A good friend of mine Jashoda from Sikkim, who is also an editor among many other things has recommended a few good reads. Namely “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai and “Like The Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho.
I have heard a lot about “The Inheritance of Loss” but after the high of the Booker, things seem to be going downhill all the way. I heard that her portrayal of Kalimpong isn’t quite flattering and what’s worse, I believe, is that she seems to show a very naïve understanding of Gorkhaland and the subsequent Hill politics even though she did live through that period in Kalimpong itself. Too much like an outsider looking in, which is not necessarily a bad way to go when you are writing a novel but to then pretend that she is a ‘simple girl from the hills’ is hypocrisy. Of course, not having read it as yet I am only speculating on speculations and normally I don’t go by those but her aunt who still lives in Kalimpong I heard isn’t too happy about it either. That for me is enough. Amen!
Long ago when Aparna Sen’s “36 Chowringee Lane” (which I personally loved, by the way) was released, a lot of critics went ga-ga over it and fell over themselves trying to find superlatives to describe it. Jug Suriya (a columnist of certain renown with the Indian Express) wrote a brilliant article. He asked if Indians had become so used to mediocrity that even an average film makes us behave like we have created a classic. Indian writing in English is also in the sameboat. Apart from Amitav Ghosh, no one is currently producing anything of substance. No one who’s read “A Suitable Boy” or “Midnight’s Children” can read any of the later books by either Seth or Rushdie and not notice the marked deterioration in character study and form.
Now I have to admit here, albeit at the risk of sounding like a heretic, that I am not the greatest fan of Paulo Coelho. I have not read his Alchemist and other novels but did manage to read “Eleven Minutes” and quite frankly I was sorely disappointed. It was nothing better than a Danielle Steele novel(who by the way, along with other potboiler/airport novelists has her own merits but then that is another topic for another day). I found it a downright corny book trying hard to be philosophical. Spirituality, mysticism, sacred love etc have to be portrayed by the characters and they must live those ideals so that by the end of the book you feel what they feel. You cant have it stuffed down your throat. Then it is just fanatic preachings in the name of literature.
As far as I personally go, my gauge for a good book is how I feel after I finish it. I don’t remember who said it but in one of the old Reader’s Digest’s “Quotable Quotes” page was something I believe in 100%. It said:-
“You know a book is really good when after you turn the last page and put it away, you feel like you’ve lost a good friend”
Halleluiah to that.
And to all you Desai and Coelho fans, my sincere apologies.
Hi Vishal,
ReplyDeleteI was zapped to see my name mentioned in your latest blog.Well I do agree with you that Kiran Desai has treaded on unknown territories by touching upon the Gorkahland issue in The Inheritance of Loss.I feel that some sections of the book are a tad offending as well. I wish she had not compared Neps with Bongs. One of the characters says that Neps can be brave soldiers but never intelligent like the Bongs.
Well never mind............
I thank God that you were not on the selection panel;-)
I am surprised to know that you have not read The Alchemist. I have read most of Coelho's works but The Alchemist is my favourite. Veronica Decides To Die and Like The Flowing River have a charm of their own. Eleven Minutes was banal. I wonder why Coelho wrote that book in the first place.
I must say that you are a fantastic critic. You seem to be very discerning person. In fact more than me. I always thought that I am a good critic but you are better.
I must say that your blogs make for a very good read(s).I will definitely post my comments whenever I can.
Shyam says....
ReplyDeleteCant comment much on Ms Desai's new book- but i must grudgingly admit that her first book- hullaballo in a guava orchard was funny. grudingly because it had a bizzare plot but it did raise a few laughs....I am not too well versed with Kalimpong and the goings-on there; also this booker craze gets to me...the book that won the prize last year was plain awful- so its no real barometer of ones writing. As for Coelho- average to my mind...Alchemist was good; everything else was lot of trash....Naipaul to my mind is the only writer of Indian origin worth his salt....read the utterly enjoyable a house for Mr Biswas and you will know what i mean. almost every book of his has a consistency and purity in prose that is such a delight; especially in this day and age when the Grisham's and others churn such garbage. Another book that Mr Poision aka Vish may admire is the autobiography of Akira Kurosawa....gives us insight into what made him such an enigmatic and almost magical film maker. And for cricket lovers- Steve Waugh's autobiography - out of my comfort zone- is a must read. A fantastic essay of character, grit and determination.