India, April 21 -- The generations that grew up before the intrusion of smartphones are well acquainted with pulp fiction -- those novels with titillating titles and catchy storylines that were sold at railway stations and bus stops. Every Indian language possibly had its own pulp tradition with a loyal readership and a market that had its own peculiar quirks.

In Begampur Se Dariyaganj, journalist Yashwant Vyas attempts to document the history of Hindi pulp fiction. It's an endeavour that's as intriguing as the stories in the genre it studies. Through numerous interviews with writers and publishers he shows how pulp grew in popularity. While mainstream Hindi literature was dominated by socially committed writers and focused on work that ...