Reading the World-March 2016

Book 17: Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto (Mozambique)

 
A lioness is on a killing spree in Kulumani, where only the women are its prey. A hunter is hired, and the story is narrated by his diary entries and those of one the victims’ sister.

Another book I’m disappointed with. It has so much potential, but somehow it ends up being a dud. It seems the author writes something that is poetic, the beauty of which you sometimes can’t deny. But at times, when he writes something that sounds deep and symbolically charged, it only gets contradictory and confusing. All the characters seem to have a past, a dark secret they know–or they don’t; everybody’s a victim, everybody’s a mystery, everybody’s miserable; and everybody does and/or says weird things.

My next reading will have to be a lot less complicated than that.

 

Book 18: Samarkand by Amin Maalouf (Lebanon)

  

A good book which comprises two different parts, the link between the two being Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyaat.

The narrator starts off by telling us that the only copy of the book sank along with the Titanic and feels miserable at having been responsible for it. He then proceeds to tell Omar Khayyam’s story- part truth, part fiction, which consists the first part of the book: in Khayyam was asked to write down his “heretic” verses in a notebook, rather than say them out loud and face death from extremists, which is what he does; this part gives us information on the cultural background and the historical happenings of Persia in the 11th-12thc., and notably on the Assassins.

And the second part of the book is the story of the narrator at the turn of the 20th c., how he went after the copy of the Rubaiyat, what happened to it, all this soaked in the changing socio-political context of Iran.

Somehow, I prefered the first part, though it is annoying not to be able to tell fact from fiction; it reminded me of Forty Rules of Love, which I read in January. The second part, I found rather bland.

Though it was a personal choice to read this book, I regretted not having chosen a Lebanese book which would have allowed me to understand Lebanon a bit more, rather than old-day Persia.

 

Book 19: Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov (Kyrgyzstan)

An enchantingly well-written novella (1958) that is set during the second world war in what is now known as Kyrgyzstan. Seit, the narrator, then a teenager, describes everyday life during war, the hardship that women and children had to bear in the absence of the men, and the reversal of roles. But most importantly, this piece of writing is about Jamil(i)a, Seit’s sister-in-law, a fiery, impulsive and spirited young girl, who is disappointed with her dreary husband (who is also away, injured during the war). And one day, a wounded war veteran arrives, a solitary, silent and haunting man, who happens to sing soulfully…

Book 20: How I Became a Nun by César Aira (Argentina)

  

A creepy, creepy book, with wicked humour at times and an end that is… creepy!

The narrator, a six-year old girl – or boy- who bears the authors name, tells about the various things that happen in her/his life as her/his family move to a new town, and the story which starts with ice cream, also ends with icecream, though we do not get the answer for the question posed by the title, unless we consider a pun. We get to read some original, at times delirious writing. I still do know if I liked the book or not; what I do know is that it didn’t leave me indifferent...

Book 21: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria)

  

The title made me go for the book, and no regrets! Though I found some descriptions quite grotesque and had a hard time identifying with the main character, I simply couldn’t stop reading the book.

Baba Segi wakes up one morning deciding determinedly to do something about his fourth wife’s barrenness, and thus opens Pandora’s box. All the characters have a past hidden from the others, and their secrets make up much of the story.

Just as the reader starts believing one or the other character is wicked and gratuitously mean, the author allows them to speak and have their voices heard, thereby allowing the reader to have a more balanced view of them all.

I enjoyed reading the book and was surprised at how fast I was able to do so.

Book 22: In the Sea There Are No Crocodiles by Fabio Geda (Italy)

Another novel based on someone’s life which again made me feel grateful for the sort of privileged life I’ve had, which I tend to take for granted. And to complain about.

Enaiatollah, a 10 year-old (maybe) Hazara boy from a very dangerous Afghanistan, is taken to Pakistan by his mother and left to fend for himself. From there begins his journey seeking a safer and better life, a quest that will take him to Iran, Turkey, Greece and then finally, Italy. Braving all sorts of danger while crossing the borders and living in a foreign country without papers, the knowledge of the local language or money, Enaiat’s story is truly about the triumph of human will.
Despite the atrocities he’s been through, Enaiat never forgets to mention the selfless acts of kindness from the people of the different lands that he travels to/through. It is comforting to know that humanity is not dead after all…

Book 23: After Rain by William Trevor (Ireland)

  

A set of twelve short stories, very well-written, though I must confess that many a time, I simply missed some important point described or mentioned in the story and had to go back and read a few passages again–at times in vain.

The stories are about the human lot, the victims of tragedy that seems to qualify and pervade their day-to-day lives: adultery, broken homes, break-ups, mis-matches, dishonesty, insecurity are some of the topics that are dealt with in them.

Verdict? Worth a read, though I’m glad I won’t have to go back to that collection again…

Book 24: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (UK)

  

A lazy choice, as I wanted to read a thriller-detective fiction kind of thing. And this book suited me well; I liked the characters, the story, the setting (the marshlands in Norfolk), as well as its mystery elements. I learned a bit more about the Norse/Viking practices and went ahead and searched these topics further. The happy thing is that there are 8 books in the series and probably more coming!)

Reading the World – February 2016

Book 9: Children of Saba by NK Read (Kenya)

Finally finished this very long book, the reading of which unfortunately coincided with a busy period at work. Anyway, I’m glad I’m done with it, so I can move on to some other book.
The book is supposed to be the first of a trilogy, the remaining ones yet to be published. And the author draws her inspiration from authors like Tolkien, CS Lewis and JK Rowling, but somehow I feel she falls short of expectations.
It is a the story about the Munene twins who are transported to the past, during the reign of Queen Sheba, where they meet their ancestors. But they are taken there for a reason, as dark times stalks the Queen and her kingdom.
Though the style is quite good and we get to know a little about East African culture and past, the narration sometimes gets a bit naive, with too much description, especially at the end of the novel. The editing was not done properly, something that is not forgivable at this level.
And, though I love reading sequels in general, I don’t appreciate not having a proper end to a book; this one doesn’t: you’ll need to read the next two in order to know what happens in the end. Novels written that way sort of frustrate me, but that’s just me.
It is maybe because I expected too much out of this book after reading a couple of reviews GoodReads that I feel acutely disappointed with it. But there is plenty of potential, so the other two might be more to my taste.

 

Book 10: Gold Dust by Ibrahim Khoni (Lybia)

A desert story, a poignant one, which describes the deep bond between a man and his thoroughbred camel, and how their lives are doomed by the female, gold, treachery, and even the love they bear for each other.

Book 11: Broken April by Ismail Kadare (1978, Albania)

Phew! What a book! Very informative for someone like me who doesn’t know a thing about Albania.
The novel describes a society which applies the rules of the kanun, which actively encourages family vendettas, which often can only end in the death of all the males of both feuding families. And every rule is precisely given out and those not abiding by them are pitilessly punished. A chilling piece of writing in which the ubiquitous death looms large…

Book 12: Je suis un écrivain japonais by Dany Laferrière (Haïti)

English title: I am a Japanese Writer.

A Haitian man settled in Canada decides to write a book called “I am a Japanese Writer”, and this more than interests the Japanese consulate, and creates an uproar in Japan itself (for a book he hasn’t even written). He goes in search of inspiration and meets Japanese girls in the process, and this title changes his whole life.
While the concept is interesting and the style refreshing and at times downright hilarious, it gets confusing more often than not. The author moves away from the main topic and starts getting into lengthy accounts of seemingly unimportant issues and people. And at times I was at a loss to even know what really happens and what is just part of the narrator’s imagination. Maybe it’s just me…
Strange book (and I still don’t know if I liked it or not), but definitely worth a read.

 

Book 13: Juggling Truths by Unity Dow (Botswana)

 

A heartwarming story in which Monei, the narrator, tells us about her childhood in a village in Botswana, which allows us to have a peek at the functioning of traditional society, the strong social bonds between humans, and the unbreakable relations within a family, the unconditional love which ties its members together making one feel nostalgic. Most moving is the bond between Monei and her grandmother. A short novel, well worth a read.

 

book 14: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Australia, though the story isn’t set there).

A good book that I liked well (and that doesn’t need much of an introduction).
Set in Germany during the second world war, the story, told by Death, is that of Liesel, a child, and her relations with her foster parents, the Jew they hide in the basement, her friend(s) and neighbours, and of course with words and books. As the title suggests.
Well-written and moving, but not for those who like to read short novels.

Book 15: After the Quake by Haruki Murakami (Japan)

  

The book is composed of six short stories sewn together by the presence of the theme of the 1995 earthquake which shook Kobe, Japan. The stories, which are about 20 pages long and more or less pleasant to read, are very intelligently written. Definitely worth a try.

Book 16: The Vegetarian by Han Kang (South Korea)

  

Such. Powerful. Writing. Oh my God! Tragic, yes. Saddening, yes. Weird, yes. But still a must-read!

The novel is composed of three chapters, the main character being Yeong-hye. But the first chapter is narrated by her husband, the second and the third are told by an omniscient narrator, but from the points of view of her brother-in-law and her sister, respectively.

So, one fine day, Yeong-hye decides to turn vegetarian, something unimaginable in Korea, because of some terrible nightmares she has. And her parents try to force her to eat meat, and from that time onwards, there is no going back…

Reading the World – January 2016

Now, now. What if I could travel being all the while at home? I would be stating the obvious if I told you only reading allows one to do that. Travelling inexpensively, and learning so much about the history, society, culture and what-not about the humans of so many different countries who people this earth. What can be more alluring?

Inspired by Ann Morgan (http://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/), I decided to take up the same challenge (i.e., read a book from every single country in the world) but give myself two years to do so. Having only barely managed 52 books in 2015, reading 200 books in 2 years means doubling the amount of reading in 2016… Anyway, nothing wrong in trying. So here’s my progress along with a little write-up on each book.

 

Book 1: The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad (Pakistan)

A nicely-written book (fiction) that gives an insight into the harsh lives of the various tribes of the region, their culture, values and practices, and how they cope (or don’t) with shifting times. The different stories, which are poignant but at no point melodramatic, are linked together by the main character, whose fate is interwoven with theirs.

 

Book 2: The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa  (Angola)

 

Lovely, lovely book. It’s a story of an “albino” who recreates people’s past, and it is narrated by a chameleon who lives in his house, observes, listens to, sees, and dreams everything. The plot flows, apparently without many actions, but at some point the reader is left bewildered by the happenings, just like the main character… A delightful read!

Book 3: The forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak (Turkey)

    

Oh, what a book! Read nearly 400 pages within a few hours and didn’t find a single passage boring! This book was unputdownable! Glad I bumped into this gem thanks to the reading challenge.

Now, for the plot: there’s a novel within the novel, or shall I say, two parallel stories: that of Ella, a forty-year-old American woman who is going through personal and family crises, and the one found in the novel she has to read, which is about the meeting and friendship between the Persian poet Rumi and his “master” Shams of Tabrizi, thanks to whom Rumi is what we know him to be. Starting to read the novel, Ella contacts its author, and the correspondance grows into something beautiful. And thus begins the story of her metamorphosis. This book has given me more clarifications on Sufism, but also more information on Shams of Tabriz whom I already admired, and an insight into the great Rumi himself. Hope to read more about these people and… go visit their tombs in the near future…

Book 4: Our Man in Iraq by Robert Perisic (Croatia)

  

Not the gripping story I thought it would be, I had to be 1/3rd into it to find it even remotely interesting. Maybe it’s just me or because I expected too much out of it reading some reviews. Anyway, not too bad in the end, and got to know a bit about the Balkans, which is always a good thing. So here’s the story line: Toni, a reporter, hires his own cousin Boris (nobody except their families know about their family link) and sends him to Iraq to report from there when the war was on. His cousin sends him strange (to say the least) reports, and Toni is forced to rewrite everything. He just about manages to deal with it all till the moment when Boris goes missing, and Toni’s whole life is turned upside down…

Book 5: The Convent by Panos Parnezis (Greece)

 

Oh, what piece of writing! Couldn’t put the book down even for a second! Absolutely gripping! 

On an early morning in a convent in Spain, a baby is found abandoned at its entrance. Which will change the course of the lives of many of its inhabitants. Barely a few pages into the novel, the sense of impending doom catches us. And it stays with us till the last page. So glad I chose this book, though it’s by a Greek writer who has set the story in Spain.

Book 6: The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky

Another delightful read! The narrator is a Tartar woman with an indomitable spirit and an (over?) confidence that allows her to go about her life, being “burdened” with a useless husband and a silly daughter. The humour, laced with cutting irony, is refreshing. Here’s how the novel starts: ““As my daughter Sulfia was explaining that she was pregnant but that she didn’t know by whom, I paid extra attention to my posture. I sat with my back perfectly straight and folded my hands elegantly in my lap.”

Book 7: Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason (Iceland)

Solid crime fiction, a good read. Almost reminded me slightly of The Girl with the Garden Tattoo… Found interesting, well-written and easily-readable, though of course, the author could not replace Agatha Christie from her top position smile emoticon
So, an old man is found dead in his flat, and the detective starts digging around a bit only to find a filthy past the man had left behind. Could it be that his death was linked to his past somehow?

Book 8: The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi (Afghanistan)

An eminently readable book which paints, among other things, the lives of women in some regions of the world, especially when war is waged around them – but not just. It is the story of a woman whose wounded husband is in coma, and who talks and talks to him, and confesses all her secrets to him, all the while trying to keep him alive. Which allows her to survive and to try to remain sane…
Was annoyed at learning once I had finished reading it that the original book was written in French and that I read a translation

Ancient temple ruins in Kashmir – 4. Naranag

The Jyestesa Temple

copyright: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naranag,_Jammu_and_Kashmir

As we reached this place in the Ganderbal district situated amidst much scenic beauty and that too near the mighty river Sindhu/Indus, we were approached by a tall and impressive man who imperially asked for money. He was retarded. Then, our guide was approached by a local trekking organiser, since tourists go trekking from Naranag.

Anyway, I’m digressing… The temple ruins look impressive, though in a bad state. Built by Lalitaditya Muktapida around the 8th century, this one is called the Jyesthesa temple (see K. Warikoo’s Cultural Heritage Of Jammu And Kashmir 2009: 87-88).

Had we come all the way to see this sole structure? Well, can’t really complain because the route and the place were enchanting. “There’s another structure below. Come with me,” says Nawaz, our guide. That’s when we look down and see another impressive temple, in the same Aryan style: the Bhutesa temple. This one is larger than the former, and it contains a stone structure that serves as a pool for bathing. And legend has it that this was donated by King Avantivarman during his visit to this temple.

                        

The main shrine is once again painfully empty…

…but a shivalinga seems to have been installed in one of the side shrines; it’s probably of a recent date.

                  

This area is populated by the Gujjars, who are a pastoral tribe with a distinct language and culture. The language, Gu(o)jri is said to be close to Punjabi. These people are different from the inhabitants of the rest of Kashmir.

Children were just as curious as anywhere else…

The highlight of this trip was a lovely song I heard, a song that sounded as if it came straight out of the heart. Looking around for the source of this voice, I found a tiny diva who went on with her concert, unabashed and undisturbed by my notice or my camera’s, as her mother kept on performing the chores. That song gladdened the heart, and made me wish I had something to record it with. Too late… but not too late for the next journey.

Ancient temple ruins in Kashmir – 3. Martand

Martand was one of the three most important temples devoted to the Sun god, along with the Modhera temple in Gujarat and the more famous Konark Temple in Odisha. Situated near Anantnag, it is now known as Mattan, which is also close to a Shiva temple that the pandits have held very sacred.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattan,_Jammu_and_Kashmir

This Sun temple is a most majestic, impressive structure, though standing now in ruins. It was built by Lalitaditya Muktapida of the Karkota dynasty, though some claim that its foundations already existed in the 3rd to 5th centuries CE (see Qasba Raina’s Kashur The Kashmiri Speaking People 2013: 230).

A pool right in front of the garbhagriha

The “guard” who takes care of the place

 

The apple trees in the middle ground, the Himalayan range in the background make this place a very, very beautiful one

Our guide Nawaz told us it took one whole year for a whole army to destroy the temple; some legends claim that an iconoclast ruler (called Sikandar?) set it to fire that raged for two years but did not manage to destroy the solid structure (Qasba Raina 2013: 231). At any rate, the temple was demolished in the 15th century.

The large courtyard, the huge pillars, the minute carvings leave one spellbound.

The sun god was shining when we visited his temple, making the visit pleasant, but photography difficult with the harsh light…

The guard in that place pointed out that the carvings in the panels are those of Krishna (I can’t recall the number, but I think he mentioned 74?). Though I took many pictures, the blue Lord was to be discerned only a few times thanks to the flute he holds. The remaining sculptures have been defaced and unidentifiable to untrained eyes like mine.

The garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) stands empty…

inside the once-sacred garbhagriha

… though we can find a sculpture of the sun god on the outside panel

The Sun god

The guard also pointed out there was an inscription in an ancient script. I was unable to capture it with precision, let alone try to decipher it 😦

The children now use the temple to play hide and seek.

Playing hide and seek

As we entered the place, some curious children came in to see us; then came more of them. And then it seemed half the village came to have a peek at us, albeit discreetly. One of the kids asked my saree-clad mother what she was wearing? why? where she came from? who I was? how long we’d stay there? And she hung around the place till we left and waved us goodbye. What curious, clever children! The past glory of the temple lies in the hands of this future generation, which we can only hope will recognise and treasure it.

Curious onlookers

Ancient temple ruins in Kashmir – 2. Avantipura

Now known as Awantipora, this town is located on the Srinagar-Anantnag road, a few kilometres away from the Kashmiri capital.

copyright: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awantipora

The first ruins to be found are those of the Shiva temple built by Avantivarman in the 9th century. It is known as the Avantikeshvara Swami Temple. Being of a modest size, it is in a badly ruined state now. Though the panels are bare, the few sculptures that are to be found there are exquisite.

 

                                          

The guard (who also served as a guide) told us an earthquake destroyed the place, just as it did this statue:

slashed by an earthquake?

Modern constructions have surrounded this place, and have somewhat encroached upon its charm.

And what better use could we have for the place, other than turning it into a cricket stadium?

The second, much bigger temple, built by the same king for Vishnu, is known as the Avantiswami temple. Sculptured reliefs are numerous, and so are the carved columns.

                           

The reclining Vishnu is gorgeous…

and so are the sculptures of the rivers Ganga and Yamuna and those of the couples reminiscent of the ones found in the Konark temple.

                      

And the king (?), his family along with bodyguards, exquisite too…

     

The shrines dedicated to Bhudevi and Sridevi are empty today…

…so is the main one once dedicated to Vishnu

The grass that grows here attracts the locals who find food for their livestock.

The Avantiswami temple now     

 

Ancient temple ruins in Kashmir – 1. Parihaspur

copyright http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattan

Located north-west of Srinagar and known as Parihaspora (“City of Pleasures”), this village in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district was once the capital city from where Lalitaditya Muktapida (724-761 CE?) ruled. It now stands isolated, or rather, populated with sheep that are blissfully unaware of the past glory of the land they are grazing on, and a few shepherds.

Surrounded by apple orchards, this delightfully green place is a visual treat.

Though my guide Nawaz told me these structures were incomplete ones and that for some reason the construction work stopped after the laying of the basement, it seems these indeed are ruins of fully-built temples, dedicated to Buddha and to Vishnu (The Parihaskesava Temple, see Warikoo 2004: 87). Very few sculptures are present there today.

Nawaz claims this is Aryan-style art

An article published on http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/others/030712157-parihaspora-the-forgotten-buddhist-capital.htm has this to say of Parihaspura: “He [Lalitaditya] constructed three historical monuments here viz. Chatiya, Rajbihari and Sootopa in 8th century BC. In Chatiya the assembly was held and matters of common interest were discussed. Rajbihari was the court of the kingdom. In Sootopa which was a seven storey building, matters related to religion were set and rituals were offered.” The author also claims that a war with another king led to the death of Lalitaditya and the looting of the capital. Another author mentions that the city lost its glory when Lalitaditya’s son decided to found a new capital in Shadipur (see Tikoo 2013, no page number)

As we were leaving, a tall man appeared in a pheran and spoke to Nawaz. According to the latter, he was the one in charge of taking care of the place, and he hoped guides would bring in more people to visit the ruins. Which indeed is a good suggestion. If you happen to be interested in ancient history and architecture, and also enjoy mesmerising landscape, then this is the place for you.