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pawanraj's review
2.0
A collection of Tharoor's essays over the years. The book has nothing to do with Baghdad or "booklessness". Essays range from India's diversity, Tharoor's views on Mahabharata, his love for Wodehouse, and his literary tastes and his interactions with various literary giants in the course of his life in the UN and as an author.
Writing styles are as varied as the topics; descriptive when talking about literary festivals, didactic when talking about India and unity in diversity, snappy and witty in other articles. However, what abounds, is complicated long sentences and words that stretch and add to your vocabulary. I don't mind that, but be prepared for it, otherwise it may put you off.
In places, Tharoor paints the topics with a very broad brush, as is liable to be the case in a short newspaper column, but it left me unsatisfied. In others, he meanders, and wanders far away from the themes the title of the piece suggests. Some of the content (the exact same words) repeats across the book, and in places the book appears self-indulgent and elitist. I suppose that is a function of what the book is, as well as the author's upbringing and way of life. And the failing might be my own in feeling that way. I wouldn't hold it against him. However, as a reader, to me, the tone appears condescending (in places) and smacks of superiority.
The final portion of the book (Interrogations) is my favourite part of the book. I would recommend giving the rest of the book a miss, and just reading the last 30-40 pages to get a sense of Tharoor the author, and the thinker.
Writing styles are as varied as the topics; descriptive when talking about literary festivals, didactic when talking about India and unity in diversity, snappy and witty in other articles. However, what abounds, is complicated long sentences and words that stretch and add to your vocabulary. I don't mind that, but be prepared for it, otherwise it may put you off.
In places, Tharoor paints the topics with a very broad brush, as is liable to be the case in a short newspaper column, but it left me unsatisfied. In others, he meanders, and wanders far away from the themes the title of the piece suggests. Some of the content (the exact same words) repeats across the book, and in places the book appears self-indulgent and elitist. I suppose that is a function of what the book is, as well as the author's upbringing and way of life. And the failing might be my own in feeling that way. I wouldn't hold it against him. However, as a reader, to me, the tone appears condescending (in places) and smacks of superiority.
The final portion of the book (Interrogations) is my favourite part of the book. I would recommend giving the rest of the book a miss, and just reading the last 30-40 pages to get a sense of Tharoor the author, and the thinker.
oviyabalan's review
4.0
This was the first time I read any of Shashi Tharoor's work. Something about his writing was intriguing. I loved his knowledge about various books and poems. His words on various poets and their works just proved how inspiring their words were. Such a fun read. Perfect for a travel time. Highly recommend it.
akshatk's review
3.0
There is more of the author in this than the books and the other authors he wanted to talk about. This works well as memoir and his self-reflection on his own books but then this leaves a lot to be desired.
muthuraj's review
4.0
Shashi Tharoor’s ‘Bookless in Baghdad’ is a collection of essays about Writing, Writers, himself as a writer, books and critics. He also manages to write about India and Globalization, all in relation to writing. The very first essay is him telling us the books he grew up with. And so convincing was his mention of P.G.Wodehouse, I immediately made sure a copy of his anthology was ready to be borrowed as soon as I went back to college.
I cannot afford to provide the summary of all such essays in this book. Doing so can irrevocably spoil the sense of wonder and awe that you might be inspired with, were you to read the book. But I shall touch on points that I think will make you want to read this. I might be wrong though.
This collection almost seems to be written with the sole aim of establishing Shashi Tharoor as broadly erudite and deeply eloquent. His discourse about his The Great Indian Novel is a very good indicator of his command over both epic Mahabharatha and the History of Colonial India, and in some ways, the world. Mahabharata, Shashi writes, is a secular epic. It is indeed so, for it never identified with a particular religion. It is also not a book of gods, he says. It is a book of humans, of ambition and of debasement, of lust and of celibacy, of treacherousness and of sacrifice. The televised, 52-episode edition of Mahabharata had 200 million in audience, was screen-written by a Muslim.
Salman Rushdie, Shashi tells us, is the leader of his profession, much like Wodehouse was, to the Brit writers, at one point in time. He is a teeny bit bragging, when he writes about his Show Business novel, as well as his Riot novel. But, that is allowed for, since it is never about himself, it is more about the points which he cleverly sought to impart through his Indo-Anglical writing.
Shashi Tharoor can be funny, when he chooses to. But he is immensely readable, without having to make any special efforts. His criticism of R.K.Narayan, and his defense against the allegations of elitism, are very much capable of being empathized with. That R.K.N was bathetic in his writing might have hurt his ardent admirers, (many times for the simplicity of his language) but is both indefensible and right, at the same time. Indeed, it is the language that makes the story interesting and it is the language that helps us stick with the book, even when the plot is long dead and buried.
Shashi’s chastising of Nirad Chaudari is one of my favourite essays in the book. NC sucked upto his English masters and by that virtue, he sold books and won his bread and butter. NC was the quintessential anglophile and an exemplar of Indophobes.
His essays “Illiteracy in America”, “Books and botox” are amusing and hard-hitting. Towards the third quarter of his book, he discusses many things about his books, a film made out of “The Show Business”, criticism of his books, and his response to those criticism. These are self-defeating defenses of his works, but something that can be excused on account of his ability to do them in such subtle manner. Bookless in Baghdad essay is sure to sink anybody’s heart, who loves books. His essay on Globalization and Human Imagination is very well though-out and brings to our attention the essential source of terrorism – Marginalization, exclusion, political exploitation, and most importantly, Education. Education based on misinterpreted Qurans in Madrasas run by zealots with vested interests is the most sure-fire way of producing terrorists. (I am not generalizing, and neither is he). The anxiety of Audience is a fitting conclusion, declaiming, “You, dear reader, own the words I write”.
Deigning to read this book may be impossible for seasoned readers. And I don’t blame them. But for the rest of us, still learning to read, still new to Our Own Country’s writing in English, arguably the most hated and most loved Colonial Legacy, this is an excellent read. Recommended.
I cannot afford to provide the summary of all such essays in this book. Doing so can irrevocably spoil the sense of wonder and awe that you might be inspired with, were you to read the book. But I shall touch on points that I think will make you want to read this. I might be wrong though.
This collection almost seems to be written with the sole aim of establishing Shashi Tharoor as broadly erudite and deeply eloquent. His discourse about his The Great Indian Novel is a very good indicator of his command over both epic Mahabharatha and the History of Colonial India, and in some ways, the world. Mahabharata, Shashi writes, is a secular epic. It is indeed so, for it never identified with a particular religion. It is also not a book of gods, he says. It is a book of humans, of ambition and of debasement, of lust and of celibacy, of treacherousness and of sacrifice. The televised, 52-episode edition of Mahabharata had 200 million in audience, was screen-written by a Muslim.
Salman Rushdie, Shashi tells us, is the leader of his profession, much like Wodehouse was, to the Brit writers, at one point in time. He is a teeny bit bragging, when he writes about his Show Business novel, as well as his Riot novel. But, that is allowed for, since it is never about himself, it is more about the points which he cleverly sought to impart through his Indo-Anglical writing.
Shashi Tharoor can be funny, when he chooses to. But he is immensely readable, without having to make any special efforts. His criticism of R.K.Narayan, and his defense against the allegations of elitism, are very much capable of being empathized with. That R.K.N was bathetic in his writing might have hurt his ardent admirers, (many times for the simplicity of his language) but is both indefensible and right, at the same time. Indeed, it is the language that makes the story interesting and it is the language that helps us stick with the book, even when the plot is long dead and buried.
Shashi’s chastising of Nirad Chaudari is one of my favourite essays in the book. NC sucked upto his English masters and by that virtue, he sold books and won his bread and butter. NC was the quintessential anglophile and an exemplar of Indophobes.
His essays “Illiteracy in America”, “Books and botox” are amusing and hard-hitting. Towards the third quarter of his book, he discusses many things about his books, a film made out of “The Show Business”, criticism of his books, and his response to those criticism. These are self-defeating defenses of his works, but something that can be excused on account of his ability to do them in such subtle manner. Bookless in Baghdad essay is sure to sink anybody’s heart, who loves books. His essay on Globalization and Human Imagination is very well though-out and brings to our attention the essential source of terrorism – Marginalization, exclusion, political exploitation, and most importantly, Education. Education based on misinterpreted Qurans in Madrasas run by zealots with vested interests is the most sure-fire way of producing terrorists. (I am not generalizing, and neither is he). The anxiety of Audience is a fitting conclusion, declaiming, “You, dear reader, own the words I write”.
Deigning to read this book may be impossible for seasoned readers. And I don’t blame them. But for the rest of us, still learning to read, still new to Our Own Country’s writing in English, arguably the most hated and most loved Colonial Legacy, this is an excellent read. Recommended.
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