The Hindu Lit for Life 2026: Megha Majumdar on Oprah’s Book Club and Her Reading List
Author Megha Majumdar discusses her conversation with Oprah Winfrey about her novel, A Guardian and a Thief, a conversation that highlights themes of parental love, moral conflict, and the power of storytelling. Catch her session at The Hindu Lit for Life 2026.
“I recorded the conversation with Oprah [Winfrey] less than a month after the birth of my second child, so I was quite nervous about being able to do it,” she says. “But it turned out to be wonderful. Oprah was incredibly warm and attentive while reading the book (A Guardian and a Thief), and she was very generous with her comments.”
Majumdar says she was especially moved by the specific lines Oprah loved—such as a description of how something looks while washing rice. “It was one of the most exciting, meaningful, and joyful moments of my life. And when A Guardian and a Thief was nominated for the National Book Award, she even sent me a huge bouquet of roses.”
“When I write, I begin with a question that keeps troubling me,” she explains. “For A Guardian and a Thief, the question was: ‘What do you do when your love for your child threatens to destroy your moral compass?’”
“For me, living well today means living mindfully. I like to be fully present wherever I am. If I’m walking around my neighbourhood and notice Christmas decorations still hanging on a door, or spot a bird I can’t identify, or see a beautiful gradation of colours on tree bark, it makes for a good walk. Mindful living is the starting point of all art.”
She also enjoys reading books that introduce her to worlds unfamiliar to her. “I recently read Nina MacLaughlin’s memoir Hammer Head, which tells the story of a woman who leaves her journalism job to become a carpenter. She goes from knowing nothing about building walls, staircases, or tables to learning everything about them—and the reader learns a great deal too.”
“One simple thing that makes my day better,” she adds, “is a plain but delicious meal, like aloo paratha with bhindi.”
About the Author
