Bookless in Baghdad: Reflections on Writing and Writers
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Book Overview
Shashi Tharoor is once again at his provocative best. In the title essay, we learn the steep price paid by some Iraqis just to obtain a book; what does it mean when selling books, essentially selling culture, out of one's own library is the only way to put bread on the table? Later, Tharoor reminisces about growing up with books in India and the central position of classics like the Mahabharata in developing his own literary identity. The poignant homage to Chilean poet Pablo Neruda recalls his incendiary deathbed challenge as an oppressive military regime invaded his home: "There is only one thing of danger for you here--my poetry "
"The defining features of today's world," Tharoor writes of the global stage, "are the relentless forces of globalization--the same forces used by the terrorists in their macabre dance of death and destruction." His astute views on Salman Rushdie, India's love for P. G. Wodehouse, Rudyard Kipling, Aleksandr Pushkin, John le Carr , V. S. Naipaul, and Winston Churchill make for fascinating reading. His insightful takes on Hollywood and Bollywood will intrigue even the most demanding cinephile. Together, these thirty-nine pieces reveal the inner workings of one of today's most eclectic writers.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1611454085
ISBN13:9781611454086
Release Date:April 2012
Publisher:Arcade Publishing
Length:288 Pages
Weight:0.95 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"
Related Subjects
Arts & Literature Authors Biographical Biographies Biographies & History Biography & History Education & Reference History & Criticism Literary Literary Criticism Literary Criticism & Collections Literature Literature & Fiction Modern (16th-21st Centuries) Movements & Periods World LiteratureCustomer Reviews
3 ratings
Interesting Comments On Worldly Subjects
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
A great look inside the lives of India's elite leaders, as well as the literary life there, plus reflections on writing and writers from other countries ... Sashi Tharoor is an interesting eclectic writer, and world traveler, with a fascinating background. Born in London, educated in India and the U.S, and currently Under Secretary General,Communications and Public Information, at The United Nations ... His insightful essays, covering everything from growing up in India, world affairs, war, history, religion, globalization, death and destruction, to Hollywood and Bollywood....make a remarkable book that will interest readers of all nations.-- and it's an easy read. Highly recommended.
A multicultural celebration of reading and writing
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This book is a little like "Reading Lolita in Tehran" in that it offers a multitude of further reading ideas and insights into another culture, in this case mostly the culture of India, as influenced by its long history and British colonial period in particular. Numerous Indian writers are celebrated, especially Salman Rushdie, but so are the works of P. G. Wodehouse, Le Carre, Pushkin, Pablo Neruda, Hemingway, Orwell, and more. Don't miss the essays on illiteracy in America and the final essay celebrating the value of reading in a time of terrorism.
Forty essays provide a range of insights on the literary world outside the West - and they're fascin
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
It's hard to easily categorize Bookless In Baghdad: Reflections On Writing And Writers: it's not a literary expose, it's not entirely a memoir/autobiography, and it's not entirely a cultural reflection on Iraq and India - yet, it's got elements of all the above. You'll receive more of an appreciation for literacy and reading learning what Iraqis go through just to get a book, and how selling their own books can make the difference between dinner or hunger. Tharoor examines his own childhood with books in India - and he reflects on the literary figures which that country reveres. Forty essays provide a range of insights on the literary world outside the West - and they're fascinating revelations.
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