahid Ali, Mamang
Dai, Temsula Ao, Maggi Lidchi-Grassi, Hoshang Merchant, Jug Suraiya, Vikram Seth,
Sukanta Chaudhuri and Chitra Divakaruni. The **WORKSHOP** also pioneered the systematic
publication of such classic translations from Indian literatures into English as
P. Lal’s _Mahabharata_, Maitreyi Devi’s _It Does Not Die_ and Shivaji Sawant’s _Mrityunjaya_.
It gives preference to experimental work by young and unpublished writers, its two
chief criteria for selection being high imaginative awareness and mature technique.
It is non-profit and non-political. For further details, contact us at [writersworkshopkolkata@gmail.com](https://writersworkshopindia.com/overview/writersworkshopkolkata@gmail.com).

![](http://www.writersworkshopindia.com/assets/img/logo_old.gif)

**TERMS:** WW’s workshop model (named long before the new meaning of “workshop” 
became current) meant that our terms of publication were different from those of
the commercial mainstream. Authors collaborated by sharing the costs, agreeing to
buy back a certain number of books. Upon our acceptance of a typescript, the author
agrees to make an advance purchase of 100 copies of their book, for sale or distribution
as they please. Additionally, ten percent of the print run in terms of copies are
given to them free in lieu of royalties.