In our bookclub we read The Mystic Masseur by V. S. Naipaul. It was written in the 1950s and describes the rise of a man named Ganesh from poverty to politics in the Indian subcommunity of Trinidad. I wasn’t too impressed and don’t recommend it.
The Mystic Masseur by V. S. Naipaul
There is a dry humor which some might appreciate, but I don’t feel that is enough to carry me through the book. There’s also some scenes that illustrate in very few words how backwards people were at the time.
When we talked about the book yesterday, Geetha said that Vaipaul is sometimes attacked for being a racist, and I think I understand why. He truly has a colonial perspective and focuses on the weak spots, ignoring the many moments of happiness, achievement, and respect that are there as they are in any human civilization.
The next book is Snow by Orhan Pamuk. He’s Turkish, and just recently the WOZ had printed a review of another Turkish book, which I ordered together with *Snow*: Von Istanbul nach Hakkari von Tevfik Turan, et al (erhältlich beim Unionsverlag).
Von Istanbul nach Hakkari von Tevfik Turan, et al
#Books
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Correction its V.S. Naipaul
– Guru 2006-02-01 09:53 UTC
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Thanks, fixed.
– Alex Schroeder 2006-02-01 10:10 UTC