I have been travelling for the past few days. Went to Tuticorin and Madurai. So there's been a break in blogging. Thanks CCG for checking my blog religiously.
I have completed One by Richard Bach. It is a book that won't leave you soon. Will write in detail in the next post. Somewhere it struck me what Bach is proposing is closer to the advaita (non dualism) philosophy. So now I have started reading up on Advaita. This is what a good book does to you, opens up new avenues of learning.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
East of Eden
East of Eden was considered by John Steinbeck as his master piece. To quote him from the introduction, "it contains all I know about, nothing is held back".
The story is set in the Salinas Valley in California around the turn of the 20th century (yes the 1900s). On the face of it the story flows like a gentle river, unlike the stark, raw scenes of his earlier novel Grapes of Wrath. It revolves around the Hamiltons, the author's maternal family and Trasks, fictional neighbours. The first 400 pages are dominated by Samuel Hamilton, Steinbeck's grandfather. Sam knows everything about everything, is an inventor and an amiable person. His philosophical discussions with Lee, the chinese servant of Trasks is one of the highlights of the novel. Lee is a servant you would die for.
The story goes like this. Adam Trask falls in love with Catherine whom he saved from death and marries her. But she is evil personified and wants to go away from him. After giving birth to twins she decides to walk away. When he pleads with her she just shoots him at his shoulder and walks away to run a brothel house. The kids are taken care of by Lee, the chinese servant. The kids are named Caleb and Aaron. Caleb has a dark side to him and is mean, but he also knows that he is mean. Aaron is the angelic kid, whom every one likes. While Caleb craves for his father's attention, Adam gets it effortlessly. This leads to jealousy in Caleb and how it affects their lives is the basis of the story. The Hamiltons and the Salinas valley provide the backdrop of the story. The book is at various levels, at one level it is a straight forward story, at another level it is about the eternal struggle of good and evil. The twins are named like Cain and Abel in the bible.
Steinbeck's writing has a lyrical quality and he leads the reader into the storyscape smoothly. The Salinas Valley gets as much importance as the characters, much like RK Narayan's Malgudi. After a few pages you start identifying yourself with the characters, which to me is the stamp of a good book.
Read it, if you like serious literature.
The story is set in the Salinas Valley in California around the turn of the 20th century (yes the 1900s). On the face of it the story flows like a gentle river, unlike the stark, raw scenes of his earlier novel Grapes of Wrath. It revolves around the Hamiltons, the author's maternal family and Trasks, fictional neighbours. The first 400 pages are dominated by Samuel Hamilton, Steinbeck's grandfather. Sam knows everything about everything, is an inventor and an amiable person. His philosophical discussions with Lee, the chinese servant of Trasks is one of the highlights of the novel. Lee is a servant you would die for.
The story goes like this. Adam Trask falls in love with Catherine whom he saved from death and marries her. But she is evil personified and wants to go away from him. After giving birth to twins she decides to walk away. When he pleads with her she just shoots him at his shoulder and walks away to run a brothel house. The kids are taken care of by Lee, the chinese servant. The kids are named Caleb and Aaron. Caleb has a dark side to him and is mean, but he also knows that he is mean. Aaron is the angelic kid, whom every one likes. While Caleb craves for his father's attention, Adam gets it effortlessly. This leads to jealousy in Caleb and how it affects their lives is the basis of the story. The Hamiltons and the Salinas valley provide the backdrop of the story. The book is at various levels, at one level it is a straight forward story, at another level it is about the eternal struggle of good and evil. The twins are named like Cain and Abel in the bible.
Steinbeck's writing has a lyrical quality and he leads the reader into the storyscape smoothly. The Salinas Valley gets as much importance as the characters, much like RK Narayan's Malgudi. After a few pages you start identifying yourself with the characters, which to me is the stamp of a good book.
Read it, if you like serious literature.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
The Classic Best sellers
Through somebody's blog I landed up in this page Classic Best sellers about three months back. I found that I have read a few of these books and decided to read as many of them as I could lay hands on.
The very next day I found John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath in the LIBA library. That book was amazing to say the least. It is a book about migrant labourers from Oklahama who land up in California looking for a job and how they have to suffer. It portrayed a country that was far different from the USA that I had imagined. It is a powerful novel to say the least. Steinbeck won the Pulitzer prize for this novel. He later on went to win the Nobel prize in 1962. He knew what he wrote about and his descritpion of human emotions is one of the best I have ever read. Grapes of Wrath reminded me of Indira Parthasarathy's novel Kuruthip punal.
I am now reading Steinbeck's East of Eden, the novel he considered his magnum opus. This is even better, will write about this book soon.
The very next day I found John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath in the LIBA library. That book was amazing to say the least. It is a book about migrant labourers from Oklahama who land up in California looking for a job and how they have to suffer. It portrayed a country that was far different from the USA that I had imagined. It is a powerful novel to say the least. Steinbeck won the Pulitzer prize for this novel. He later on went to win the Nobel prize in 1962. He knew what he wrote about and his descritpion of human emotions is one of the best I have ever read. Grapes of Wrath reminded me of Indira Parthasarathy's novel Kuruthip punal.
I am now reading Steinbeck's East of Eden, the novel he considered his magnum opus. This is even better, will write about this book soon.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
If you read only one spy novel in your entire life time, read this. I am not
exaggerating, it is the best of this genre, written by John Le Carre who was with British Intelligence at the height of coldwar.
The novel is about Alec Leamas, British agent in West Berlin running a network of agents in East Germany. He is a old horse with no hopes of going up the ladder and when he loses his last agent, goes back to Britain. Instead of being put to pasture, he is asked to be part of one last attempt in bringing down the chief of Abteilung (East German Secret police).
It is a sinister plot, making everyone believe that Leamas has become a drunkard, and making the enemy to lure him to defect. To this effect Leamas is really fired from the job, becomes a drunkard and spends some time in prison. As expected he is contacted by Germans and goes to Berlin. Anything more will spoil the interest in the story.
It is a maze of plots and subplots laid skillfully to lead the reader up the wrong path. George Smiley's (supposed to have retired from British Intelligence) character is hardly mentioned in the story, but at every scene you can sense his presence. By the time you reach the final chapter, you are literally at the seat's edge. After reading the book I thought if Smiley was the master of the plot, then why did he let Leamas lose agents? Then the cynicism of the whole story struck, sacrificing individuals for the greater good (?).
Unputdownable.
exaggerating, it is the best of this genre, written by John Le Carre who was with British Intelligence at the height of coldwar.
The novel is about Alec Leamas, British agent in West Berlin running a network of agents in East Germany. He is a old horse with no hopes of going up the ladder and when he loses his last agent, goes back to Britain. Instead of being put to pasture, he is asked to be part of one last attempt in bringing down the chief of Abteilung (East German Secret police).
It is a sinister plot, making everyone believe that Leamas has become a drunkard, and making the enemy to lure him to defect. To this effect Leamas is really fired from the job, becomes a drunkard and spends some time in prison. As expected he is contacted by Germans and goes to Berlin. Anything more will spoil the interest in the story.
It is a maze of plots and subplots laid skillfully to lead the reader up the wrong path. George Smiley's (supposed to have retired from British Intelligence) character is hardly mentioned in the story, but at every scene you can sense his presence. By the time you reach the final chapter, you are literally at the seat's edge. After reading the book I thought if Smiley was the master of the plot, then why did he let Leamas lose agents? Then the cynicism of the whole story struck, sacrificing individuals for the greater good (?).
Unputdownable.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Thanjavoor Vegetarian
On sunday, I suddenly decided to go on a bike ride in the ECR (East Coast Road) with my wife and daughter. It is the only Chennai road in which you can enjoy a ride, the four lane highway bereft of potholes that characterize every other road in Chennai.
This was the first time I travelled by bike in the ECR and on the way back we stopped at a restaurant named "Thanjavoor Vegetarian". It was just a big room with no frills. The place could seat about 60 people, though they had only 30 seats. So there was no jostling around and enough space to take a walk about after ordering. The menu was simple - Dosa varieties, Idli, Parotta, rice and coffee.
But it was one of the best food I have had outside home. The Dosa's were crisp but not brittle, chutney that had the right amount of spice, and coffee served in dabara (sort of cup and saucer in eversilver material) that was just too good. My idea of good coffee is it should leave a slight bitter taste after you finish it, not very sweet.
The rates were nominal and I left the place with a pleasant feeling. So if you are a vegetarian traveeling on ECR, make sure you visit this place. It is located opposite to Prarthana Drive in Theater.
This was the first time I travelled by bike in the ECR and on the way back we stopped at a restaurant named "Thanjavoor Vegetarian". It was just a big room with no frills. The place could seat about 60 people, though they had only 30 seats. So there was no jostling around and enough space to take a walk about after ordering. The menu was simple - Dosa varieties, Idli, Parotta, rice and coffee.
But it was one of the best food I have had outside home. The Dosa's were crisp but not brittle, chutney that had the right amount of spice, and coffee served in dabara (sort of cup and saucer in eversilver material) that was just too good. My idea of good coffee is it should leave a slight bitter taste after you finish it, not very sweet.
The rates were nominal and I left the place with a pleasant feeling. So if you are a vegetarian traveeling on ECR, make sure you visit this place. It is located opposite to Prarthana Drive in Theater.
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