Guptara Twins News

Guptara Twins among "100 Most Important Swiss of 2008", 1st August

Suresh and Jyoti are included in this year's "The 100 Most Important Swiss" ("Die 100 Wichtigsten Schweizer") by Schweizer Illustrierte, in their 1st of August (Swiss national day) special edition.

Calaspia Literary Tour of England, July '08

This summer, the Guptara Twins accompany ten promising young writers, the winners of the international Calaspia Storytelling Competition, on a 10-day literary tour of England. As well as speaking at the C. S. Lewis Summer Institute, they will visit literary landmarks and create a TV documentary series. Literary Tour Web Site

Calaspia in Italian, June '08

Suresh and Jyoti Guptara were invited to the Mare di Libri festival in Rimini for the launch of I regni di Calaspia. La cospirazione in Italian, published by Mondadori in its prestigious i grandi range.

German Book Tour, March, April, May 2008

Calaspia. Die Verschwörung was released in March in publisher Rotfuchs's biggest ever media and marketing campaign, launched at the Leipzig Book Fair. Between March and May, the Twins gave over 60 German-language readings and 100 interviews in Germany and Switzerland. After this intense promotional period, Suresh and Jyoti will only give the odd reading as they concentrate on "their real work".

Competition Judges Announced, October '07

The following eminent Judges are to select the Winners for the Calaspia International Storytelling Competition based on creativity and innovation:

• Gurcharan Das, world-famous business guru, columnist & playwright;
• Bianca Jagger the renowned social and human rights advocate;
• Dr Michael Nobel, great-grand-nephew of the founder of the Nobel Prizes, and immediate past-President of the Nobel Family Society;
• Alec Sokolow, Oscar® nominated screenwriter (Evan Almighty, Garfield, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Toy Story);
• G. P. Taylor, best-selling author (Shadowmancer, Wormwood, Tersias)

100,000 Copy First Print Run for Calaspia in German, October '07

Rotfuchs, youth imprint at Rowohlt Publishers, has announced a sensational 100,000 copy first print of Calaspia: Die Verschwörung, the German edition of Conspiracy of Calaspia, for release at the Leipzig Book Fair in March 2008, incidentally Rowohlt's 100th anniversary. Read Twins' Blog

Guptara Twins Attend United Nations Youth Summit, 26 - 29 Sept '07

Suresh and Jyoti were participants and speakers at the Global Forum for Youth and ICT for Development in Geneva as the youth ambassadors of NABU. Read Twins' Blog

USA Promotional Tour, 23 August - 10 September '07:

Suresh and Jyoti started with meetings and interviews in New York before going on to San Jose, Monterey, San Francisco and Los Angeles. They were presented with Scrolls of Honour by the County of Los Angeles for donating 1,000 copies of Calaspia and promoting literacy and education with young people. The Twins gave a variety of public appearances including live TV (e.g. Fox and KTLA The Morning Show). See pictures | Read Twins' Blog.

Suresh Finishes School, July '07

After four wonderful years at Bradfield College, Suresh has now finished his A-levels, scoring four As and a B (English Literature, French, German, Maths, Physics). He joins twin Jyoti in Switzerland as a full-time writer.

Calaspia International Storytelling Competition Launched, June '07

Based on the Guptara Twins' novel, an international storytelling contest for young people has been launched. Selected by a Panel of eminent Judges (names TBA), the ten best writers will Win a 10-day all-expenses-paid tour of England's literary sites! There are 100 runner-up prizes. See www.Calaspia-Competition.com for more on the International Storytelling Competition for Students. Calaspia Competition MySpace Page | See New Competition Cover

German Calaspia Rights Sold for six-figure advance, April '07

After a bidding war among German publishers, Rowohlt has purchased rights to the first three books in the Insanity Saga for a six-figure advance. Book One to be released by Rotfuchs in 2008, Rowohlt's 100 anniversary year.

Calaspia a Bestseller in India, March '07

After debuting at #8, Conspiracy of Calaspia has risen steadily to #2 on the Indian Fiction Bestseller list, one slot behind Booker Prize Winner The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, an Indian herself.

Jyoti Attends Kitabfest in Bombay, February '07

Jyoti attended the flamboyant Kitabfest, the International Literature and Media Festival, in Mumbai, India, where he talked along with leading writers, publishers, agents and film directors from Britain and the Indian subcontinent. See pictures | Read Jyoti's Blog

Italian Calaspia Rights Sold, January '07

Mondadori, Italy's largest publisher, has purchased rights to the first three books in the Insanity Saga for a substantial advance. Book One to be published in 2008.

India Book Tour, December '06 - January 2007

The Guptara Twins flew to Delhi with sister Anjali for the launch of Calaspia in the capital. On 19 December, 200 guests mingled in the picturesque surroundings of Lodi Garden Restaurant as Guests of Honour Tarun Tejpal and Chief Minister Sheila Dixit officially launched Conspiracy of Calaspia in India. Press journalists, photographers and camera crews crowded around the twins to interview them for all the major national papers and television stations.

On 3 January Calaspia was launched in Goa by the Governor of Goa, His Excellency S. C. Jamir. Held at the Cidade de Goa Hotel, the line up on the press conference panel also included the twins' father Professor Guptara, renowned poet Sudeep Sen and social reformer Dr Vishal Mangalwadi. Following an interview and speeches by the Guests of Honour, the twins read an extract each from Calaspia.

Suresh Guptara returned from India to school in England while Jyoti continued the book tour. Other notable appearances include 7 January, when people gathered in the cosy Literati book cafe for an evening of poetry reciting, songs, music and book readings. Poet Sudeep Sen was again present, this time to share his poems, along with Ivan Kostka. Jyoti Guptara gave a reading from Calaspia, and acclaimed musician Talvin Singh delighted with his Tabla skills, improvising impressively on earthenware pots.

After Goa, Jyoti went on to Bangalore and Chennai (Madras) to promote Calaspia with Indian book chain Odyssey. See pictures

Switzerland Calaspia Book Launches, 14 and 15 November '06

Over 100 people filled the respective rooms to congratulate the Guptara Twins on the publication of Calaspia. The Book Launch in Zurich on 14 November was hosted at Orell Fussli English Bookshop, on Zurich's prestigious Bahnhofstrasse, where the Guests of Honour, author Theodore Beale (Eternal Warriors) and Culture Minister Marc Wehrlin, spoke before Suresh and Jyoti gave a reading each. In Weinfelden the book was launched on 15 November in the local language Schwyzerdütsch by Mayor Max Vögeli, who interviewed the boys. At both events, the crowds then mingled over Kings Kurry snacks while the Guptara Twins autographed copies and answered questions. See pictures

Jyoti Attends Frankfurt Book Fair, 3 - 8 October '06

Jyoti Guptara attended the world's largest Book Fair at Frankfurt as an author with Indian publisher Tara Press and as a journalist with The International Indian magazine.
Read Jyoti's Blog

First Calaspia Sale: to Indian Publisher, March 2006

Rights into territories in South and South-East Asia to epic fantasy Conspiracy of Calaspia sold to Tara Press, fiction imprint of India Research Press, for publication in November 2006, while the Guptara Twins are still 17 years old.

Jyoti Leaves School to be Full-time Writer, July '04

With only a handful of articles and short stories published and no book publisher in sight, Jyoti Guptara leaves Switzerland's prestigious "Kantonsschule / Gymnasium" to study by himself at home and to write, becoming one of the world's youngest full-time writers. Meanwhile, Suresh does brilliantly at Bradfield College boarding school in the UK.

Jyoti Guptara Published in The Wall Street Journal, June 2004

Jyoti's article on the casting for Harry Potter's Viktor Krum in Bulgaria is published in The Wall Street Journal. Editors say that he, a 15-year-old, is possibly the youngest person the Journal has ever published. See Pic | Read the Article