a sense of an ending - julian barnes

one of the best books in a while. the story begins in an ordinary way with teenage boys in a school in the sixties and seventies, there is a group of three that the story focuses on and to this group is added a new teenager from a 'broken home'- adrian.
the story follows tony, and his girl friends in college - more particularly veronica and tony. there is one outing where tony takes veronica to meet all the other three friends. tony is also shown as a jealous boyfriend when he finds veronica paying a little too much attention to adrian - considered the most intelligent of the group.
a short while later tony breaks up with veronica and she finds adrian a more congenial companion. adrian seeks tony's permission, which is airily granted. but this is followed by a vicious and ugly letter by tony to both adrian and veronica where tony gives vent to all the anguish, envy and anger at losing veronica to his friend. adrian shortly commits suicide. though the remaining three friends try to stay in touch, the story begins to follow tony and the other two drop off the radar.
tony gets married to margeret, has a daughter susan who also grows up and gets married. tony gets divorced but stays friends with his wife.
forty years after adrian's suicide, tony receives 500 pounds from veronica's dead mother. from this point onwards, the story takes a dramatic and unexpected turn and goes on to become one of the best novels i have ever read.
the cynical humour, that julian barnes brings to the story whether in describing tony and his views on life or the nature of friendship, or on old age is what i think makes the book such a joy to read. 

boyhood:scenes from provincial life - j.m.coetzee

Coetzee is one of the authors that i like to go back to, for the simplicity with which complex issues are unfolded in his understated style.

the current book looks at the 'boyhood' of the author. 

distanced in time, forty years later, he brings to bear his wisdom to untangle his vivid childhood memories for our benefit and describes it in the third person.  

the contradictions of childhood is one of the running themes - the child Coetzee is petrified that his beloved mother,Dinny, will die and at the same morbidly fascinated by the thought of her death.

his father has many virtues but each has an embarrassing qualification- 'an attorney but one who no longer practises, a soldier but only a lance corporal, a rugby player but only for the Gardens second team, he plays cricket but for the Worcester second team which no one bothers to watch'. he hates his father's personal habits, is unable to work out the position of his father in the household.

he is a self absorbed child who spends long hours with his Meccanno set, his stamp collection and reading books which he borrows from the library - when he is unwell enough to skip school, he forces his mother to visit the library and borrow books so that he may read it in bed.

his school is another of those contradictions. his life in school is a secret which he does not share at home just as his life at home- he is from a strange and unnatural family- is a secret not shared in school . he comes first in class, his conduct is rated 'very good' and his progress 'excellent' . he has never been caned in school and is ready to kill himself if he were to be ever flogged. but at the same time feels left out in class, since he cannot discuss with the other boys the relative merits of different canes used by the teachers, the character of the cane and the quality of pain that they inflict. for this he blames his mother since she has never beaten him.

coetzee loved visiting the farm where his father grew up and where his uncle currently lived. he confesses that he is twice-born: once born of his mother and again of his grandfather's farm. he feels he belongs to the farm. this part of the narrative in the book has echoes of 'life and times of michael k' by coetzee. in that book the narrator, hibernates under the shade of a rock and revels in the solitude. one is reminded of the same solitude, vast expanse of space in the description of the farm in 'boyhood'. he feels safe, secure during the time he spends on the farm. the boy coetzee also describes various activities associated with sheep - their sheering which is done by a team which goes from one farm to the next and creates a festive atmosphere; the casatration of sheep; and the killing and gutting of sheep. it is a very cruel description but one can again relate to it as childhood memories which tend to be devoid of judgement.

the book revolves around coetzee's relationship with his mother and how she was constantly on his mind. it made me pause and reflect on how my actions are perceived by my son, whether every mother is a touchstone forever for the childs' world view....

an extremly lucid but crisp recital of vivid childhood memories by a master.

the palace of illusions

i have always loved reading the mahabharata. it is such an incredible, complex and multi layered tale with innumerable upa-kathas. every time i read it there is a new perspective that is gained - to life, to our desires, to what motivates and shapes our actions.

this book tells the tale from the perspective of draupadi who helped define the events that led to the war of kurukshetra. a child born of fire with only a twin brother as companion in her childhood, draupadi is brought up as a princess without too many of the shackles of being a 'female'.

the deft recital lays emphasis on the fiery nature of draupadi - which is not very strongly tethered to the conventional stereotypes of being a 'woman'. how can it be when she is the only one married to five men simultaneously, the only woman born of a sacrificial fire invoked to wreak vengeance on her father's enemy, the only princess who has maya to build her a palace, a queen who was invited to the palace of the kauravas and humiliated by being disrobed in the mahasabha while her five husbands and all the elders watched mutely, the only queen who gave up being a mother to her five sons so that she could accompany her husbands into exile and fan their hatred of the kauravas for 12 long years, the only woman blessed with divine vision to watch the 18 day kurukshetra war...

the story is one which can fascinate five year old children to wise old individuals. the author's skill is in projecting the events as largely shaped by draupadi. the other novel aspect is the way in which a love interest between draupadi and karna is interwoven into the tapestry - karna, the character who evokes universal sympathy in the mahabharata.

'the palace of illusions' reveals some of the ways in which events and individuals transcend the boundaries that society sets for stereotypes of - gender, good and evil, duty and love. i would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the mahabharata.

aunt julia and the scriptwriter - mario vargas llosa

The book is a semi-auto-biographical narrative by mario vargas llosa.
what i found charming is the structure of the novel itself. the title to each chapter is the beginning of the sentence in the same chapter. the story moves back and forth between the radio serial stories and the tumultous events in the life of the teenage mario. the first such story about  doctor alberto quinteros was really like a teaser- i kept looking through all the chapters for the next events in the life of alberto, red antunez, richard and elianita. i could then locate only a one word reference to richard in 'the bard of lima'towards the end of the novel!!

it was only later that i realised that it was the magic of pedro camacho which had kept me so engrossed and i believe this is what holds the entire novel together. pedro the scriptwriter for the brilliantly successful serials of the radio station panamericana, with his absurd habits, ingenious plot line is the one who comes across as more real than mario and aunt julia.

the gradual way in which mario and julia 'fall in love' is also interesting- both are acutely aware of their age differences, family disapproval, lack of funds for setting up their home, budding dreams of a teenager waiting to be fulfilled...
Despite their reality, they pursue their 'love'and marry each other in the most absurd of circumstances. Their 'love' is not one of turtle-doves and cherubs, but one more rooted in the physical world, and therefore more lustful than what is generally associated with 'love'.

julia comes across as a light hearted woman who has retained a youthful outlook to life which is reflected in her meetings with mario without the knowledge of the other family members, her willingness to elope with mario, happily going through the series of misadventures after she elopes and till they finally find a mayor to conduct their marriage.

the stories are so rich in detail and seem to have lost nothing in translation. i could actually view in my minds-eye, the landscape of the desert where the sales man runs over the girl, the shack in the jungle where where rats ate up the baby, the harbour where the negro hides, the crushed spectators in the football field, the wedding reception that was attended by dr alberto quinteros, the buddng charm of the young teenager born to very old parents, who cried 'rape', the ruthless way in which the rat exterminator was beaten up by his family....

an amusing read and a very good introduction to the works of mario vargas llosa.

wolf hall - hilary mantel

This Booker Prize winning story is truly one of the   most exciting novels on Henry the VIII. Like most people I 've been fascinated by the life and times of Henry VIII, this book offers a ring side view of the people who made those times remarkable.

The story revolves around Thomas Cromwell - the most influential man between 1530-40. He is shown to be very astute, able to work under the Cardinal Wolsely and Henry VIII. Cromwell manages the transition of England from Catholicism to Protestantism, arranging the marraige of his King to Anne Boleyn and also to come out on top of all the intrigues of court in those tumultous times. In the book, Cromwell tries unsuccessfully to ensure that Thomas More shows support for the decision of Henry VIII to break away from the Papacy in Rome and accept Anne Boleyn as Queen. 

On the personal front he is a warm and caring man with the interests of his dependents always on his mind. Such a rich and full life so captivatingly described!

the gospel according to jesus christ - jose saramago

this is an unusual book on christ that i have recently read. it has a distinct narrative style, which i subsequently wanted to emulate. in the book, there are no chapter numbers or names. there is no punctuation except the comma and the full stop. the comma is used to indicate start and end of conversations, thoughts that the characters have and the description of the places.

it describes the life of christ as a very ordinary individual with just a passion for seeking God. But even in that pursuit it shows Christ to be full of doubts. The narrative of Christ's life with his parents, with his siblings, in a civilisation which is struggling under the yoke of the Romans is so vivid that it is necessary to continuously remind oneself- this is a book on THE Jesus Christ. There is nothing so sacred or so profane that it it becomes out-of-bounds for discussion in the book.

There is also a chapter devoted to a brilliant conversation between the Devil and God himself. This is the forty days when Christ was lost in the mists of the Sea of Galilee.This chapter where Christ speaks to God, with the Devil also invited, is a very thought provoking one. In the course of the discussion, the Devil proposes that for the word of God to spread to all corners of earth, God should receive the Devil into his heavenly kingdom, redeem the Devil's past offences by those he would not commit in the future, that God should also accept and preserve the Devil's obedience as it was in the happy days when the Devil was one of god's chosen angels -Lucifer. however God refuses the offer and tells the Devil that it is inconcevable that Good can exist without the Devil, the death of one would mean the death of the other, and that unless the Devil lived like the Devil, God cannot live like God.
God also predicts the manner in which Jesus Christ and his followers will die, as well as hundreds of thousands of people through the centuries who would be put to death because they believe in God - not because they will doubt Him. And the Devil says that one has to be God to enjoy so much bloodshed.

What i liked the most is the candid manner in which the foundations of christianity are discussed and questioned. there is no feeling of awe in the prescence of God which inhibits one's thought. It reminds me of the genius poet Kalidas, who prayed to Godess Kali till she appeared before him and offered him a boon. Kalidasa then said that he wanted both wit and wealth to make his way in the world, pleased by his boldness, Kali called him a 'vikatakavi' and granted him two boons instead of one.

a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in Jesus Christ.

juliet, naked - nick hornby

this book was an easy read by nick hornby.
i started reading this author after seeing the movie 'about a boy' which is based on a book by the same name.
juliet, naked- is about a musician -Tucker Crowe-who suddenly disappears from public life at the peak of his popularity.
a woman Annie, who works at a museum and is not too happy with her job, her live in boy-friend Duncan, her lack of a child... It is actually Duncan who is devoted to all things Tucker-Crowe and the book begins with Annie and Duncan visiting the house where Tucker was last seen. Duncan also runs a website on Tucker- famous songs, concerts, last sighted, fan following and any trivia that can be collected from round the world on Tucker. 
the novelty of the book lies in the lucid description of Tucker Crowe's life and the  loneliness of the three main characters-annie, duncan and tucker. Annie's life gets enmeshed with that of Tucker and she falls out with Duncan with whom she has shared her life for 15 long years. 
Despite the fact that Tucker has slipped out of public life, he continues to have women  fall in love with him, share their lives with him and he also has chidren with them...multiple serial live-in relationships, without the formal bondage offered by marraige.
The part that i found the most interesting is when Tucker is in hospital after a mild heart attack and his entire life congregates- his past girl friends with his children, his child from his current girl friend and Annie.
Nick Hornby has been able to highlight through Tucker, Annie and Duncan, a deep rooted need that we have for attention, respect and affection. It is done in the context of current day society which places a premium on individual freedom, sexual liberty and the Internet age. All great achievements in our world today but sadly flawed as we see in the lives of Annie, Duncan and Tucker.

john banville: copernicus- kepler - the newton letter

Dr Copernicus

an interesting trilogy about three scientists who propounded some of the most revolutionary theories of their times.

doctor copernicus proposed the heliocentric theory and forever changed the way we perceived earth as being the centre of the solar system. he was however very fearful of the retribution that could occur from the roman church if he made his theory public during his lifetime. his work in astronomy was also a hobby which never took centre stage in his life as a canon and as a diplomat for his maternal uncle the bishop of warmia.

the biography is dramatic in recreating the relationships that copernicus had with his brother and his fear how his studies in astronomy would be perceived. copernicus never married but in the story is shown to have lost out the position of bishop- once occupied by his maternal uncle- as he was seen as living in sin with a woman, anna schillings. anna schillings was a cousin of copernicus, had lost her husband to the political upheavals of the time, lived with him till his death, taking care of his household.

the other important narrative in the biography is that of rheticus who is a student sent up to study astronomy with copernicus. rheticus reads up the heliocentric theory and is allowed to publish a small booklet about it- to test the reaction of the clergy and political masters.

the narrative brings to life the times in which copernicus lived, recreates the bleak climate of poland/ermland during those times. made me feel i was in the world of jrr tolkein with his hobbits. worth a read.

the next biography is that of kepler, who was a brilliant mathematician in the court of emperor rudolph 2. he was also an astrologer at the court. he published a theory on the paths of planetary movement. he was buffetted by the fickle winds of political patronage and his best contribution was when he was the court mathematician. he developed his theories on the basis of the observations of mars made by his predecessor in the court- tycho brahe. kepler also studied the stars by improving the lenses that were available at that time and the biography dwells upon the friendship with the jewish lens grinder wincklemann.

kepler is contracted to be a mathematics teacher at the university of graz in austria, and is shown to have been an absent minded professor, unable to hold the attention of his students. kepler married twice. the first marriage was to a twice widowed barbara muller who had a daughter, regina, from an earlier marriage and is shown as being unhappy in the relationship. he marries a second time on barbara's death after reviewing eleven prospective brides. this marriage - to susanna- is shown as a very happy one. he is troubled in his later years by his mother who is found to be practising witch-craft and she is somehow let off.

the narrative is full of the uncertainities which plagued kepler and kept him in a constant state of worry regarding his income as well as his own inability to be a sauve and sophisticated personality who could flatter his way to great positions. he comes across as a person so immersed and passionate about his work that the usual struggles of living are an unwanted interruption to his lofty study of the universe.

the newton letter contains very little about newton or the letter and is better left unread.

professor and the madman - simon winchester

we are all so familiar with the 'oxford english dictionary' that we no longer wonder at the beginnings of such a marvel.

the book takes us through the making of the OED and the role that was played by one remarkable man- dr william chester minor. dr w c minor was an american in london, visiting england in order to quiet a mind that had become inflamed and who had taken voluntary retirement from the US army on grounds of ill health. he shot to fame in 1872 in london, when he was arrested for the murder of george merrett at lambeth marsh. he was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be held in permanent custody at the newly built showpiece of the british criminal justice system - broadmoor, as a certified criminal lunatic. dr minor was thirty seven years old.

dr murray was the editor of the OED and met dr minor - his most prolific contributor for twenty years, for the first time in 1896.

the events which led to dr minor becoming a lunatic makes a major part of the narrative and is as fascinating to read as the making of the OED itself. both have such dramatic events that it is difficult to say which is a better tale- the madness of dr minor or the passion which went into the making of the OED.

a slim volume, amazingly researched, and an elegantly told tale by simon winchester.

sea of poppies - amitav ghosh

the book is one of the best that i have read this year. amitav ghosh is truly a master story teller!

the tale is set in the background of the British merchants forcing farmers in the gangetic plain to grow opium, thus creating generations of landless laborers. the opium grown in India is crucial for the british to get a foothold into china for trade.

during a lunch hosted by neel rattan-the raja of raskhali, mr burnham, a trader of the east india company, speaks of how the chinese have no use for british products and manufactures, but that britain needs the silk and tea from china. if not for opium, mr burnham says, britain would not be able to sustain the trade in silver alone. mr burnham- a servant of free trade- is very clear that free trade is a right conferred upon man by God and if it was God's will to open up the chinese markets using opium, then so be it!!!

the raja is paying scant attention to the converasation, his attention being rivetted by the wilting water lillies in the centre of the table, that are sitting in an old porcelain chamber -pot.

the burnham household also has paulette- a dead french botanist's daughter, who runs away when mr. burnham begins to trouble her with his unwelcome requests for being chastened with a 'jaaru' used to clean toilets, by applying the same with great force to his posterior.

another important character is deeti- kabutri ki maa-, whose courage and undauntable will provide a brilliant background to the story. she is married to an ex-soldier, who is an opium addict, working in an opium factory. on his death, deeti is forced to remember the events which resulted in the conception of kabutri and the dastardly role that her husband's brother played in it. while the husband's family plots to make her a 'sati' so that they can live off the earnings of a sati-shrine, deeti manages to escape from her funeral pyre and is saved by kalua - who belongs to an untouchable caste. the most touching scene is when deeti makes a garland of flowers, strings them with her own hair and 'marries' her saviour-kalua.

paulette, deeti, kalua and the raja of raskhali become passengers on the ship-IBIS- carrying basically coolies to mauritius.

paulette's brother by relation rather than blood- jodu also is on the ship as a lascar, which was his life long ambition.

the ship's second mate- zachary reid- zikri malum to the rest of the lascars- is not a white man but through a series of events has now come to be regarded as one. it is not a secret but is not published either. he has a soft corner for miss paulette lambert and had been approached by her seeking his assistance to get away from the burnham household. he is unable to help her in the way she wants and is therefore shocked to find her on his ship with the coolie-cargo.

the ship -IBIS-is from america and is used to carrying slaves. but with the abolition of slavery the business opportunity has dwindled. the landless coolies are therefore crucial as cargo, to keep business going for the american ships.

when the IBIS is heading out of calcutta harbour out into the sea, it has to wait for the tidal wave - bore- to sweep it out, zikri malum gets in to the water to free one of the anchor ropes from the bouy. it is jodu who saves him by pulling him onto his slim long boat, and rowing to reach the bouy where the two of them hold on to each other and lash themselves with a rope to the bouy. the immense weight of the bore covers them and the bouy. the description of this incident seems so real that you feel you are actually under water and you hold your breath till the bore passes over.

the drama on the IBIS, is described so well that you can actually live the life of the coolies, convicts, lascars, guards and the dope addicted captain. you can hear the bhojpuri wedding songs, smell the stench of the sweat soaked bodies, feel the fear when the ship reaches the black waters, experience the sting of the lashes when kalua is whipped by bhairon singh....

the global village may have become a very popular term in recent years to explain the interconnectedness of economies, but it was the same even two hundred years ago. the story with its rich and exquisitely detailed language makes the period come alive. a remarkable novel. i can only wait for the sequel that amitav ghosh has promised.