THE WRITE TO DO GOOD: Some authors use their name and fame to help people and make the world a better place

Ashlesha Athavale

Free Press Journal

Once upon a time, people went to… actually even now, sometimes, people go to bookshops to buy books. The bookseller or bookshop employee plays a big role then, matching books to the perfect reader — customer. A job that is invariably ignored. But bestselling American author James Patterson does not think so. He recently gave his annual holiday bonus to independent bookstore employees. In 2024, his Holiday Bookstore Bonus in the US was $3,00,000 to 600 booksellers. Patterson has been giving holiday bonuses to independent bookstore employees since 2015. As he said through his publisher Little, Brown and Company and was quoted by CBS News, “Booksellers save lives. Period.” He added, “I’m happy to be able to acknowledge them and all their hard work this holiday season.” But that’s not all. Patterson, who is known for Alex Cross, Along Came a Spider, etc, has also donated one million books to students, over $7 million to school and classroom libraries in the USA and over $2 million to independent bookstores and employees. Many authors besides Patterson, have been using their names for various causes, and to better the lives of people. Some have even made it a point to ensure their names are not revealed.

Noted Marathi poet and author, Vinda Karandikar (Govind Vinayak Karandikar), donated lakhs of rupees to various causes. The Jnanpith awardee also won the Keshavsut Prize, Kusumagraj Puraskar, Kabir Samman, Soviet Land Nehru Literary Award and the Janasthan Puraskar among many others. He made it a point to donate all the awards’ money soon after he received it. The beneficiaries include activists Abhay and Rani Bang, educationist Anutai Wagh and the Killari earthquake victims for whom he donated through the chief minister’s fund. Another noted Marathi author, Pu La Deshpande, was also known for his philanthropy and helped establish the Muktangan de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Pune. The rights to his works have been given to the Inter- University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). He and his wife also set up the PL Deshpande Foundation that contributes to social and cultural causes, such as a hostel for the children of sex workers.

Noted author Arundhati Roy donated her Booker Prize award money to the Narmada Bachao Andolan. In the recent COVID-19 pandemic, an initiative, Artists for India, by author Sonia Faleiro, raised $30,000 for Mission Oxygen, a nonprofit providing life-saving equipment to hospitals across India. She got well-known authors including Salman Rushdie and Kiran Desai to donate signed copies of their books in exchange for monetary donations. As Faleiro says, she has always believed that writing is about connection. “During the pandemic, I realised signed books could be a simple yet powerful bridge between generosity and a love of literature. By collaborating with authors like Salman Rushdie, Ali Smith, Kiran Desai, and Curtis Sittenfeld (among dozens of others) to offer signed copies of their books in exchange for donations, we could turn a personal keepsake into immediate, tangible help for those in need. It felt like a natural extension of an author’s calling: to share stories that bring people together and inspire empathy.” #BooksforGaza had writers like Sally Rooney, Arundhati Roy, Tommy Orange, Kaveh Akbar, Pankaj Mishra, and George Saunders offering copies of their signed books in exchange for donations to help children injured in Gaza.

Faleiro added, “#BooksforGaza raised $85,000 for The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund, which directly performs lifesaving operations on children. It has been humbling and inspiring to watch authors and readers unite to make a meaningful impact.” Author of Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Bleak House, and David Copperfield among others, a journalist foremostly, Charles Dickens was very aware of the situation of people in Victorian Britain. He was particularly concerned about the welfare of children. He supported the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for children in London when it started and did not get the attention it should have received. He wrote an article to which readers responded and the hospital thrived. Later, he even helped collect money so the hospital could expand, by using his works and writing articles.

Dickens supported many charitable organisations financially. He even set up an institution that provided support to unwed mothers. The boy who will never grow up, Peter Pan, is also connected to GOSH. JM Barrie who stayed behind the hospital, gave the rights of Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929. He also requested the hospital officials that the amount from the sale of Peter Pan books and play received by it should never be revealed. John Steinback, celebrated author of The Grapes of Wrath among other works, gave part of the prize money from the Nobel that he won for literature in 1962, to his literary agent McIntosh & Otis, out of gratitude. J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike series, who is involved with many charities, established Lumos, which aims to help the most disadvantaged children. She also has a charitable trust, Volant, that aids charities working to alleviate social deprivation and help women and children. She is also involved with the Anne Rowling Regenerative neurology clinic for research and treatment of multiple sclerosis in the name of her mother. She has also co-founded a sexual violence support service.

Among authors who have contributed in ways other than monetarily, are Beatrix Potter and Roald Dahl. Potter bought land and donated over 4,000 acres to Britain’s National Trust which led to the formation of the Lake District National Park. She had bought the land to protect it from developers. She also bought 14 farms which are still working and managed by the Trust as per her will. The families of many authors have also contributed to charity in their names. While Dahl’s wife established a charity in his name later, he himself donated to charities, and was instrumental in inventing a device to treat hydrocephalus, after an incident involving his son. Authors win over readers through their magnetic words. But some win over more with their deeds.