"A writer needs solitude, you need to be by yourself"

To commemorate Ruskin Bond's 89th birthday this year, Puffin culled 25 of the choicest nature stories by him in a beautifully illustrated collection. These stories on life amidst nature capture the magical imaginings of childhood. Books dedicated to Bond were also published by Aleph Book Company and HarperCollins India this year. India's beloved writer spoke to Arun A K

- Arun A K

Favourite Nature Stories. Do you have a favourite among the ones in the collection?

Very often, when I am actually writing a story and if I am enjoying the process of writing, that becomes my favourite at the time. But when I look back there are so many favourites. So, it’s hard to think of a particular story. I remember enjoying writing ‘The Tree Lover’ a lot. But I’ve enjoyed writing most of my stories.

Besides the 25 curated stories, I’m sure there are others dear to you. Was it challenging to leave out many good ones?

I must have written over a hundred stories, essays and articles on the subject of nature, trees, wildlife and forests by now. This particular selection was put together by the editors of the book from previous published works of mine. So, these stories and essays have been written at different times. Some are recent and some go far back. The poems are very recent.

The Gold Collection also features some of your finest stories.

Yes, these are favourites written over the years. I have done a few new stories for Aleph, and they’ll bring them out later this year, most probably by Christmas. The book will be called The Night Has a Thousand Eyes. The Gold Collection was done by the publisher as a sort of birthday gift for me. I love the cover of the book.

Readers are spoiled for choice with so many books hitting the market every month. So the first thing that draws someone to a book is perhaps the cover.