WRITINGS

Thoughts, Stories and Other Wanderings

Books I have read, stories I have imagined, poems I have written, and reflections on the many questions that make life worth exploring.

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LITERATURE

Books, Reading and Literary Reflections

Thoughts on books, authors, characters and the many ways literature deepens our understanding of life, ourselves and the world around us.
  • LITERATUREMAR 2023

    Dan Fesperman’s ‘Lie in the Dark’

    A detective thriller or a cop novel which delineates the critical investigative process is thoroughly satisfying but when the narrative is also sharp and sensitive to the aspects of life entwined in a murder, the novel becomes a spectacular achievement. Vlado is the Inspector of Police who is entrusted the sensitive case of investigating the…

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  • LITERATURESEP 2022

    Gone with the Wind

    Gone with the Wind is a classic. There are only a few novels which define the ethos of a Nation. They are so definitive or detailed that they become referential points about a period or an era in the history of that Nation. The half truths or generalizations of their narrative does not dilute the…

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  • LITERATURESEP 2022

    Bleak House

    Bleak House heralds the prowess of Charles Dickens at his highest point. Woven around a lawsuit named Jarndyce Vs Jarndyce, the novel bears the distinctive stamp of the novelist, especially his powers of observation and characterization. The range of people who are present in a Dickens novel, makes him no less than a social historian…

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  • LITERATURESEP 2022 (UPDATED)

    The Novel as a Form of Literary Expression

    Of all the literary genres that one becomes familiar with as a student of Literature, it is the novel which is impactful because of its presence and dominance. One cannot diminish the importance of other modes of literary expression just because one fancies the Novel but the truth is that the novel has overwhelmed the…

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  • LITERATURESEP 2022 (UPDATED)

    The imagery of death and disease in Hamlet

    The proper subject of tragedy is very hard to decide, but invariably being a tragedy means having to do something with the darker side of life. The sorrowful, the dreadful, the fearful and the gory thus find their legitimate place in tragedy. Hamlet is said to be the most intriguing of all Shakespeare’s tragedies. Othello…

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  • LITERATUREJUNE 2022

    Papillon by Henri Charrière.

    Reflecting on the “Popular novels” that I have read, I have identified a few novels which need a special mention. Papillon by Henri Charrière. A modern day classic, it is described as a man’s quest for freedom. It has also been described as the greatest adventure story ever written but I would rank the Count…

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  • LITERATUREMAY 2022

    Vanity Fair

    A reflection on Thackeray’s world of ambition, appearance and moral compromise, and on the unforgettable contradictions of Becky Sharp.

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  • LITERATUREMAY 2022

    Narrative Style: Kafka, Kundera and Beckett

    Kafka, Kundera and Beckett become points of departure for thinking about narrative, memory, time, uncertainty and the modern human predicament.

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  • LITERATUREAPR 2022

    Wanderings in Hindostan

    There are a few books which do not fit into the confines of a genre. Although the tag of fiction does not entirely work for them, they have a mood and an aura which makes them look like a work of fiction. John Lang’s “Wanderings in Hindostan” written in 1860, belongs to such a category.…

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  • LITERATUREAPR 2022

    Adventure Novels

    Adventure novels are a distinct category which needs a special mention in my series of posts about the novel. My first foray into the world of fiction as I have mentioned earlier was with the novel “Round the World in 80 days” by Jules Verne. A roller coaster ride about a meticulous person, Phileas Fogg,…

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  • LITERATUREAPR 2022

    The Innocents Abroad

    The great American novelist Mark Twain who has written two of my favorite novels; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has also written ‘ The Innocents Abroad’ which is a travelogue detailing his travels in Europe. The novels have fascinated me endlessly. Tom Sawyer’s life of adventure and Huckleberry Finn’s…

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  • LITERATUREMAR 2022

    My Journey with Reading

    The journey of my engagement with fiction compels me to acknowledge some of the influences and other factors in that journey. On this account this post takes a little personal turn. Reading is an addictive habit. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than…

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