Had Cervantes stuck with the misadventures of The Kight of Rueful Countenance, it would have turned out into a fine comical novel dishing out chivalryHad Cervantes stuck with the misadventures of The Kight of Rueful Countenance, it would have turned out into a fine comical novel dishing out chivalry romance. The first few pages into the novel, I couldn't help remembering Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Cervantes was too gifted to do just that; he went on adding layers and layers over it to make a perfect novel. First, well-developed ancillary characters and their adventures in frame narratives set the historical and social context of 16th and early 17th century Span. Critique the cultural aspects of the said period with at least three elaborate conversations, then the brilliant discourses throughout the novel (my favorite among them is the Knight's advice to the future 'governor'), and the famed metafiction to top it up.
For obvious reasons, a sequel in any art form is a tough nut to crack. Cervantes excelled at it with aplomb; in fact, the second part, written ten years later, read better than the first. Cervantes masterfully moved from the physical slapstick in the first part into psychological cruelty in the second part. The novel was full of quirk moments; the quirkiest in the narrative structure came towards the end, wherein the Knight and Squire encountered Don Alvaro, the character from the unauthorized sequel, which not only forced the pair to change the course of their adventure but also Cervantes to write the sequel in the first place. The boundary between fiction, fictional reality, reality, and whatever else was mired.
Since I am done with the first reading, I am tempted to reread a different translation. I am also tempted to open the book randomly to chance upon one of the many delightful discourses between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza....more
I don't know whether this can be called a postmodernist novel; it is too serious for the genre. However, it uses its techniques generously. Among manyI don't know whether this can be called a postmodernist novel; it is too serious for the genre. However, it uses its techniques generously. Among many other things, I loved the metafictional aspects. It is a self-contained novel with keys for all the puzzles within. Sometimes, it is too eager to remind you not to miss the tricks, but I guess it is ok. It is the kind of novel that will open up more and be even more enjoyable during the second read. ...more
Desert nomads' struggle for survival and postcolonial astonishing homecoming, in beautiful prose!
Having grown up in a moderate tropical wet land and iDesert nomads' struggle for survival and postcolonial astonishing homecoming, in beautiful prose!
Having grown up in a moderate tropical wet land and immigrated to a moderate filth of metro, I have felt the warm sand and soil, flints of hot stones reflecting light on bare feet, brazier kind of setup in winters, torrential downpours, dust storm of red soil. Once my father got caught in middle of a hailstorm, after our bullocks cart got mangled in the winds. He walked down the last mile to home in the relentless storm. He was never the same in winters after that incident. We have had unpleasant moments and memories, but they were never to the extreme of unbearable. And of course, I never have to dwell in metro's filth everyday as a higher middle-class person. J M G Le Clezio's Desert present those extremes to me.
Desert has two loosely coupled plots of untamed spirits of the descendants of a desert tribe, interwoven till the end. One part of the story follows a caravan of nomadic Berber tribes traveling northwards across the Sahara desert, led by the Tuareg, "Men in blue", the last freemen fleeing from the Soldiers of Christians. It is a fictionalized version of Ma el Ainine's 1909 - 1910 insurgency against French colony, narrated/observed through the eyes of Nour, a coming-of-age boy.
Major part of novel is the story of Lalla, an orphan girl growing in 'the Project', across the river from an unnamed Moroccan town. And, her short stint in modern Marseille. Time of the story is not mentioned, could be guessed as 1970s. Waves of dunes, rugged hills, blazing sun, white light, high plateaus and intimate mythical connectedness of an individual's soul to the land are elaborated in this part. This part contains some beautifully crafted passages I have never read before, such as the wandering of Lella on an unchartered high plateau - on the night the wind of ill fortune flows on the Project, her wanderings in the filth and coastal parts of Marseille etc., Sure, Lella's rags to riches progress in Marseille is unrealistic, guess it gives a kind of depth to the character.
The prose is poetical, descriptions are beautiful. The English translation is flawless, from a reader's perspective for whom English is only a second language. Worthy read! ...more
I had been curious about C.J.Thomas, ever since I came to know that Joseph James in Sundara Ramaswamy's eponymous novel JJ: Sila Kurippugal was modeleI had been curious about C.J.Thomas, ever since I came to know that Joseph James in Sundara Ramaswamy's eponymous novel JJ: Sila Kurippugal was modeled after CJ. I couldn't find anything by or about CJ in a language accessible to me until I landed on this memoir recently. JJ was an archetype modernist with no compromises, however, CJ was grounded in certain aspects, and had weaknesses like any other human being. That's what makes him more interesting. He was superstitious, conservative about women going to work or being part of public life, and converted to Catholicism to marry Rosy. These would have been unimaginable in JJ's world.
While reading this book, I was often drawn to the life and personality of Pudumaipithan. Both of them were landmarks in their respective language, had big dreams, were failures in a materialistic sense, and were short-lived. And, both of them lost whatever money they had in an attempt to produce movies. Probably they thought that they would be free of all economic burdens after a movie and could focus solely on literary endeavors.
I wish G.Arunima had spent a few pages on giving a detailed account about CJ. There wouldn't have been any need for it in the original, since CJ was a well-known figure in Malayalam literary circle. It can't be said the same about the rest of the world....more
Twentieth-century was pretty eventful for India, it is interesting for us to mull over, not just because it is the most recent one. It jumped into demTwentieth-century was pretty eventful for India, it is interesting for us to mull over, not just because it is the most recent one. It jumped into democracy and industrialization right out of the feudal system, as the world’s largest Lord had finally left the country in 1947; A bloodbath of partition; Toyed with leftist thoughts in the name of Nehruvian socialism; Busted hardcore communistic Naxals; A brief authoritarian system in the 70s; finally a capitalistic system while retaining the title, world’s largest democratic country. Quite a canvas for one of the longest surviving civilizations.
And that civilization had produced a great many things, a couple of Epics not the least. Mahabharata is the largest epic in the world, another record here. Over the period, many writers experimented with it in the current context with various segments (Karna, Draupadi, Amba, Yayati, and Arjuna becoming eternal favorite characters) not the whole thing as far as I know. Shashi Tharoor had gotten into an ambitious project of overlaying these two huge canvases, retelling Mahabharata in the context of almost the whole 20th century India. It was a commendable effort.
The beauty of the Novel form is, it gets into details as much as it covers the vast. While Shashi Tharoor’s novel has an oceanic breadth, the depth is of a chlorinated kids pool in an apartment complex. Sure, you can’t guess it from outside, however, it is apparent the moment you step in. I couldn’t get seriously into any of the characters, I was just indifferent. The only thing which kept me going was the curiosity about which epic character was going to turn into the next historical figure in the well-known history.
Trust me, my ‘suspension of disbelief' is not even ‘willing�, I could trust anything. When they put their minds into it, even two-year-olds can dupe me. I am of the kind who misses every obvious clue in a mystery movie. Even I couldn’t stand the repetitive symbolism in this novel. I recognized that the bastard child was a representation of democratic India the first time it came in Italian font. Yeah, it was a clever thing: calling Indian Democracy a suffering bastard child, it was cute. It was beaten to death in every chapter though. Another irk was Shashi Tharoor's incessant political commentary throughout the novel.
Calling this a satirical novel is a satire on the word satire. Yeah, it had witty lines here and there, it had a comical approach to names, and it was subversive at places. They weren’t enough to justify the categorization. And, they couldn’t keep me engaged either, it was like decent seasonings on a stale pizza. ...more
Harold Bloom, an eminent literary critic and a professor, who had fought his whole career against academics� ideology focused critical studies, had wrHarold Bloom, an eminent literary critic and a professor, who had fought his whole career against academics� ideology focused critical studies, had written this book at the turn of the millennium to help new age readers with how to read and why. Harold Bloom is of the strongest opinion that reading is for self, not for any societal upliftment. I totally subscribe to that idea. This book is a relatively light read on a sample of works, divided into short stories, poems, novels, and plays.
At my first reading, I could surmise two aspects. Certain themes in the works being discussed like the nostalgic landscape in Turgenev’s, fraternity in Cervantes, sexual jealousy in Proust, jazz structure in Ellison’s and etc., These are one kind of openings, not necessarily the only way to approach these texts. Second, every writer is an extension or answer to one’s predecessors, even if that writer denies it. Bloom’s love for Shakespeare is evident in not just innumerable references, his longest essay of 18 pages is about Hamlet. Bloom divides all the fictional characters into either Shakespearean or Cervantesean. It is embarrassing to realize that I haven’t read either of them. Once I am done with them, it will be exciting to see how these two western heavyweights stand against Veda Vyasa.
I am slightly puzzled by the fact that the second part of novels section is only about American Novelists, whom Bloom calls the school of Melville. I don’t know whether it is because the focus is only on American readers or something to do with the apocalyptic nature of the subjects.
Overall it is a good read to spot great works and possible ways to approach them....more
I had read the second edition of this book in 2015, I felt then that I had been spending 13 years in the dark. NEven better than the previous edition.
I had read the second edition of this book in 2015, I felt then that I had been spending 13 years in the dark. Now reading this latest edition in 2021, I still feel that I haven’t been up to date. There were certain situations I thought to be unsolvable like post-meal meteoric spike and an alarming fall two or three hours later. Gary Scheiner has a solution for everything. He is like a coach, guiding you with his arm around your shoulder to face whatever the challenge awaits. More than once he states that having diabetes shouldn’t limit your life in any way, I strongly agree with that. Yes, I loved those Billy Joel references as well.
Extensive but not exhaustive. It has pointers for all the aspects, like different types of diabetes, complications, various treatments for each of them, factors affecting blood sugar level, things that make insulin react in different ways. Every day diabetes management is not an easy task. However, with a book like this, you are going to that war with arms and armor. It is a great start for anyone serious about managing ‘that� chronic disease well....more
Throughout the reading, I got a feeling that I was watching a breakout of sensational news on one of those 24 hours news channels. Footage from a stinThroughout the reading, I got a feeling that I was watching a breakout of sensational news on one of those 24 hours news channels. Footage from a sting camera, where unsuspecting bureaucrats telling things in a nonchalant manner; Officials who had a fallout with the government rueing over the horrible incidents, conspiracies, and telling how they stood against power; Officials in the fold of the ruling power defending whatever happened; A character in the newsroom, with formal attire, of course, talking to an excited news anchor placed somewhere else; Flashcards; Screaming headlines.
Why is that a bad thing for a book? Sensational news is momentary and short-lived. Viewers will have enough context. However, a book is part of history. It will be kept on reading for years to come. And, reading is solitary. All the eventual readers might not have the historical, political, and organizational context about the material being reported. For an outsider, it is really difficult to grasp.
Another problem I had with this book is the lack of clarity on the time frame. Riots happened in 2002, extrajudicial killings/fake encounters happened in 2004/05, Rana Ayyub did her sting operation in 2010, she also did a few investigative reporting before that, and a lot of things had happened between the sting operation and the eventual book launch in 2016. This book is a hotchpotch of all those things, sometimes I was at a loss with what and when....more
I don’t know how to categorize a book like this, it is so anti-Trump that it could have been alternatively titled “Donald Trump: The Fraudster.� As a I don’t know how to categorize a book like this, it is so anti-Trump that it could have been alternatively titled “Donald Trump: The Fraudster.� As a highly evolved species, human beings operate in the realm of greyness. It is a general consensus that Donald Trump is more closer to the dark gradient, you don’t get involved in 4000 litigations just like that. However, why so much abject criticism, nitpicking, and berated outlook? Perhaps activists and journalists of this kind are much needed forces to create a certain balance in an otherwise highly skewed power-hungry capitalistic society.
In my first reading, I could notice three layers in the order of decreasing density; The material D C Johnston accumulated during his investigations on gambling industry corruption, Johnston's coverage of Trump’s subsequent business dealings till his announcement for presidential candidacy, and Trump’s political career then onwards. This is a concise work with enough supporting citations.
One could feel that this book is rushed to publication. The last two chapters, covering the high rollers Akio Kashiwagi and Bob Libutti, appear out of place, even though the piece about Kashiwagi is a great one on its own. Couldn’t help wondering whether these were fillers to bring the book to a decent size in an attempt to publish before the 2016 election? Another niggle I had with this book is, the amount of self-proclamation in a work actually criticizing another person’s world-class narcissism.
I want to close this with Johnston’s shocking premonition in 2017 becoming true.
“Or a deadly virus hopscotching around the world on jetliners, creating the kind of pandemic that killed Donald Trump’s grandfather a century ago. Whatever big crisis comes, the one thing we know is that Donald Trump lacks the deep knowledge, critical thinking skills, emotional maturity, and ability to separate sound advice from nonsense that are needed in crisis� ...more
I was not looking for a high brow literature material when I started reading this book, less when I went ahead with the first among the search resultsI was not looking for a high brow literature material when I started reading this book, less when I went ahead with the first among the search results turned up, even lesser when I searched for “Unauthorised biography of Donald Trump� (Damned my imagination or the lack of it!). I was looking for a relatively unbiased look at Trump, not a sarcastic take on him and definitely not the books about Trump written by Trump (or his ghostwriters.) This book served the purpose, albeit with a certain cost.
The part which covers Trump’s life till his announcement for Presidential candidacy is mostly a collection of quotes and excerpts from, printed media and interviews on TV and radio. The second half races like a political potboiler. I feel this book was rushed to publication, it is of pedestrian style and shabby proofreading....more
I. Allan Sealy’s Hero is a novel of post-modernistic take on Bollywood and the Indian political system. It is the rags to richeYatha praja tatha raja
I. Allan Sealy’s Hero is a novel of post-modernistic take on Bollywood and the Indian political system. It is the rags to riches story of a movie star, of an unnamed southern origin, making it to the ultimate in Indian governance. His nativity is left ambiguous, but it is not exactly indiscernible. Coconut oil, finger bananas, green fields, and in the proximity of Kanyakumari, that star is from Kerala of course. The first part of the novel chronicles the progress of this miraculous kid to stardom, him eventually getting shot by another actor, and becoming a politician with dark glasses. We can see a parallel to the life of MGR here. The good souled protagonist envisions karmascope, an idea of reaching out to millions of people at the same time and offering inner peace to everyone. It happens eventually in a funny way, however, dark reality and his paranoia lead the country to an Orwellian state. I feel a part of this work is an homage to George Orwell, with references like DiDi/Big Sister and Ministry of Truth.
Mainstream Indian cinema (Bollywood) is in the genre of magic realism, where supernatural and bizarre things happen in an otherwise linear realistic format. This book is described as a fable, adapts the Bollywood formula, and is metafictional. So, I can understand stock characters, bizarre events, and unrealistic coincidences. It is part of the formula, no qualms with that. Bollywood masala works only when the viewer is not annoyed and gets carried away. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work in this novel. The first half is too familiar and romanticized. Then the omniscient first-person narrative, however, the narrator is a person in shadows, not the protagonist. Half the time he is an omnipotent sleuth. I feel this had sort of forced the author to piece together episodes in a certain way. Postmodernist work is supposed to be a comic play on existing genres. Once you take out earlier metafictional elements and ensuing screenwriter notes, the tone is too serious and the experience is too tedious....more
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