Jayant Kaikini is an Indian (Kannada) poet, short story writer, playwright, a public intellectual and a lyricist in Kannada Cinema. Kannada is new to me, but it's the language widely spoken in the Indian state of Karnataka, where Kaikini was born (in 1955). He is regarded, according to Wikipedia, as one of the most significant contemporary writers in … Continue reading Jayant Kaikini, No presents please: Mumbai stories (#BookReview)
Indian writers
Neel Mukherjee’s The lives of others, and those epilogues
When my reading group discussed The lives of others questions were raised about the meaning of the two epilogues, specifically in terms of what they contributed to the meaning of the book. Not having finished the book in time, I wasn't able to join in, so I'm having a go now. As I mentioned in my review, the … Continue reading Neel Mukherjee’s The lives of others, and those epilogues
Neel Mukherjee, The lives of others (Review)
Before I talk about Neel Mukherjee's Booker Prize short-listed The lives of others, I want to briefly mention the experience of reading it on the Kindle. I probably haven't told you my little reading rule of thumb before, which is that I aim to buy Australian books in print, and overseas books electronically. It's my measured foray into … Continue reading Neel Mukherjee, The lives of others (Review)
Amitav Ghosh, River of smoke (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
I'm rather sorry that I haven't read Amitav Ghosh's Sea of poppies because, while River of smoke does work on its own, I think my experience would have been richer had I read the beginning of the trilogy. This shouldn't affect its Man Asian Literary Prize chances, but you never know. I loved that the … Continue reading Amitav Ghosh, River of smoke (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Jahnavi Barua on reading
In my recent review of Jahnavi Barua's Rebirth I quoted the following line: "No, I will not buy a book today. I will try and live in my life instead". I really wanted, though, to quote the entire preceding paragraph, but it didn't really suit the direction of my review. And so, instead, I'm posting … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Jahnavi Barua on reading
Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
What a shame Jahnavi Barua's novel, Rebirth, is, to the best of my knowledge, available "for sale in the Indian Subcontinent only" (backcover). Our Shadow Man Asian team had real problems tracking this one down, but I'm very glad we did manage to obtain some copies, eventually, because this is a beautiful book. The title, … Continue reading Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Anuradha Roy, The folded earth (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Anuradha Roy The folded earth London: MacLehose Press, 2011 257pp. ISBN: 9780857050441
Salman Rushdie, The enchantress of Florence
Where to begin? Salman Rushdie's latest novel, The enchantress of Florence is one of those books-writ-large: its canvas is broad, its structure a little complex and it has a large character set. In other words, you need your wits about you as you read this one. This is only my third Rushdie. Like most keen … Continue reading Salman Rushdie, The enchantress of Florence
Aravind Adiga, The Sultan’s Battery
Adiga's next book, after his very successful, The white tiger, is a collection of short stories titled Between the assassinations. It has already been published in India, and apparently refers to that period in India between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. An abridged version of one of its stories, The Sultan's … Continue reading Aravind Adiga, The Sultan’s Battery
Whispering Gums 