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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Free Again


I ‘fess up, I have been hiding out the past 4 days ODing on commercial crap. After two months of Emerson, I succumb to baser instincts - I built up a tottering pile of books that I will read for no ulterior motive and thanks to Venk I pre-ordered a copy of um, er…..{embarrassed cough} …..you know that Potter thing.

I was scraping the bottom of the barrel when I caught myself balefully eying a five year old’s Happy Meal donkey. But that was before I saw the Green Ogre fall flat on his monstrous gut. Damn, Shrek the Third makes a funeral dirge look reasonably amusing. The plot (which has more holes than a sieve) is so seriously unfunny it makes you weep – more so if you’ve just paid through your nose at your neighbourhood-obnoxiously-expensive multiplex. But you will see it anyway. As will I - with 4 and 5.

The plus point of all that studying is I have discovered some darned cool authors/critics and the fact that a fairly large chunk of poets are not snivelling-nosed whiners. Poets I like – Dylan Thomas, Robert Graves and Browning, Toru Dutt, Phillip Larkin and Donne and Plath’s less important half Ted Hughes (incredibly dramatic). Authors discovered – Woolf (non-fiction), Thoreau, Raja Rao. Authors/Dramatists re-discovered – MK Anand, Hemmingway, Karnad, Arthur Miller. It is kind of bizarre seeking out religious symbolism in ‘Lord of the Flies’ but never mind that.

Am already lagging behind a week in deadlines. A pox on mercenary employers who hover like vultures and swoop down the moment you surface for a gulp of fresh air.

My folks are off to Germany and Austria whilst I remain in beauteous Vizag coagulating to runny jell-O in the wretched heat.

Books I am Reading - Sort of

I liked Bonfire of the Vanities and Man in Full. Am hoping ‘I Am Charlotte Simonns’ matches up though the idea of a doddering old Wolfe writing like a hot-blooded PYT doesn’t really match up. Scouring my bookshelf stuffed with books I buy but never get around to reading. Dug out the Historian (Kostova), Brief History of the World (Bryson) and Howard’s End. Not to mention half a dozen others…am I addicted to hoarding? Help, Also re-visting Asimov’s Treasurey Science Fiction bumper book. Sorely disappointed they’ve knocked off yummy Sherlock ‘Brett’ Holmes from the History Channel.

11 comments:

Id it is said...

Donne is one of my all time favorites as is Marvel; the metaphysical are a class apart aren't they. My favorite is "A Valediction Forbidding Morning".
MK Anand and Karnad I don't recognize but will research.
Vizag...?

Men Who Do Cleavages said...

I am a late bloomer insofar as reading of the classics is concerned so you'll have to excuse my recommending to you - "MAD" magazine, "Foreign Affairs", "Harper's" ( no, not the bazaar thingumajig), "Atlantic Monthly" and GQ for that much needed respite from all things literary( in a figurative sort of way, of course).
School's now done and dusted, so welcome back to Zombieland!

Jay Sun said...

Welcome Back !!! :)

Mellowdrama said...

Hi
Id: Hey!! MK is Mulk Raj of Untouchable, Coolie fame and Karnard is Girish Karnard, hope this helps. Lol Vizag=Visakapatnam...been living there for past 2 yrs and hopefully moving to Mumbai later this year.

Translocation: Oh man I LOVE MAD! Serge and Don Martin are bloody brilliant. Lol know of only one Harper and have devoured GQ along with Esquire and Maxim coz at one point AXE was our client...had to knw what guys read:)

Jay: Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Shrek 3 was paainful :(. And I'll just borrow the potter book from friends :D

Exotic Gringo said...

You've been tagged here:
http://kronicles.blogspot.com/2007/06/behind-seen-8-facts-on-me.html

Your turn hombre/mulhere!

Anonymous said...

I am very pleasantly surprised to see names like Toru Dutt, Girish Karnad Thoreau et al mentioned in your blog. Very few know them, and even fewer people think that they are darned cool !!

By the by, I believe it would be rather bizarre if we do not seek religious symbolism (of however abstract nature) in "Lord of the Flies".

Saee said...

I grew up reading Dennis and Vaseelisa. :)
So yeah, I have a thing for all those books. Maybe we could both try and find out! :)
You are really good!!

Men Who Do Cleavages said...

Ou est la, mademoiselle?

When you don't post anything on your blog( which I will have you know happens to be alot) I worry all the time you will finish reading all the good books in the world before the rest of us can.

Steady now R!
Jumping ( enviously)

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Lingerie said...
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