Some Thoughts on a couple of books
1) I recently read 'The Old man and His God' by Sudha Murthy.Its along the same lines as her other book 'Wise and Otherwise', a collection of her life experiences ; her encounters with people from remote corners of India. It really should've gone through much better editing, and if you're looking for literary value, you should look elsewhere. Nevertheless, this is a book I would highly recommend for its content. On second thoughts, in a strange way, the simple writing style seems appropriate. When a piece of writing is stripped of all embellishments, its true nature is revealed...
There are two things that came through as I read the stories - perspective, and the emphasis on empathy. Someone once said ' The quickest way to learn about life is to be a cab driver for six months, and then a restaurant waiter for six months, immediately after graduation'. For those of us who can't take that route, reading 'Wise and Otherwise' would be a great alternative. I have always felt that when we perceive things to be not so great, or when things look grim, getting some perspective can do wonders. The experiences she recounts are moving, and many force us to pay attention to things we so often take for granted. A must read...
2)On the other end of the spectrum, I am currently reading 'Leave me alone, I'm reading' by Maureen Corrigan. Corrigan is a book critic, and an English Professor, who's read thousands of books in the last few decades. She shares some wonderful insights, with some autobiographical digressions along the way, that I thought add a nice personal touch to the book. To pinch a reviewer's words, 'Corrigan is erudite without being the least bit pretentious'. She pokes fun at the academics ( being one herself ; and admits that one of the advantages of being a grad student in English is that you can insult elegantly), engages often in self deprecating humour, adopts a light tone, and wears her knowledge lightly; yet you can sense the smartness oozing through :-) I happen to have read only a tiny fraction of the books she talks about, but it didn't really seem to matter. An engaging, funny read, that anyone who loves books will find interesting....
8 comments:
Agree whole-heartedly about Sudha Murthy. Though her books lack linguistic prowess and make me want to grab a pencil and edit, I enjoy the content and the very human,kind ideas. There is a genuine warmth to her writing- and then I think that the ideas would lose their freshness if the language were crisper :)
Corrigan's book sounds very interesting- thanks for the pointer ! :)
I haven't read "wise and otherwise" but based on my reading of "old man and his god" I would agree with you. Its a simple but effective style of writing. Devoid of flowery prose but the stories have a soul.
As second sight said, Corrigan's book sounds really interesting and is on my "to read" list. Hopefully soon...
I haven't read Sudha Murthy, but I've always been inspired by her ideas, her minimalism, and progressive attitude. Should try reading one of her books :)
Yes, there is genuine warmth in her writings, and I think that more than makes up for the language:-) 'The Old man and his God' is very similar to 'Wise and otherwise'. I do think all of you will like Corrigan's book too!
Neeraja - Ya I think you should try one of her books. I myself have read only these two though..
Now that you recommend, I think I will get hold of that book of Ms. Corrigan. English is the only language that appeals me and if you can pass the message in the most elegant yet smart way possible, nothing more like it!
Suhasini -Actually I think each language has its own charm, and I think some ideas are best expressed is some languages. Yes, I think Corrigan's book is worth reading!
true.. hey.. will you please let me know the link for that book.. can i download it from somewhere or will have to buy it from somewhere?
Suhasini ,
Actually I am against piracy, so I am precisely the wrong person to ask for info on links to download books/movies:) I think you should be able to find the book on flipkart.com. Its about 200 pages long, and I think costs about 500;So I'd suggest you can look up some other reviews for it too, to decide if you want to buy it !
Post a Comment