Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Ruskin Bond’s Laugh With Me Turns Writing Struggles Into Humor
Ruskin Bond’s book Laugh With Me tells funny stories about being a writer.
He explains that writers do not always receive attention, money or respect.
When he was young, he once found his book hidden underneath other authors’ books in a Delhi shop.
He secretly moved it to the top, but the shopkeeper noticed and said that nobody bought it.
Bond also remembers a party celebrating his first newspaper story, which monkeys ruined by stealing the food.
Instead of feeling defeated, he wrote a story about the disaster and sold it.
People have sometimes mistaken him for Mark Twain or Rudyard Kipling.
Bond says that laughing at yourself can help make life happier.
The book’s colorful illustrations by Shamika Chaves add to its charm.
Ruskin Bond’s new book Laugh With Me shares candid and humorous stories from his writing career.
Bond recalls feeling overlooked when a short-story collection was poorly displayed in Delhi bookstores.
The book examines authors’ jealousy, self-promotion, financial insecurity and desire to be read.
Bond recounts a teenage celebration disrupted by monkeys, which he later turned into a marketable story.
Shamika Chaves’s illustrations and design complement Bond’s nostalgic, self-deprecating writing.
- Who
- Writer Ruskin Bond, with design and illustrations by Shamika Chaves.
- What
- Bond’s book Laugh With Me presents humorous and poignant anecdotes about his writing life.
- When
- The article states that Bond celebrated his 92nd birthday in May 2026; the stories span more than nine decades of his life.
- Where
- The anecdotes include Delhi bookstores and locations in India.
- Why
- The book reflects on the struggles, disappointments and pleasures of being an author while encouraging readers to maintain a sense of humor.
- Book
- Laugh With Me
- Author
- Ruskin Bond
- Publisher
- HarperCollins India
- Designer and illustrator
- Shamika Chaves
- First newspaper story
- Bond recalls publishing one at age 16 and receiving Rs 50.
- Celebration disrupted
- Monkeys raided the food at a party held for Bond’s first newspaper story.
- Book themes
- Writing ambition, jealousy, self-promotion, financial insecurity and self-deprecating humor.