How many of today’s writers are able to travel back to their roots in the wild, rustic corners of India where our ancestors lived, loved, toiled, sang together, and set the tradition rolling of story-telling through immortal folktales? There appears to be a strong disconnect in today’s panther writers who are maddened by the runaway…
Often termed money-minded today’s commercial literary stars (won’t name any) will have a strong possibility of getting recognition tomorrow. Their works, influenced by the publisher interests, will perhaps go well with the future literary critics. But yes there can be a dispute about the quality of fiction they write. Also today’s critics may have an…
A mindless controversy is doing rounds in the intellectual circles these days. The controversy on Girish Karnard’s comment which regarded Rabindranath Tagore as 2nd grade dramatist stands no chance of deliberation. Not because I disapprove of Karnard’s comment. But because he might be right in his statement. It is just what he thought, felt. What…
You and I have always read or heard the history through its winners. It is full of tales of valour and courage. The winners who faught and defeated their enemies are printed in our minds. But did we ever try to take a tour of the enemy’s mind? Tried to know what he had in…
The words have their magic. While critics disregarded Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese poet, for his archaic approach in poetry, the readers embraced him like their messiah who had the magic to infuse a life of its own through words. Like critics I’d serious misgivings about his works until I read one. One day I picked up the collected…
Lately I’ve realised that I’m not keeping updated myself with the trends in Indian literature particularly the Indian English. Hundreds of authors have cropped up in the last couple of years out of which I’ve barely read one or two such as Arvind Adiga. But I wish to look beyond that. The reason being the…
“Man of Glass”, a poetry book by Tabish Khair, landed in my hands a few months ago. I kept it safely in the pile of books on my study table but didn’t pay any time to read it owing to business with other projects at office. Yesterday, I had the chance to flip through the…
People entertain others and themselves. The mediums are, of course, countless, ranging from writing stories, taking pictures, performing drama, making films to even being in the headlines for scams, murders, rapes and controversies. My inclination is towards writing first, reading second, watching movies third and so on and so forth. In writing, my first preference…
A poetess (Cheryl Dumesnil) was recently asked as to what excites her most when she reads poetry. And what she replied was “I love sound, complicated sound. When the sound is used to amplify the meaning of the poem, I can’t get enough of that.” That’s what my grudge is when I read novice poets…
His unbridled love for Catherine Earnshaw also puts him somewhat into a romantic hero category, an archetype which has normally been the subject of Byron’s chivalric poetry.
O S scribbles... 