THE GROWN UP WHO THINKS LIKE A KID
My dream of coming to India is fulfilled,” says author Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The author who is on his global tour visited the Capital recently. Speaking on his first visit to India, he says, “It’s very cool to be here. And it has been a wild ride actually.”
In awe of the city’s vibrant culture, the author got a taste of the city’s heritage when he visited India Gate and Dilli Haat. “I was very impressed with the art works at the market.You don’t get stuff like that in the United States. I couldn’t believe so much of it was handmade,” he says.
Jeff who never intended to be a children’s author, says it took him a while to embrace being called that. “There are other children’s authors who are more skilled. And their work is more lyrical. I thought I was writing for adults when I was writing Diary of A Wimpy Kid. I was trying to write a nostalgia piece. When my publisher wanted to turn it into a children series, I was really surprised.”
Interestingly, the series turned out to be a bestseller that has three movies based on it. And now a new film based on the books is set to release in May 2017. Speaking on his latest book, Jeff says he had fun thinking like a kid. “My best material is based on daily experiences. In the latest book, I thought about what it was like to think like a kid. It’s a bit more fantastical.”