No alien to controversies, British author Jeffrey Archer says he's not a provocative writer and "feels very safe" in India when it comes to censorship issues.
"I don't try to provoke. I am a simple storyteller. I feel safe in India, very safe," he said. In contrast, he said, he had to go through a lot of trouble in South Africa years ago because of his views. "I went on television and defended (former South African President) Nelson Mandela and criticised the apartheid system and they threw me out. But I felt very strongly about it," Jeffrey Archer told IANS in an interview.
The best-selling author of over 35 books was in India to launch his book Mightier Than The Sword, the fifth in the seven-part Clifton Chronicle series brought out by Pan Macmillan. The next book in the saga will have eight chapters set in Mumbai.
Published in 97 countries, in more than 37 languages, the 74-year-old conceded that British novelist and screenwriter Ian McEwan and British-Indian author Salman Rushdie are superior writers.
"You feel (good) when you see that from the Times of London and from the Times of India. And then The Washington Post came out after my Prisoner of Birth and said the English had found Dumas.
On his 11th visit to India, Mr Archer interacted with audiences, particularly wannabe writers, in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata, hosted by the Crossword bookstores.
Mr Archer said it was Mr Screwvala's nudge that pushed him to say Bollywood filmmakers had "stolen" his works and adapted them into films. He says Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less was made into Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Kane and Abel into Khudgarz.
Despite irritation with plagiarism, Mr Archer is keen to have his books adapted for films, provided it is with his consent and the right person comes along.
Donald Trump Deserves To Be Given A Chance: Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Archer: Indian Government Should Stop Bollywood From Plagiarising Anyone Criticising Mother Teresa Either 'Envious or Stupid', Says Author Jeffrey Archer A Day After Divorce Announcement, Natasa Stankovic Posts Pics From Serbia Krishan Kumar's Daughter Tishaa Dies After "Battle With Illness": Family Review: Bad Newz Relies On Vicky Kaushal To Pull It Out Of The Fire Tesla Halted Some Production Lines Due To Global IT Outage: Report SpiceJet Says Services Up Again After "Resolution" Of Microsoft Outage Zuckerberg "Not Planning" To Endorse Biden Or Trump In US Presidential Polls Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.