favourite authors and their books relating to India

bijapuri · Sep 27th, 2003, 15:43

Strange, but I didn't see this thread on this site.
Here are some of mine, in no particular order:

Amitav Gosh- Shadow Lines
RK Narayan- Swami and Friends, Malgudi Days, (Etc)
Francois Bernier- Travels in the Mogul Empire
James Tod- Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan
Kushwant Singh- Train to Pakistan
William Dalrymple- City of Djinns
Collins & La Pierre- Freedom at Midnight
Lady Wilson- Letters From India

I could go on, but first-
What are yours?

PS- Current India Read: W. Dalrymple- White Mughal

BiJ

kipling · Sep 27th, 2003, 15:56

Just finished Rohinton Mistry--"Such a Long Journey",Which I enjoyed very much.

I like Dalrymple, but thought "White Mugals" dragged a bit.

Cheers

bijapuri · Sep 27th, 2003, 16:09

I couldn't finish that Mistry book, self-defeating title!
And yeah, I can see WM beginning to sag, but very engaging first 100 pages, isn't it?

kipling · Sep 27th, 2003, 16:28

Yes the title sort of makes you tired before you start! Still I enjoyed it, even if it strayed from reality by having a happy ending! A good funeral scene.

Two other good recent reads

Monica Ali---Brick Lane
Ahmed Ali---Twilight in Delhi (great wedding scene)

angelika · Sep 27th, 2003, 19:56

1. Rohinton Mistry - A fine balance
2. Rohinton Mistry - Such a long journey
3. Rohinton Mistry - Family Matters
4. Rohinton Mistry - Tales from Fairozsha Baag

looks like I'm a big Mistry fan

the next are of no particular order:

William Sutcliffe - Are your experienced?
Salman Rushdie - Midnight's children
John Irving - A son of the circus
William Dalrymple- City of Djinns
Vikram Seth - A suitable boy
V.S. Naipaul - India. A million mutinies now
Alexandra David-Néel - L'Inde où j'ai vécu
Elisabeth Burmiller - May you be the mother of a hundred sons
Gita Mehta - Karma Cola
Tahir Shah - Sorcerer's Apprentice
Royina Grewal - In Rajasthan
Mala Sen - India's Bandit Queen (The true store of Phoola Devi)
Sakuntala Narasimhan - Sati (A study of widow burning in india)
Lonely planet - World Food Inda

and off-topic because it is about nepal:

Jeff Greenwald - Shopping for Buddhas

Samsara · Sep 27th, 2003, 23:02

I second Kushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan (he is a very witty columnist too and one of my favourite Indians...).

Raj Quartet by Paul Scott/also, Staying On by Paul Scott.

So many more authors, including some mentioned above, but I'm too tired to get a list together at the moment...

Mark Tully...

I have a whole heap of books on my to read pile - including a trio by guess who, Rohinton Mistry! (must be the flavour of the month, lol - was a special at my bookstore, three of his novels shrink-wrapped together at a "special price").

Vikram Seth "A Suitable Boy" - yes, I've actually read it! (a tome, as is Raj Quartet - both can be used as heavy paperweights...but beautiful writing).

vistet · Sep 27th, 2003, 23:34

I have Rohinton Mistry unread on my bookshelf - life keep getting in the way of my reading

I also have a friend here who is reading his latest book and ask me question abt words I cant pretend to know (the latest was "mulla mulla shawl")

anyone with a tip of a online dictionary that can help me
A) to fake knowledge
B) and/or pass along the URL

bijapuri · Sep 28th, 2003, 10:01

ah, yes, Sri Vidya's Million Mutiies, he predicted so much that came to become true in that book, or so it seems.

wonderwomanusa · Sep 28th, 2003, 11:27

BOMBAY TIME by Thrity Umrigar -- about Parsees in Mumbai. It's not my favorite book, but it was very interesting, especially for a first novel.

Two of my favorite authors are Bharati Mukerjhee and Chitra Bannarjee Divakaruni. They both write about expatriate Indian women, but that's where the similarity ends.

bijapuri · Sep 28th, 2003, 12:23

I recently read "Vine of Desire" by Chitra Bannarjee Divakaruni. Sloppy plot, but I felt it very convincingly captured the flavor of the Indian diaspora in silicon Valley. since I spend a good deal of time there, I was parcitularly moved by the novel. Was it the same one you read, WW?

wonderwomanusa · Sep 29th, 2003, 00:19

Bij, the book BEFORE "Vine of Desire" is the beginning of that story -- forget the title but you might also want to try that one -- the story of the two cousins.

Sloppy? Maybe .. that didn't seem important when I read it. Maybe a "woman thang."

seoulman · Sep 29th, 2003, 07:30

Can't believe no one has listed these yet (!):

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

Both amazing - go pick up a copy!

peace,
~Ben~

bijapuri · Sep 29th, 2003, 09:17

a coffee table book that doubles as a guidebook:
The Forts of India
by Fass

sadly out of print now, but prolly can be found in India. A treasure trove of info on forts and the palaces/temples they contain

seoulman · Sep 29th, 2003, 09:28

bijapuri - here's one.... but it seems pretty pricey!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...370881-2581531

peace,
~Ben~

maree · Sep 29th, 2003, 09:56

Seoulman... just read a review of Jhumpa Lahiri's new book - her first novel. Have you heard of it? Interpreter of Maladies had some of the most beautiful short stories ever... loved it.

Sep 27th, 2003, 15:43	#1
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,602	favourite authors and their books relating to India Strange, but I didn't see this thread on this site. Here are some of mine, in no particular order: Amitav Gosh- Shadow Lines RK Narayan- Swami and Friends, Malgudi Days, (Etc) Francois Bernier- Travels in the Mogul Empire James Tod- Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan Kushwant Singh- Train to Pakistan William Dalrymple- City of Djinns Collins & La Pierre- Freedom at Midnight Lady Wilson- Letters From India I could go on, but first- What are yours? PS- Current India Read: W. Dalrymple- White Mughal BiJ __________________ Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. Barack Obama lookit me!!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bijapuri/ Utube fuzzy logic: http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=bijapuri&p =r

Sep 28th, 2003, 11:27	#9
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Dhaka Posts: 3,570	BOMBAY TIME by Thrity Umrigar -- about Parsees in Mumbai. It's not my favorite book, but it was very interesting, especially for a first novel. Two of my favorite authors are Bharati Mukerjhee and Chitra Bannarjee Divakaruni. They both write about expatriate Indian women, but that's where the similarity ends. __________________ The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

Sep 29th, 2003, 07:30	#12
seoulman Adventurer Extraordinaire Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: In Falls Church, VA for now... my hometown is Philly and the only other place I really count as home is Seoul. Posts: 34	Can't believe no one has listed these yet (!): The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri Both amazing - go pick up a copy! peace, ~Ben~ __________________ Seoulman, Jr. Adventurer Extraordinaire friend: "What do you think Ben?" me: "There's time for thinkin' when we're dead! Lets go!"

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Sep 27th, 2003, 15:56	#2
kipling Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia Posts: 78	Just finished Rohinton Mistry--"Such a Long Journey",Which I enjoyed very much. I like Dalrymple, but thought "White Mugals" dragged a bit. Cheers

Sep 27th, 2003, 16:09	#3
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,602	I couldn't finish that Mistry book, self-defeating title! And yeah, I can see WM beginning to sag, but very engaging first 100 pages, isn't it?

Sep 27th, 2003, 16:28	#4
kipling Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia Posts: 78	Yes the title sort of makes you tired before you start! Still I enjoyed it, even if it strayed from reality by having a happy ending! A good funeral scene. Two other good recent reads Monica Ali---Brick Lane Ahmed Ali---Twilight in Delhi (great wedding scene)

Sep 27th, 2003, 19:56	#5
angelika Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Munich - Germany Posts: 109	1. Rohinton Mistry - A fine balance 2. Rohinton Mistry - Such a long journey 3. Rohinton Mistry - Family Matters 4. Rohinton Mistry - Tales from Fairozsha Baag looks like I'm a big Mistry fan the next are of no particular order: William Sutcliffe - Are your experienced? Salman Rushdie - Midnight's children John Irving - A son of the circus William Dalrymple- City of Djinns Vikram Seth - A suitable boy V.S. Naipaul - India. A million mutinies now Alexandra David-Néel - L'Inde où j'ai vécu Elisabeth Burmiller - May you be the mother of a hundred sons Gita Mehta - Karma Cola Tahir Shah - Sorcerer's Apprentice Royina Grewal - In Rajasthan Mala Sen - India's Bandit Queen (The true store of Phoola Devi) Sakuntala Narasimhan - Sati (A study of widow burning in india) Lonely planet - World Food Inda and off-topic because it is about nepal: Jeff Greenwald - Shopping for Buddhas

Sep 27th, 2003, 23:02	#6
Samsara Sentient Being Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 507	I second Kushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan (he is a very witty columnist too and one of my favourite Indians...). Raj Quartet by Paul Scott/also, Staying On by Paul Scott. So many more authors, including some mentioned above, but I'm too tired to get a list together at the moment... Mark Tully... I have a whole heap of books on my to read pile - including a trio by guess who, Rohinton Mistry! (must be the flavour of the month, lol - was a special at my bookstore, three of his novels shrink-wrapped together at a "special price"). Vikram Seth "A Suitable Boy" - yes, I've actually read it! (a tome, as is Raj Quartet - both can be used as heavy paperweights...but beautiful writing).

Sep 27th, 2003, 23:34	#7
vistet Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Umeå , Sweden Posts: 1,819	I have Rohinton Mistry unread on my bookshelf - life keep getting in the way of my reading I also have a friend here who is reading his latest book and ask me question abt words I cant pretend to know (the latest was "mulla mulla shawl") anyone with a tip of a online dictionary that can help me A) to fake knowledge B) and/or pass along the URL

Sep 28th, 2003, 10:01	#8
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,602	ah, yes, Sri Vidya's Million Mutiies, he predicted so much that came to become true in that book, or so it seems.

Sep 28th, 2003, 12:23	#10
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,602	I recently read "Vine of Desire" by Chitra Bannarjee Divakaruni. Sloppy plot, but I felt it very convincingly captured the flavor of the Indian diaspora in silicon Valley. since I spend a good deal of time there, I was parcitularly moved by the novel. Was it the same one you read, WW?

Sep 29th, 2003, 00:19	#11
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Dhaka Posts: 3,570	Bij, the book BEFORE "Vine of Desire" is the beginning of that story -- forget the title but you might also want to try that one -- the story of the two cousins. Sloppy? Maybe .. that didn't seem important when I read it. Maybe a "woman thang."

Sep 29th, 2003, 09:17	#13
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,602	a coffee table book that doubles as a guidebook: The Forts of India by Fass sadly out of print now, but prolly can be found in India. A treasure trove of info on forts and the palaces/temples they contain

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Sep 29th, 2003, 09:28	#14
seoulman Adventurer Extraordinaire Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: In Falls Church, VA for now... my hometown is Philly and the only other place I really count as home is Seoul. Posts: 34	bijapuri - here's one.... but it seems pretty pricey! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...370881-2581531 peace, ~Ben~

Sep 29th, 2003, 09:56	#15
maree Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Zealander in Bangkok Posts: 850	Seoulman... just read a review of Jhumpa Lahiri's new book - her first novel. Have you heard of it? Interpreter of Maladies had some of the most beautiful short stories ever... loved it.