Publishers Weekly
This collection of short essays by the Anglo-Indian novelist and senior U.N. official would seem to hold out the promise of an ethnographic consideration of the life of letters. Alas, the title essay, about the "book souk" in besieged Baghdad, is something of a red herring. These essays, newspaper columns and speeches do not, by and large, try to assess the situation of literature in war-torn regions, or any other regions for that matter. In one piece, the author describes the experience of having his novel adapted to the big screen; another is an elegy for a defunct Anglo-Indian review; a third is an anecdote of traveling to Spain for a cup of coffee. These are all personal reflections-as when Tharoor devotes an entire column to answering the criticisms of an Indian journalist, deflecting critiques of his hairstyle and choice of clothing. Tharoor's novels, as he never tires of writing, have been lavishly praised all around the world. But this book's topics-as well as the author's liberal use of culture-specific shorthand-would seem to make it primarily of interest to the Anglophone Indian community. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
UN undersecretary and prize-winning writer Tharoor has assembled a superb and provocative collection of essays. The book's five sections-"Inspirations," "Reconsiderations," "The Literary Life," "Appropriations," and "Interrogations"-encompass a range of previously published essays. Some read like memoirs, others offer literary criticism, while still others reflect on India's history and Tharoor's previous novels (e.g., The Great Indian Novel, Show Business). His essays on novel writing-the attention to language, detail, themes, characters, and settings-add depth to those books while bringing nuances to the surface. Most essays show Tharoor's vision of and for India and its people, but he also addresses American culture, literature, and illiteracy. Particularly insightful is his speech delivered in Berlin at the International Festival of Literature in 2003, titled "Globalization and the Human Imagination," which ties all these themes together. Tharoor's work resonates with readers of any nationality, helping them understand the global purpose of literature, feel the inherent responsibility, and hear a call to action. Recommended for public and academic libraries.-Jamie Engle, Richardson, TX Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
United Nations senior official Tharoor (Nehru, 2003, etc.) reflects on some important-and neglected-literary influences of his cultural heritage in 40 columns originally written for Indian newspapers. Who reads Enid Blyton anymore, or Malcolm Muggeridge, or even P.G. Wodehouse? Tharoor, who was raised in middle-class Bombay during late 1950s and '60s, ponders his colonial literary inheritance in the initial essays here. "Growing Up with Books in India" notes how reading English gave him "access to a broader world," while, in a curious inversion, he encountered many traditional Indian fables through the European versions in Aesop's fables. "The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold" scolds John le Carre for "buttressing his tawdry fictions with op-ed assaults on the post-Cold War peace between the superpowers." For Tharoor, the engage life and politics of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda serve as a heroic humanitarian model, as does the committed stance of Salman Rushdie, subject of "The Ground Beneath His Feet," which thoughtfully reflects on India's astonishingly pluralistic national identity. The author doles out sterner treatment to fellow Indian fiction writer R.K. Narayan, faulted for "the narrowness of his vision, the predictability of his prose." Meanwhile, Tharoor frequently plugs his own novels: "Mining the Mahabharata" acknowledges the role the 2,000-year-old Indian epic poem played in the shaping of his Great Indian Novel, and "How Riot Nearly Caused a Riot" describes the agitation caused by a reading from his work among a group of Indian expatriates in New York. Nervily, he takes the U.S. to task for its illiteracy in one essay, then in the next ridicules the desire of 81 percent ofAmericans to write their own books. Most relevant of all is "Globalization and the Human Imagination," a description of Tharoor's UN mission dedicated to responsible media. Intriguing thoughts by an author of worldly range and depth.
