Bring on the Indian Authors!
The pre-release hype surrounding Dan Brown's new novel - The Lost Symbol, his follow-up to the immensely popular Da Vinci Code has begun. The tentative release date is September 15 but the AP wires are already reporting that pre-ordering sales has almost hit the roof.
I've always made it known that Dan Brown is one of my favorite writers. His books have been exciting and fast-paced (so far) almost to the point where you might incur a few paper cuts whilst turning those pages.
None can deny he has this gift and the ability to spin unique plots blended with just the right amount of non-fiction which in turn compels the readers to go about and do a little research on their own. And sure enough most of these supposed facts he brings to his stories are more closer to the truth than fiction And that's what really sells his books by the millions. A feeling that, by merely reading his book, we're being privy to some confidential information, and secrets of biblical magnitude.
He has created an entirely new sub-genre in terms of popular writing and I certainly can't wait to read the Lost Symbol, but at the same time have this nagging feeling that I might come away a lil disappointed. I mean can he actually do one better than the Da Vinci Code? Not that I think it was his best novel (that honor would go to Deception Point, inspite of factual flaws) but Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code are nearly synonymous.
But keeping my fingers crossed. And you can tell they've planned this all well, by scheduling the release of the movie 'Angels and Demons' based on his earlier book around the same time. Clever marketing.
Dan Brown is among the few Non-Indian authors to capture my interest at this point. Quite surprising considering I've spent a good chunk of my adult life ignoring Indian authors. It almost has got to do with the kind of books you read as child. Growing up I remember being engrossed in Enid Blyton, The Hardy boys, The Three Investigators and other such books following similar themes and structures.
As time went by, I upgraded my choice of reading to Ian Fleming, Alistair Maclean, Fredrick Forsythe, Jeffrey Archer, Michael Crichton, John Grisham, in that order, whilst never ignoring classical writers like Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Daniel Dafoe, Alexandre Dumas, Guy de Maupassant and a whole host of western writers. The list is almost endless.
But in no way do I wish to give the impression that I think that, say, an Enid Blyton or an Alistair Maclean is any less of a writer than, say, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I'm certain, to many that may seem an absurd statement to make, but I have no reason to deny that I enjoyed reading their works as much any other author I've read as a grown-up.
Its quite natural human behaviour to have a revised opinion on the books you enjoyed as a child, when re-visited, with adult eyes, after many years. I would like to think I could still sit down and enjoy reading an another exciting adventure of the Famous Five or could perhaps even, capture a fraction of the trembling excitement I felt while reading Alistair Maclean's Golden Rendevouz for the first time but I realize that such things may not be possible.
Interestingly enough, I remember when I did read that book; back around 7th-8th grade, I recall being bed-ridden for a few days due to high fever, and that gave me the perfect opportunity to read three Maclean books - Golden Rendevouz, Caravan to Vacares and Fear is the Key, back to back, in the peace and quiet of my bedroom, with only the occasional interruption, of my mum coming in to check-up on me, meal time, and intermittent bouts of heavy sleeping. Good times.
I lost the habit of reading during Undergrad. Too many other new habits replaced books.
It wasn't until sometime in 2004/05 that I found the time and solitude to get back to reading. And that's when Dan Brown came along and almost instantly I was hooked; ferociously devouring each of his books along with Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin and others. The works of Dan Brown and later the fantastic John LaCarre, quickly found its way to the top of my reading list. LaCarre especially proved a more than worthy replacement for Dan Brown, considering Brown's body of work, in terms of volume, pales in comparison with LaCarre. LaCarre with his precise, stylish, almost poetic language coupled with intriguing, complex story lines, is one of the most under-appreciated writers of our time.
But the one thing you should've noticed by now is the lack of presence of Indian Authors. Although I recall attempting to read Arundathi Roy's The God of all Small Things a while back and failing to get past page 30. But the seeds of interest were probably first sown when I read Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake and I was quietly drawn, not only to her concise yet engaging writing, but the very emotional resonance of her stories. I followed up with her other works Interpreter of Maladies and the more recent The Unaccustomed Earth, and both held me spellbound and satisfied. Its difficult to pinpoint exactly what connects me with her writing. Its a lot of little things, her minute observations, her simplicity of presentation or its probably the fact we share a common cultural bond.
I felt exactly the same way when I picked up R.K Narayan's classic Swami and Friends and couldn't put it down. An absolutely wonderful book for all ages. Written in simple, folksy prose, he magically transports us to a different place and time. I also read two other novels - Bachelor of Arts and The Sweet Vendor, both excellent and show his command on characterization and gentle story-telling. I'm was left craving for more. Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss was also a good read, but not quiet in the same league as Lahiri or Narayan;s works.
Here is my current list of must read. I'm sure there will be more added on as time passes -
1)All books by R K Narayan
2) White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
3) Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga
4) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
5) Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
6) Select works of Sulman Rushdie (Midnight's Children, The Ground beneath her feet)
7) Select works of Vikram Seth
8) Select works of Ruskin Bond
This past month I'd also completed Vikas Swarup's new novel - The Six Suspects. More on that later.
So for now all I can say is -Bring on the Indian Authors!
Nav
I've always made it known that Dan Brown is one of my favorite writers. His books have been exciting and fast-paced (so far) almost to the point where you might incur a few paper cuts whilst turning those pages.
None can deny he has this gift and the ability to spin unique plots blended with just the right amount of non-fiction which in turn compels the readers to go about and do a little research on their own. And sure enough most of these supposed facts he brings to his stories are more closer to the truth than fiction And that's what really sells his books by the millions. A feeling that, by merely reading his book, we're being privy to some confidential information, and secrets of biblical magnitude.
He has created an entirely new sub-genre in terms of popular writing and I certainly can't wait to read the Lost Symbol, but at the same time have this nagging feeling that I might come away a lil disappointed. I mean can he actually do one better than the Da Vinci Code? Not that I think it was his best novel (that honor would go to Deception Point, inspite of factual flaws) but Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code are nearly synonymous.
But keeping my fingers crossed. And you can tell they've planned this all well, by scheduling the release of the movie 'Angels and Demons' based on his earlier book around the same time. Clever marketing.
Dan Brown is among the few Non-Indian authors to capture my interest at this point. Quite surprising considering I've spent a good chunk of my adult life ignoring Indian authors. It almost has got to do with the kind of books you read as child. Growing up I remember being engrossed in Enid Blyton, The Hardy boys, The Three Investigators and other such books following similar themes and structures.
As time went by, I upgraded my choice of reading to Ian Fleming, Alistair Maclean, Fredrick Forsythe, Jeffrey Archer, Michael Crichton, John Grisham, in that order, whilst never ignoring classical writers like Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Daniel Dafoe, Alexandre Dumas, Guy de Maupassant and a whole host of western writers. The list is almost endless.
But in no way do I wish to give the impression that I think that, say, an Enid Blyton or an Alistair Maclean is any less of a writer than, say, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I'm certain, to many that may seem an absurd statement to make, but I have no reason to deny that I enjoyed reading their works as much any other author I've read as a grown-up.
Its quite natural human behaviour to have a revised opinion on the books you enjoyed as a child, when re-visited, with adult eyes, after many years. I would like to think I could still sit down and enjoy reading an another exciting adventure of the Famous Five or could perhaps even, capture a fraction of the trembling excitement I felt while reading Alistair Maclean's Golden Rendevouz for the first time but I realize that such things may not be possible.
Interestingly enough, I remember when I did read that book; back around 7th-8th grade, I recall being bed-ridden for a few days due to high fever, and that gave me the perfect opportunity to read three Maclean books - Golden Rendevouz, Caravan to Vacares and Fear is the Key, back to back, in the peace and quiet of my bedroom, with only the occasional interruption, of my mum coming in to check-up on me, meal time, and intermittent bouts of heavy sleeping. Good times.
I lost the habit of reading during Undergrad. Too many other new habits replaced books.
It wasn't until sometime in 2004/05 that I found the time and solitude to get back to reading. And that's when Dan Brown came along and almost instantly I was hooked; ferociously devouring each of his books along with Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin and others. The works of Dan Brown and later the fantastic John LaCarre, quickly found its way to the top of my reading list. LaCarre especially proved a more than worthy replacement for Dan Brown, considering Brown's body of work, in terms of volume, pales in comparison with LaCarre. LaCarre with his precise, stylish, almost poetic language coupled with intriguing, complex story lines, is one of the most under-appreciated writers of our time.
But the one thing you should've noticed by now is the lack of presence of Indian Authors. Although I recall attempting to read Arundathi Roy's The God of all Small Things a while back and failing to get past page 30. But the seeds of interest were probably first sown when I read Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake and I was quietly drawn, not only to her concise yet engaging writing, but the very emotional resonance of her stories. I followed up with her other works Interpreter of Maladies and the more recent The Unaccustomed Earth, and both held me spellbound and satisfied. Its difficult to pinpoint exactly what connects me with her writing. Its a lot of little things, her minute observations, her simplicity of presentation or its probably the fact we share a common cultural bond.
I felt exactly the same way when I picked up R.K Narayan's classic Swami and Friends and couldn't put it down. An absolutely wonderful book for all ages. Written in simple, folksy prose, he magically transports us to a different place and time. I also read two other novels - Bachelor of Arts and The Sweet Vendor, both excellent and show his command on characterization and gentle story-telling. I'm was left craving for more. Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss was also a good read, but not quiet in the same league as Lahiri or Narayan;s works.
Here is my current list of must read. I'm sure there will be more added on as time passes -
1)All books by R K Narayan
2) White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
3) Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga
4) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
5) Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
6) Select works of Sulman Rushdie (Midnight's Children, The Ground beneath her feet)
7) Select works of Vikram Seth
8) Select works of Ruskin Bond
This past month I'd also completed Vikas Swarup's new novel - The Six Suspects. More on that later.
So for now all I can say is -Bring on the Indian Authors!
Nav
posted by Nav at 12:25 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home