Recommended Reading

Claudia · Jan 8th, 2003, 14:45

Hi!
I have piled up at least 5 guide books including the Lonely Planet to prepare myself for my trip to India. Alas, reading guide books is boring as hell - can anybody recommend a novel on India? I know that Naipaul published some books on India, any comments or other ideas?
I also would be greatful for any practical tips you may have (I am still very open on the region - will arrive in Delhi and travel back home from Bangalore).
Cheers
Claudia

paan wallah · Jan 8th, 2003, 15:57

i d recommend rabindranath tagore...

but while in india just visit some book stores and you ll find
hundreds if not thousands of good books to read...
at very cheap prizes..
don t read too many guirdebooks!!!
it will give you too much confusion!!

have a nice trip and a lot of good reading...

absolut · Jan 8th, 2003, 18:07

"the shipwreck" of tagore is a good story. I think there is also a bollywood-movie based on this story. Gita Mehta also has written some good books like "Raj" or "River Sutra". A little bit in the same line of "River Sutra" you have of course the classical "Siddhartha" of Herman Hesse (btw not abt India but also a very good book of him is "Narziss and Goldmund"). If you are in for some real classical literature you could read some translated sanskrit literature : dasakumaracarita ("the tales of the ten princes") of dandin or "Shakuntala" of Kalidasa for example. Kalidasa has also written some beautiful poetry : meghaduta ("the cloud messenger"; this is the story abt a lover seperated from his loved one, giving a msg through a messenger in the form of a monsoon cloud, the poem describes the full journey of the cloud over the whole of india). Some society critical stuff of India in the 19th/early 20th century you will find with the hindi author premchand of which, in specialised bookshops, you will easily find translations. actually there is a lot to read, but the most easy and cheap access to indian literature you will have, as already mentioned in msg above, in India itself.

jjacquemain · Jan 8th, 2003, 19:29

That I have read is called "Sister India" by Peggy Payne. Quite new, it was written in 2001. Published by Riverhead Books, you can find more info about it by going to www.penguinputnam.com

The book is about a woman running a guest house in Varanasi, her life now and how she was drawn to India (a western woman). The guests and how they cope with things.

I loved it and wish I never read it so I could read it again!

Jan 8th, 2003, 19:29

There's a movie recently released (in the past year or 2) called "Lagaan". The word means tax and the movie, though rather long and very predictable, was very insightful into the life of villagers and the traditions of a 'typical' Indian village.

You may find, once there and face to face with the teaming life of India, that all the books and all your familiarity with their customs and traditions have little to do with each other.

Go, see the people for yourself, see yourself in them, in their customs and traditions, in their food and their scams/touts and the Love and generosity you'll be hard pressed to find in a so-called developed country.

Have a great trip. I'm heading back in 2 weeks for my second trip.

angelika · Jan 17th, 2003, 21:05

my absolutely favorite novel about india family life and so on is "A fine balance" by Rohinton Mistry.
The german title is " "Das Gleichgewicht der Welt".
Its wonderful...
every book by Rohinton Mistry is wonderful but this one is the best (for me)

Jan 19th, 2003, 01:22

Try "Chasing the Monsoon" by Alexander Frater published by Penguin. It might be out of print in UK but you can pick it up through Amazon or you can pick it up in India where it is still in print (Penguin India). Well written travellogue by a former travel editor of the Observer.

Jan 19th, 2003, 01:26

Sorry, I missed out the "novel" part.
You can try any of RK Narayan's novels like "Malgudi Days" or any other. Well written, and not too highbrow!
Cheers

phoggi · Jan 19th, 2003, 10:46

a mix of novels & travel:
Midnights Children; Salman Rushdie
A Suitable Boy; V.S.Naipaul
Freedom at Midnight, City of Joy; Dominic Lapierre
Travels With an Elephant; Mark Shand
City of Djinns, The Age of Kali; William Dalrymple
anything by R.K.Narayan, Khushwant Singh

tanpopo · Jan 19th, 2003, 18:54

novels about India are my favorite topic of conversation!!!!

midnights children (Salman Rushdie) is one of my all-time favorite books.

are you experienced? by William Sutcliffe is about some English guy & a girl travelling round India. excellent book - its as funny as hell, especially if you've ever been travelling anywhere. great for passing time whilst drinking chai on paharganj and people watching.

a suitable boy (Vikram Seth) is my second favorite novel about India!! its really really long, and it took me quite a while to read, but its a great look at Indian family life and arranged marriages. I read it before I went to India for the first time, and cant wait to read it again!

as above, I would recommend anything by Rohinton Mistry.

Anita Desai is also an excellent writer, as is William Dalrymples stuff on life as an expat in India.

Naipaul is Indian, but writes novels mainly about Trinidad&Tobago, esp. A house for Mr. Biswas, which is a fantastic story. He has written quite a lot of non-fictional stuff about Indian politics though too.

enjoy!

Annie_T · Jan 20th, 2003, 03:32

A bit dated I s'pose but EM Forster's " A Passage to India" is still a good account of what happens when western culture meets Indian culture.

Jan 20th, 2003, 08:36

see my website www.geocities.com/saslekh for more on books to read.

Mahalia · Jan 24th, 2003, 12:09

A lighthearted and honest look at India through an Australian woman's eyes:

"Holy Cow" By Sarah MacDonald

This book is fantatsic, an easy read but a great insight into travelling through India (set in 2000-2001).

I read it again while India and it was amazing how much of it I could relate to!

Jan 25th, 2003, 22:13

who is the publisher mahallia..the book is not easily available

vistet · Jan 26th, 2003, 19:35

I was looking for Sarah MacDonalds book and found this instead :

The Myth of the Holy Cow by Dwijendra Narayan Jha, Professor of History at the University of Delhi. The book challenges the idea that the present status of the cow is an ancient cornerstone of Hindu culture - except as food.

"His opponents, including the current government of India and the fundamentalist groups backing it, have demanded that the book should be ritually burned in public. It has already been banned by the Allahabad High Court and the author's life has been threatened" (publishers blurb)

Anyone read it ?

Jan 8th, 2003, 14:45	#1
Claudia Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: München, Germany Posts: 5	Recommended Reading Hi! I have piled up at least 5 guide books including the Lonely Planet to prepare myself for my trip to India. Alas, reading guide books is boring as hell - can anybody recommend a novel on India? I know that Naipaul published some books on India, any comments or other ideas? I also would be greatful for any practical tips you may have (I am still very open on the region - will arrive in Delhi and travel back home from Bangalore). Cheers Claudia

Jan 8th, 2003, 19:29	#4
jjacquemain Nothing is illegal until you get caught~ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio USA Posts: 533	A really great book That I have read is called "Sister India" by Peggy Payne. Quite new, it was written in 2001. Published by Riverhead Books, you can find more info about it by going to www.penguinputnam.com The book is about a woman running a guest house in Varanasi, her life now and how she was drawn to India (a western woman). The guests and how they cope with things. I loved it and wish I never read it so I could read it again!

Jan 8th, 2003, 19:29	#5
cedar Posts: n/a	There's a movie recently released (in the past year or 2) called "Lagaan". The word means tax and the movie, though rather long and very predictable, was very insightful into the life of villagers and the traditions of a 'typical' Indian village. You may find, once there and face to face with the teaming life of India, that all the books and all your familiarity with their customs and traditions have little to do with each other. Go, see the people for yourself, see yourself in them, in their customs and traditions, in their food and their scams/touts and the Love and generosity you'll be hard pressed to find in a so-called developed country. Have a great trip. I'm heading back in 2 weeks for my second trip. Last edited by cedar : Jan 9th, 2003 at 01:46.

Jan 19th, 2003, 18:54	#10
tanpopo research monkey Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: good ol' England Posts: 41	my favorite subject! novels about India are my favorite topic of conversation!!!! midnights children (Salman Rushdie) is one of my all-time favorite books. are you experienced? by William Sutcliffe is about some English guy & a girl travelling round India. excellent book - its as funny as hell, especially if you've ever been travelling anywhere. great for passing time whilst drinking chai on paharganj and people watching. a suitable boy (Vikram Seth) is my second favorite novel about India!! its really really long, and it took me quite a while to read, but its a great look at Indian family life and arranged marriages. I read it before I went to India for the first time, and cant wait to read it again! as above, I would recommend anything by Rohinton Mistry. Anita Desai is also an excellent writer, as is William Dalrymples stuff on life as an expat in India. Naipaul is Indian, but writes novels mainly about Trinidad&Tobago, esp. A house for Mr. Biswas, which is a fantastic story. He has written quite a lot of non-fictional stuff about Indian politics though too. enjoy!

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Jan 8th, 2003, 15:57	#2
paan wallah kitchen guru Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: universe Posts: 344	i d recommend rabindranath tagore... but while in india just visit some book stores and you ll find hundreds if not thousands of good books to read... at very cheap prizes.. don t read too many guirdebooks!!! it will give you too much confusion!! have a nice trip and a lot of good reading...

Jan 8th, 2003, 18:07	#3
absolut Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Belgium Posts: 54	"the shipwreck" of tagore is a good story. I think there is also a bollywood-movie based on this story. Gita Mehta also has written some good books like "Raj" or "River Sutra". A little bit in the same line of "River Sutra" you have of course the classical "Siddhartha" of Herman Hesse (btw not abt India but also a very good book of him is "Narziss and Goldmund"). If you are in for some real classical literature you could read some translated sanskrit literature : dasakumaracarita ("the tales of the ten princes") of dandin or "Shakuntala" of Kalidasa for example. Kalidasa has also written some beautiful poetry : meghaduta ("the cloud messenger"; this is the story abt a lover seperated from his loved one, giving a msg through a messenger in the form of a monsoon cloud, the poem describes the full journey of the cloud over the whole of india). Some society critical stuff of India in the 19th/early 20th century you will find with the hindi author premchand of which, in specialised bookshops, you will easily find translations. actually there is a lot to read, but the most easy and cheap access to indian literature you will have, as already mentioned in msg above, in India itself.

Jan 17th, 2003, 21:05	#6
angelika Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Munich - Germany Posts: 109	my absolutely favorite novel about india family life and so on is "A fine balance" by Rohinton Mistry. The german title is " "Das Gleichgewicht der Welt". Its wonderful... every book by Rohinton Mistry is wonderful but this one is the best (for me)

Jan 19th, 2003, 01:22	#7
TKMCE Posts: n/a	Try "Chasing the Monsoon" by Alexander Frater published by Penguin. It might be out of print in UK but you can pick it up through Amazon or you can pick it up in India where it is still in print (Penguin India). Well written travellogue by a former travel editor of the Observer.

Jan 19th, 2003, 01:26	#8
TKMCE Posts: n/a	Sorry, I missed out the "novel" part. You can try any of RK Narayan's novels like "Malgudi Days" or any other. Well written, and not too highbrow! Cheers

Jan 19th, 2003, 10:46	#9
phoggi Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: W. Australia Posts: 3	a mix of novels & travel: Midnights Children; Salman Rushdie A Suitable Boy; V.S.Naipaul Freedom at Midnight, City of Joy; Dominic Lapierre Travels With an Elephant; Mark Shand City of Djinns, The Age of Kali; William Dalrymple anything by R.K.Narayan, Khushwant Singh

Jan 20th, 2003, 03:32	#11
Annie_T Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 61	A bit dated I s'pose but EM Forster's " A Passage to India" is still a good account of what happens when western culture meets Indian culture.

Jan 20th, 2003, 08:36	#12
archits Posts: n/a	see my website www.geocities.com/saslekh for more on books to read.

Jan 24th, 2003, 12:09	#13
Mahalia Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: South Australia Posts: 3	A lighthearted and honest look at India through an Australian woman's eyes: "Holy Cow" By Sarah MacDonald This book is fantatsic, an easy read but a great insight into travelling through India (set in 2000-2001). I read it again while India and it was amazing how much of it I could relate to!

Jan 25th, 2003, 22:13	#14
archits Posts: n/a	who is the publisher mahallia..the book is not easily available

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Jan 26th, 2003, 19:35	#15
vistet Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Umeå , Sweden Posts: 1,732	I was looking for Sarah MacDonalds book and found this instead : The Myth of the Holy Cow by Dwijendra Narayan Jha, Professor of History at the University of Delhi. The book challenges the idea that the present status of the cow is an ancient cornerstone of Hindu culture - except as food. "His opponents, including the current government of India and the fundamentalist groups backing it, have demanded that the book should be ritually burned in public. It has already been banned by the Allahabad High Court and the author's life has been threatened" (publishers blurb) Anyone read it ?