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In search of roots
Rachna Singh
The Girl From Foreign: A Search for
Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten
Histories and a Sense of Home
by Sadia Shepard.
Penguin Books
Pages 364. Rs 450.
THE
literature of diaspora has caught the imagination of literature lovers
all over the world. And why not? An empathy with the ‘rootlessness’
of the ‘diasporic’ protagonist often becomes the inspiration to
undertake a personal voyage of self-discovery.
Ode
to failure
Madhusree Chatterjee
Solo
by Rana Dasgupta. Fourth Estate Ltd.
Pages 368. £ 9.89.
It
could well be a leaf out of One Hundred Years of Solitude or even
Arabian Nights, say critics. British Indian writer Rana
Dasgupta’s new novel, Solo, is about the life and daydreams of
a 100-year-old man.
Pedestrian’s
view of life
Shalini Rawat
Holy Cow and Other Poems
by S. Nihal Singh.
Writers Workshop.
Pages 72. Rs 150 (soft cover), Rs 200 (hard bound).
THE
praxis of poetry has undergone a sea change in the past couple of
decades. From being the favoured form of literature and colloquial
expression, poetry has lost its moorings and become a caricature of its
former self.
God
under the microscope
Kuldip Dhiman
Breaking the Spell: Religion as
a Natural Phenomenon
by Daniel C. Dennett.
Penguin Books.
Pages 447. £3.25.
WHEN
science started making earthshaking discoveries by challenging ancient
dogma, many felt that religion would not survive the rational onslaught
for too long. Religion, however, is flourishing even in this modern age
of space exploration, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology. It seems
that there is something about religious belief which modern education
and science are unable to shake off.
Comedy
of manners
Kavita Soni-Sharma
The Marriage Bureau for Rich
People
by Farahad Zama.
Abacus, London.
Pages 276. Rs 800.
ON
a crisp winter morning, Hyder Ali, a retired government clerk is taking
in the fragrance of the jasmine flowers and enjoying being in the garden
he has created in his modest yard when he sees a man ‘stealing’ a
bright blossom. Ali is livid.
Magical
love story
Ravia Gupta
A Guy Thing
by Suman Hossain.
Frog Books. Pages 132. Rs 145.
A
debut fiction by Suman Hossain, A Guy Thing is the story of an
IITian, Sahil, who is a dreamer and has the courage to follow his
dreams. He wants to break the norms at IIT, Delhi, and change the
clich`E9, which he has heard from girls that "IITians are
nerds".
The
karmic quest
Mehru Jaffer
WELL-KNOWN
photographer and poet Dorothea Nuernberg, 44, has a dozen books to her
credit. Yet, none of these accomplishments soothe the restless soul of
this Viennese writer. "I still have to conquer my own nature. I
want to awaken my sleeping spirit and stand face-to-face with my true
consciousness," says Nuernberg, during a chat at an Italian caf`E9
in the heart of Vienna’s affluent 19th district.
Teenage
techie on a roll
Nabeel A. Khan
THE
twists and turns of dingy lanes in Old Delhi’s Kasab Pura take you to
a one-room rented accommodation where one of the country’s youngest
cyber wizards and "ethical hacker" Sahil Khan lives. He is now
getting ready for the release of his fourth book.
BACK
OF THE BOOK
Courts, Panchayats
and Nagarpalikas — Background And Review Of The Case Law
by K.C Sivaramakrishnan. Academic
Foundation.
Pages 343. Rs 995.
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