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Should we say ‘Hello Dolly?’
Well! Maybe....
Vijay Tankha
The Ethics of Human Cloning
by Leon R. Kass and James Q. Wilson. Scientia. Pages 101. Rs
125.
THE
Scientia imprint, recently launched by the Centre for
Philosophy and the Foundations of Science, Delhi makes
available important recent works in philosophy and the
philosophy of science in an attractive and affordable format.
The authors of this particular volume have impeccable academic
credentials, while the issues they raise are of general
interest.
Mistress
in the house
I. L. Dawra
Marrying the Mistress
by Joanna Trollope, Black Swan, London. Pages 333. £ 4.50
HOW
will you react as a wife, as a son, or as a daughter-in-law if
you suddenly find one fine morning that the ageing patriarch
of the family is hopelessly in love with a girl less than half
his age—almost fit to be his daughter? It is this situation
woven into a stimulating story by Joanna Trollope, a British
novelist.
Speaking
of education
S. P. Dhawan
Higher Education and Development
by G. S. Yonzone. Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai. Pages
122. Rs 275.
THE
importance and relevance of education to development in a
developing country like India is often ignored. The relation
between development and education was not clearly discernible
or vividly demonstrated in the past decades since higher
education was accessible only to the elite.
Bringing
to life a lost era
Jaswant Kaur
Red Poppies: An Epic Saga of Old Tibet
by Alai. Penguin Books, New Delhi. Pages 416. Rs 295.
A
translation is generally considered inferior to the original
work. But when it comes to understanding an alien language, it
is a blessing. For, it throws open an unknown land to a
different set of people. Translated from Chinese to English,
the book under review is a step in this direction.
A
way into Naipaul’s world
Rajnish Wattas
The Humour and The Pity.
edited by Amitava Kumar. Buffalo Books. Pages. 174. Rs 175.
IT
has been a long journey for Vidiadhar Seepersad Naipaul. From
the grandson of an indentured Indian labourer in Trinidad to a
Nobel Laureate is a grand arrival. No wonder Sir V. S. Naipaul
has become as much a subject matter for others to write on as
is his literature.
Novel
that reads like the script of a tragic film
Aditya Sharma
Embers
by Ajaya Kumar, Srishti, Pages 469, Rs 295.
DEBUT
novels are generally marked by a passionate intensity but, at
the same time, are also characterised by a lack of fullness.
This applies to Ajaya Kumar’s maiden novel Embers.
Poring over it, one realises that although the author has put
some earnest effort into its making, yet it is not free from
faults.
MEET THE AUTHOR
"Every
city has its voyeurs"
JOURNALIST
Kanika Gahlaut has been in news recently for authoring Among
the Chatterati, a book on the lives of page three
celebrities. Humra Quraishi talks to her about her book
and the reactions to it.
WRITE VIEW
Pain and sorrow
stimulate search for supreme bliss
Randeep Wadehra
Transcending Sorrow through Dhyana
by Surinder Singh (Justice, retd) Pages: 64. Price not
mentioned.
THIS book is a bit
of shock to me. I've known Justice Singh for quite some time now
and have been in constant touch with him. We have often
exchanged notes on life's riddles, and cracked jokes. Yet, it is
through this book, I learn that he is suffering from blood
cancer.
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