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Glad
to be gay
Rumina Sethi
Love's Rite: Same-Sex Marriage in India and the West
Ruth Vanita. Penguin Books. New Delhi. Pages 370. Rs. 295.
Same-sex
marriages and sexual preference have been a contested terrain because
the thought is appalling to many. In America's gay capital, San
Francisco, thousands of same-sex marriages are given licenses while
President George Bush, on the contrary, seeks to safeguard "the
most fundamental institution of civilisation" by banning such
unions.
Subtle
and sensitive storyteller
Surinder S. Tej
Wedded
to literature. The description aptly fits Gurbachan Singh Bhullar, the
Punjabi litterateur who has recently been named for the Sahitya Akademi
Award for 2005, for his collection of short stories, Agni Kalas.
This honour is an apt reward for his untiring efforts in the field of
literature for the last 48 years.
Kashmir
katha
Eminent novelist Chandrakanta
has been awarded the 2005 Vyas Samman for Katha Satisar
CHANDRAKANTA,
born on December 3, 1938 in Jammu and Kashmir, is a well-known name in
contemporary fiction. She received her higher education in Srinagar and
at Birla Arts College, Pilani, from where she did Masters in Hindi
literature. Her creative career began from the short story Khoon Ke
Reshe (Shreds of blood), which was published in Kalpana in
1966.
Verses
that transcend time
Harbans Singh
Atha Vairagyashatkam
Atha Nitishatkam
Atha Shringarshatkam
by Bhartrihari. Translated by Rajendra Tandon. Rupa. Pages 126, 117, 111
respectively. Rs 295 each.
THE
learned in India get acquainted with the name of Bhartrihari during the
course of their study of Sanskrit, but the vast majority, irrespective
of the qualifications and the status in life, is more likely to come
across the great poet, grammarian and Saint through the tales narrated
by the grandmother and the wise men of the village.
The
limits of love
Shubhshil Desraj
New Life
Sharmistha Mohanty. Roli Books. Pages 292. Rs 295.
THE
amazing prowess of love and its magical essence are a poet’s dream and
not practical possibilities. Love in the common man’s experience is
neither eternal nor infinite. It has its limits, "`85everyone’s
love has limits... and the limits can be... hard, unbreakable."
Dreams
& melancholy
William Palmer
Meet Me In Mozambique
by EA Markham Jonathan Cape
EA
Markham is a poet, writer
of short stories and novelist. His new book is - well, what is it?
Publishers say that the British dislike short stories, but not to worry.
These stories nourish and feed off one another to such an extent that
the book reads more like a kaleidoscopic novel that tells, in various
voices and from different viewpoints, the lives of Pewter Stapleton and
his family and friends.
Written
for the screen
Deepika Gurdev
IT
used to be said that writing and architecture are the main carriers of
culture and civilisation. Now that books are being put on celluloid, one
can safely add movies to the list. Take a look at some recent and
upcoming blockbusters: The Harry Potter series, Da Vinci Code,
Memoirs of A Geisha, Brokeback Mountain and The Legend of Narnia—the
list goes on.
Secrets
of Agatha Christie
A
neurolinguistic study of
more than 80 of bestselling mystery author Agatha Christie’s works has
concluded that the reason her books are so popular, is because her
phrases trigger a pleasure response in readers.
SHORT TAKES
Memories of Madras and
spooky tales
Randeep Wadehra
-
Madras Mosaic
by N. Meera Rao Parity Paperbacks, N.
Delhi. Pages 115. Rs 180
-
Ghost Stories
by Minakshi Chaudhry Rupa & Co.
Pages xvi + 139. Rs. 95
-
Get Rid of Diabetes with
the help of Solar Energy
by Kunal Shinde Indus, N. Delhi. Pages
174. Rs 165
Back of the book
-
Havoc in its Third year
by Ronnan Bennet Bloomsbury
Pages 303. £3.25
-
After Midnight
by Robert Ryan Headline Pages 310.
£4.25
-
James Bond
The Man And His World
by Henry Chancellor John
Murray Pages 250. £12.50
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