#Review My Days by R.K.Narayan

I've been fascinated with R.K.Narayan ever since I read his novel ‘The English Teacher’. The joke is, when I actually read the novel, I was not at all keen on becoming an English teacher. I was just wanting to be a History teacher as it was my pet subject & is still my pet subject undoubtedly.  But the moment I read ‘The English Teacher’, I felt something which I had never felt reading the works of other Indian authors….I felt that I was really Indian & nothing can change that whatsoever. I then went on to read one after the other most of the novels & short stories written by R.K. Narayan like ‘The Bachelor Of Arts’, ‘The Vendor Of Sweets’, ‘Malgudi Days’, ‘Salt & Sawdust’, ‘The Mahabharata’, ‘Under The Banyan Tree & Other Stories’ etc. Every time I read a new Narayan title, I felt that I was reading into the heart & soul of a real writer, who….was just like me. He saw the same things that I as an Indian saw, he felt the same things as I feel as an Indian & most importantly…he loved being an Indian & describing the India that was real…STARKLY real, & yet…there is a lot of love, hope & moving on. 

I was then a few months ago the proud owner of my dear R.K. Narayan’s autobiography ‘My Days’ but which I was only able to read last week due to the work regarding the publication of my own book.

What I read made me want to melt, here was my hero where Indian  writing was concerned….& he did not get the adulation or the money that he truly deserved. Even the movie ‘Guide’ which was based on his novel ‘The Guide’ brought a lot of profits for the film makers but not for the creator…not for Narayan. In the autobiography, R.K. Narayan sir very bluntly (with a bit of his usual simple humour which I adore) states the issues he had with not only the Bollywood fraternity regarding ‘Guide’ but also , foreign publishers, the education system, his landlord etc which is informative as well as rib tickling ‘funny’. He also writes about the death of his wife & how he coped with the trauma. I also realized that the book ‘The English Teacher’ had a lot in common with the phase of Narayan sir’s life when his wife passed away & how he started to ‘contact’ her with the aid of psychics. I knew that Narayan sir was sentimental where his writing was concerned, but until I read that piece about his wife…especially about the part about her sick bed, that really made understand the saying I once read at school :

” Just because I am smiling that does not mean I am happy – I may just be optimistic.”

For Narayan sir in his life was always optimistic, even when after six months of waiting, publishers rejected ‘his’ works. I could not even believe that some publisher’s had actually rejected ‘MALGUDI DAYS’ the epitome of Indian living & the Indian thought process. I was aghast when reading through Narayan sir’s life I realized that his first four books which were held later on as one of the greatest works in Indian fiction, did not earn him enough of cash. When I read through his struggles as a man of letters, I found myself…however, by the grace of God I had Kindle & Amazon on my side to make my start very – very easy as a writer of English fiction…..but Narayan sir was completely lost in the beginning because of the lack of publishers who were genuine. I was glad when Graham Greene came to Narayan sir’s aid & became his life long friend after that.

R.K. Narayan also I feel shows a gradual development in his reading tastes & then his way of writing. It reminded me of my own writing style which has changed over the years from simple theology to mysticism to complete fiction & these days to fantasy. However, R.K. Narayan’s character’s were all (or most of the time) people who he really knew in reality like Mr. Sampath the publisher who features as a prime character in a novel. The best part about the characters are that they all feel real, they are not artificial although the town of Malgudi in which all the stories take place is unreal…these characters are the real down to earth common Indians we see selling us our vegetables, sweets, fruits, fish ; the people like our irritating clerks, our over enthusiastic young teachers, our boring college professors, our elderly grandmothers chewing their paan etc.

I especially relate with Narayan sir’s love & enchantment with the city where he grew up – Mysore. I was on vacation there last year & I could definitely relate with Narayan sir about the beauty of the place especially Chamundi Hill. 

The autobiography to me was an eye opener regarding that in a writers life there is going to be a lot of struggle & letters…..but I am ready for it, full on, just like my hero R.K. Narayan, the Grand Old Man of that little town which lies in the hearts of all those who love their India…Malgudi.

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/03/review-world-of-nagaraj-by-rknarayan.html 

#Review The Road to Madness by H P Lovecraft

I must admit that this was the first time I actually came across the author H. P. Lovecraft. This book I found at the Strand Bookstall in town after it fell on my head as I was rummaging through a bookshelf containing some other great books on philosophy.

I was taken aback when I read on the back cover of the book that Lovecraft had inspired many of my own favourite authors of the macabre like Anne Rice, Stephen King & Clive Barker. As I poured over the stories at night UNDER my study table with the table lamp on, I was transported to a realm quite different from my own understanding of terror & fantasy. Lovecraft’s ideas were not only macabre but also quite morbid & blood chilling. True that his works are steeped in grand descriptions which normally puts a casual reader of, but a true lover of literature & horror will certainly realize after reading Lovecraft’s works like ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’, ‘Reanimator’, ‘Imprisoned With The Pharaohs’ etc that, the descriptions are all meaningful to completely realize the actual horror behind it all.

As Barbara Hambly stated, H.P. Lovecraft struggles to bring out his ideas to the reader….it is his idea that is powerful & extraordinary. His pseudo – Poe short stories take on another turn as they get more original & more bizzare as the years go by. Lovecraft’s characters too keep on undergoing transformations & at times reappear in other stories. He in the bargain creates a niche for himself in the horror & fantasy genre which no one can rob.

He is excellent as I have observed in first person accounts of the story, making the reader grip the book tightly in a cold sweat as he administers the opiate of fear into our system….almost like his warped character Herbert West does by administering a special powder into the veins of dead bodies or organs to bring them to life in the ‘Reanimator’(this was better than Frankenstein). Most of Lovecraft’s protagonists I have observed are men (its always men !!!) who are :

1] Well educated

2] Intelligent

3] Believe in the dark forces & works of very sinister personalities (eg., the constant repition of the book  Necronomicon by the Arab Abdul Alhazred who was a genius par excellance)

4] Have this constant habit of getting into trouble inspite of their intelligence

No doubt that at times his stories have a certain amount of Racism present in it, never the less, Lovecraft still pens his stories with a masterstroke of a true wizard of the terrible. Most of his main characters as I have stated before are common scholars or scientists except for ‘Imprisoned With The Pharoahs’ where the poor person imprisoned is the world famous escape artist (got to love him) Harry Houdini. 

My personal favourites in this book were ;

1) The Transition Of Juan Romero

2) The Temple

3) The Terrible Old Man

4) Reanimator (lots of gross descriptions & lots of blood….too good !)

5) Imprisoned With The Pharaohs (I love Houdini)

6) The Horror At Red Hook (out of this world !) &

7) In The Walls Of Eryx (he co -authored this with Kenneth Sterling)

Lovecraft refers a lot to Edgar Allen Poe in most of his early works especially in ‘The Shunned House’ where it looks like he really was enamoured by the original creator of the macabre. 

All in all…….a thumbs up for Lovecraft & his ‘madness’. Now I am going to check out all the movies that have been based on this stories. Indeed, many movies have found their genesis in the works of this master of ghastly descriptions. 

I shall post some more information & links after I finish my research.

#Review Mama Gone by Jane Yolen

SHORT STORY: Mama Gone

AUTHOR: Jane Yolen

This short story according to me can stand as a testimonial that, not all vampire stories are the same. This story by Jane Yolen has brought out emotions & feelings that are beyond the life in the grave or the life of the walking dead. The story has infact spoken about the everlasting relationship between a mother & a child……..as well as the everlasting tale of the vampire. The narrative tries to ask the reader of vampire fiction a question, whether a mother who has changed into a vampire can forget about everything? Including her children? The author also tries to question the idea of whether being a vampire is more powerful than being a loving mother. In the end however, it is certainly proven that a mother’s feelings for her children always triumphs in the end.

Emotions are a main ingredient in this story, each & every character in this story emotes. However, the emotions that are prevailing in the story are not that of hate, fear, horror, terror etc. that one would normally associate with vampire stories. Infact the emotions expressed in the narrative are that of grief, pity, sorrow & of course love. In the story on the death of ‘mama’ the mother of the narrator, the only emotions that are expressed are the emotions of grief & sorrow typical & normal of anyone who loses their wife or their mother……..however, these emotions were expressed even though it was known that the woman who died was from a family lineage of vampires.

After the mother dies during child birth, the second child Bubba cries out his emotions in his simple babble ‘Mama Gone’ while the husband is in the depths of sorrow on seeing the blood stained bed.

Although the husband of the woman is advised to take the necessary precautions in the grave by cutting off the woman’s hands & feet & filling her mouth with garlic, the husband flatly refuses. However, superstition turns to reality when the woman leaves her grave & tries to get into her own home first to prey upon her own family. She is however prevented from doing so by the narrator who has already smeared the window panes with garlic & who holds up a Christian cross infront of her mother. The woman later kills an infant in the crib after which the husband realizes his mistake.

The narrator of the story was the eldest of the mother’s children called Mandy Jane. She seems also to be not only more in control of her emotions than her father but also is the only person who has complete faith & trust in the love her mother had for her. It is she who risks the night to remind her vampire mother about all the good times they have had as a family. Mandy Jane’s recalling of old memories aloud to the mother makes the mother remember the goodness in her that cleanses away the stigma of the walking dead.

This story reeks not with the stench of blood but with the fragrance of love which as Jane Yolen has put it, has conquered even the impenetrable barrier of the vampire. One cannot help but get a choke in ones throat when the poor Mandy Jane tries to sing a lullaby to her vampire mother while she lies face down on her grave of red clay so that the vampire may not arise & terrorize the surrounding area. The love of Mandy Jane overpowered her fear of the evil forces present in her undead mother.

Many references to the Bible are made in the narrative speaking about what the ‘Good Book’ feels about death. One important line which the father narrates to Mandy Jane from the Bible after he realizes that he needs to drive a stake into his undead wife is a quotation from Ecclesiastes 9:5 : ‘For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything’. However, this is not the complete line of Ecclesiastes 9:5, the full quotation is:

‘For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten'

This line was proven by Mandy Jane to be false as in the end, she made her mother REMEMBER LOVE & therefore saved her mother from eternal damnation just the way, the love of the Messiah Jesus Christ saves all the living & the ‘dead’ who believe in him. In the bargain, Jane Yolen gives the reader a moral to comprehend in her narrative ‘Mama Gone’.

In the last part of the short story, the mother who is now free from her slavery to blood tells her daughter that she is ‘here & gone’ which can be interpreted as that she has now come to her senses but will soon leave her child & this world & enter her heavenly realm.

Jane Yolen with this Vampire story in a simple narrative style has brought out a wonderful moral.

#Review Malgudi Schooldays:Immortal Swami

Malgudi Schooldays was actually published as ‘Swami  & Friends’ when R. K. Narayan first wrote the stories of his child character Swaminathan & his adventures. Most of the time we love to read  books similar to our own lives & about people just like us. That’s why many school stories & novels are popular. R.K. Narayan, the creator of the character Swami was well aware of this fact & so penned the adventures of a boy in Malgudi.

There is however, a stark difference between the school boy Swami & other foreign & well-loved schoolboy characters. Swami is fully Indian & his story is set before India had won her Independence. However, certain childhood fears & preoccupations we notice are common in both the early 20^th century Swami & even today's 21^st century kids e.g.  the fear of examinations & rival boys etc. I doubt that the pre-Independence Swami however will ever go out of fashion. This is a character who lives on despite changes in technology…because this character is real & very genuine. All the characters in this book are completely real although technically speaking they are ‘made up’.

But lets get to the bottom of R.K. Narayan’s ‘Malgudi Schooldays’.

Most of us who love reading already know that the south Indian town mentioned in this book is fictional & does not really exist, just the way Narnia does not nor Camelot. This town where Swami & his friends stay was created by Narayan for the purpose of literature & adventure.  

It is here where we are introduced to a boy called Swami (Swaminathan) who is mischievous & has a mind of his own. He like most of the school going children today does his homework at the last minute & incurs the wrath of his teachers as well as his principal (principals) which gets him into a lot of trouble at the home front as well.  Like all school going children, he belongs to a group of friends who he associates himself with just the way you associate yourself with the group of friends that you belong to. His two greatest associates are Mani & Rajam the latter who is from an affluent household. Mani on the other hand represents the ruffian of the group who has more brawn than brain but towards the end of the book, becomes diplomatic & quite wise in a way (he makes Swami think that Rajam will write to him to make Swami feel better). Rajam the police superintendent’s son on the other hand, enters the plot as a very proud & headstrong character but who never lets his wealth go to his head where his friends are concerned. He is partly generous (he gave Swami a green toy engine from his cupboard) & also is a person to mend broken friendships (it was in his house that all the friends of Swami put aside their issues & befriend each other once again).

In Swami’s family we meet many formidable characters who are immortal not only because of R.K. Narayan but also because, we see such people in our own homes or families. The family of Swami consists of his over indulgent mother (who nags the husband), a strict father & a very forgetful & meek grandmother who gives into whatever Swami says blindly. Swami father runs the show in the family & is often the cause for Swami getting into a lot of trouble.

It is well enough to note that R. K. Narayan himself had a father who was equally strict with the members of his household & an indulgent mother.

The grandmother however, captured my interest the most. The reason for me being interested in the activities of the old grandmother is because of the way she is so important to the main character Swami without him realizing it (well, until his father makes him sleep alone in his office away from the grandmother). He sleeps with the grandmother, the grandmother tells him stories about the great warriors of India & she is the one who gives Swami a listening ear in the whole household. Note that R. K. Narayan also in the first formative years of his life was brought up by his grandmother (mother’s mother) who had a great influence in his life. Swami’s mother throughout the story keeps herself quite distant from the boy (but cries for him when he gets lost) while Swami’s father has a military disposition in the bringing up of his son & never interferes with him. Till the end of the story we see that Swami holds a lot of ill feeling towards his father & his father’s behaviour is not at all what one would call, compassionate. There is yet again a similarity between Narayan’s own father & the father of Swami.

There is always a bit of a funny bone in Narayan which also shows itself in this work especially during the legendary Satyagraha against the Albert Mission School where Swami takes a substantial part in & breaks the glass of the principals ventilator. He is also told to throw his cap into a bonfire which is first thought to be of foreign make but which in the end turns out to be quite Indian. The whole purpose of Gandhi’s Satyagraha is warped here in the story where violence takes place among the protestors & no one knows the difference between Khadi  & foreign cloth.

Although we get morals like bravery, friendship, loyalty etc.from the narrative, it’s the narrative itself that gives the reader pleasure beyond comparison. It acts like a mirror for youngsters to see their reflection & also gives us a glimpse of the corruption in the education system. Religious fanaticism is brought out through the unstable personage of the teacher Ebenezer but Narayan takes on this topic in his usual elementary manner without really hurting religious sentiment but showing us that religious fanaticism comes not from wisdom but, ignorance.

On the whole, I appreciated this work especially the additions of two stories from the actual ‘Malgudi Days’ which are masterpieces in their own right. Swami  is a character who can evoke in us the unsureness of childhood & its highs & lows.

All in all, a really good read for the weekend.

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/02/review-my-days-by-rknarayan.html 

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/03/review-world-of-nagaraj-by-rknarayan.html

#review The Vampire of Kaldenstein by Frederick Cowles

Being an ardent reader of books in the horror genre, I was very pleased on coming across this incredible short story written by Cowles. The author according to me has surpassed himself in this absolutely grotesque story of the unearthly Count Of Kaldenstein who as the title amply suggests is a vampire who continues living by feasting on the blood of innocent victims. Many of my fellow readers on reading this enchanting story would presume it to be a sort of a similar recounting of the classic novel ‘Dracula’ penned by Bram Stoker specially the first part of the narrative where Johnathan Harker visits Count Dracula’s castle inspite of the many warnings he had encountered by the locals. To such readers I would like to clarify that this masterpiece has no connection whatsoever to the Gothic story of ‘Dracula’. The story of Cowles is an ingenious work of art which creates a very horrific atmosphere that any reader of the fantastic would be thrilled by. His storyline is different as well as the way he presents his protagonist. One cannot deny Cowles the credit of being a very extraordinary writer of terror.

The story is divided into four parts very systematically & very professionally by the author. The protagonist who is on a walking tour across Germany in the year 1933 as the story goes, loses his way somewhat & manages to find himself in a very rural & primitive looking village called Kaldenstein.The people there are simple but friendly & the innkeeper there offers him food & boarding. The descriptions used by the author are not tiresome but infact enhance the whole effect of the story upon the reader’s mind. Many times in the story, the descriptions are the tools with which the author is able to create a scene of horror which mystifies us & also scandalises us. This is seen very well when the protagonist observes castle Kaldenstein blocking the full moon across a starless sky indicating an image of foreboding. The author also masterfully portrays how in a simple village setting….there lays an evil most powerful & ancient. In the story this is clearly shown when the villagers in the inn refuse to speak about the undead Count of Kaldenstein & also when the innkeeper himself bolts his door shut before he informs the author about the number of years the count had been residing alone in the castle (300 years). The descriptions enliven the narrative & creates in the reader a fear which only a great story-teller can do. 

The characters are portrayed very well in the narrative, even though it is a short story. The characters are brought alive with the use of a minimal amount of introductory statements which are sufficient to inform us about the character’s traits & to go on with the story. Be it the head strong protagonist, the devilish Count Of Kaldenstein, the mysterious & half blind servant of castle Kaldenstein or even the thin Christian priest who ultimately saves the protagonist from a very gruesome death……all the characters are wholesome & very well described. 

Scepticism is portrayed very well in the protagonist. His scepticism however turns to defiance when he challenges the warnings of the locals as well as of the priest & visits the castle of Kaldenstein twice, once in the morning where he returns safely & the second time at night to meet the Count …..where he does not emerge until he is saved by the priest & the innkeeper. Scepticism is degraded in the narrative whereas a belief in the unknown is questioned leaving the reader at the end of the story in a questioning frame of mind.

The character of the Count Of Kaldenstein himself is definitely different to that of Bram Stoker’s ‘Count Dracula’. Unlike ‘Count Dracula’ the Count of Kaldenstein is uncivil & is not in control of his basic instincts. This is portrayed very well when the Count licks up the pool of blood dripping out from the protagonist’s cut hand. He also delves in Black magic which has made him immune to death altogether according to the Kaldenstein priest. Otherwise, The Count Of Kaldenstein possess similar characteristics of regular vampires. He is quite unusually pale with sharp pointed teeth & also is extremely strong. His strength is observed when he lifts the protagonist off his bed from the waist as if the protagonist was just a mere child.

The most gruesome part of the short story however, is when the helpless protagonist is placed upon the dining table ready to be feasted upon by three vampires, two who were technically supposed to be dead while one was technically immune to death. The idea of each of them feasting upon the blood of the victim first from throat then the breast & then the neck is revolting yet, the author has managed to make the story very much the stuff of high-brow classic literature which prompts the reader of the fantastic to go on towards the climax. The protagonist however is saved by the priest & the innkeeper who forces the Count Of Kaldenstein to open his castle door with the aid of the Catholic Blessed Sacrament.

The story ends with a mystery & a feeling of wonder at the reality of it all. On another note, the atmosphere created by the author is tantalizing & yet, highly peaceful just like the remote village where the story takes place.

All in all, a must read for all horror genre readers especially those who prefer their vampires devilishly evil.

#nonfiction Biographies and Autobiographies

I never used to read biographies or autobiographies earlier. I used to find them pretty uninspiring & most of the time unconvincing for some reason. It was only in college that I started to read famous biographies official & unofficial as well as autobiographies. 

The first autobiography I read was ‘Mein Kampf’ by Adolf Hitler which nauseated me beyond comprehension. However, the historical detail of the whole narrative interested me & therefore I took it upon myself to read a few more biographies & autobiographies for this purpose.

The next book I came across was ‘Goodbye Shahzadi’ which was a political biography of the late Benazir Bhutto by Shyam Bhatia. She had at that point of time been recently assassinated & so all books based on her life were out in the market. I was most intrigued about the political scenario that led to the assassination of the leader that I purchased the book from Crosswords inspite of my apprehensions towards the genre that I was indulging myself in. Political issues are always a matter of debate, but what I genuinely liked about the book was the personality of the women it spoke about. I almost felt that I was empathising with her to a certain degree. That struck as odd as beyond historical facts, I normally never indulge myself into the emotional aspect of the material at hand….& yet this time, I did. This encouraged me to pick an autobiography of Benazir Bhutto which again I found in the market titles as ‘Daughter Of The East’. 

I now knew that my interest in biographies was giving me a further understanding not only about history & politics but also about feelings & an insight into personalities that were foreign to my own way of analysing my environment. The complete metamorphosis took place when I was 19 years old & when I read the autobiography of T. Lobsang Rampa which was ‘The Third Eye’. This autobiography transformed my life & my field of study which has had an impact on me till this day. The oriental story of a Lama led me to comprehend history, philosophy as well as literature at the same time. I from that moment forward continued to read biographies till this day.

Biographies have a way of telling the story of a person’s life. It is always biased for history in the form of the written word has always known to be biased. But, by reading such a genre, one gets to understand two personalities :

• The person being written about
• The author of the biography

Controversial features also are apparent especially regarding texts that have been penned before our time, yet they are unique in their own way…they tell a story in their own way which fascinates as well as educates. Autobiographies on the other hand are often one sided & more often than not, defensive in nature, but that’s always bound to be. Here however, I want to make special mention of an autobiography I read about one of my favourite guitar players, Dave Mustaine ‘Mustaine A Life In Metal’ which not only was candid but also very humorous.

Biographies as the old saying goes, teaches us about the lives of people of the past who have tried & either failed, given up or won. Our parents encourage us to read biographies to be inspired by the personalities spoken about at length. Its good in a way…..it depends on who we have stumbled upon however (I would not let any of my students touch Dave Muscatine’s autobiography even if they gave me a chocolate hamper to do so). I have a theory on this though. I am inclined to believe that biographies educate while autobiographies inspire.

When I read ‘The Story Of My Life’ by Helen Keller, it inspired me to see beyond myself which has had an impact not only on my writings but also on my teaching which is remarkable (I do not easily get carried away by anyone or any event). My students say that I have got the mightiest number of biographies related to the ‘King Of Rock & Roll’….Elvis Presley, yet it is strange that the biography that really told me the truth about the singer was one written by his wife titled ‘Elvis & Me’. That proves that not only is a biography subjective but also the person reading it.

I have also known biographies to create ‘monsters’ as well as ‘angels’ (two of my 6th grade students picked a biography to read once. One read ‘Mandela’ by Ann Kramer while the other read ‘Confessions Of An Heiress’ by Paris Hilton which pretty much sums it up doesn’t it).

But biographies have been in print (or inked) long before we knew how to write a fast track novel. They have been the stuff our past leaders, painters, artists, scientists etc., have been reading to keep themselves going. Biographies & autobiographies are the way a human tells about humanity….personalized which may not be all that historically true….but its all about the heart of the matter, & I guess one has to take a queue from the stalwarts to really know the meaning of a whole life.

So my idea is……to read as many biographies as possible…..to make a difference….to educate……& just to live the life of a person I can never be….or who knows ?

#fizapathan My books

S.O.S. Animals And Other Stories

How did the animals aboard the Titanic save themselves? How did a lion save Christians in distress? Can dolphins pray for the dead and can a snake solve a riddle? Do last wishes come true and is there really a Santa Claus? Can animals lie like human beings? Why did barn animals enter a mall? All these and other questions, including a mystical story, are answered in this book.

Review by Brother Joshan for The Examiner
S.O.S. Animals
and Other Stories
Fiza Pathan, Published by Amazon; order online from Amazon.com Pages: 109

Fiza’s first compilation of short stories makes her come across as a sort of modern day neo-mystic. In contemplative prayer, we often focus on the human characters portrayed in the incidents in Jesus’ life or on those in His stories or parables. Fiza takes a different viewpoint; she communicates her faith through the medium of God’s Creation i.e. through the animals, birds, trees and other elements of nature. SOS Animals and other Stories is a beautiful expression of faith through the eyes of a believer, in a manner both different and unique.

Through the 22 stories in the book, the author communicates to us lessons in faith in a way that will appeal to both adults and children alike. The language is simple and lucid, yet enticing and appealing at the same time. The book can be used as a veritable resource book for catechesis and moral development. The stories in this book can also be used as a simple read for daily reflections.

More>>http://examinerindia.blogspot.in/2012/11/normal-0-microsoftinternetexplorer4.html

3 Ratings Avg.4.67 stars http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16113028-s-o-s-animals-and-other-stories

Treasury Of Bizarre Christmas Stories

From creepy dark catacombs to a haunted winter wonderland, this treasury brings with it, a mystical side to Christmas and the birth of a legendary baby. Whether deep in a forest of India or back in time in Bethlehem, ‘Treasury Of Bizarre Christmas Stories’ brings to its readers the holy, the Almighty, the haunted, the obsession, the innocent, the magical and the reason to celebrate.

1 Rating 5.00 stars http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16176752-treasury-of-bizarre-christmas-stories

Intriguing story. A Treasury Of Bizarre Christmas Stories I found hard to put down. The ending was disappointing as I was expecting some climax or epiphany that never happened.

I highly recommend Treasury Of Bizarre Christmas Stories. All in a good book not regretting having read it.

Posted by lasstop pennula at 1:48 PM 
http://travelonturjury.blogspot.in/search/label/Fiza%20Pathan

Available in paperback from Amazon and CreateSpace and

other retailers in English

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Also available in Mumbai, India at Kitab Khana, Fort, Mumbai Phone No: 022-22888043/022-22888041

Ebooks available for Kindle and in EPub format for Apple IPad , Kobo, Nook, Diesel, Sony etc. from:

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Goodreads

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16176752-treasury-of-bizarre-christmas-stories

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16113028-s-o-s-animals-and-other-stories

Sony

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#review Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'

I was introduced to Franz Kafka the writer by my Younger Uncle who himself had read in his college days many of the writer’s works but gave Kafka up to concentrate on law & finance. I read him because I was fascinated by his personality & the fact that he possessed a schizoid personality disorder whose writings I wished to study carefully. Before I could read Kafka’s works however, I made sure that I did a bit of research on the man & that took me a while which is uncommon in me. But Kafka is a great writer to reckon with, & ‘The Trial’ is a book which left me quite perplexed.

Franz Kafka was a Jew born in Prague, & who spoke in German. Most of his works were published posthumously by his friend Max Brod who I indirectly admire for doing so & gifting Franz Kafka to the world of literature & philosophy. Kafka wrote mostly short stories but he wrote a few novels like ‘The Trial’ but most of them were left incomplete due to his untimely death. ‘The Trial’ is also incomplete but mind you that adds to the beauty of the work in a peculiar way.

The story is about the unseen or invisible court & justice system of the Austro-Hungarian period. It was a novel useful to me not only where literature was concerned but also, to enhance my understanding of the situation of Austria & its neighbours before the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany. It is also stated that Kafka through his writings almost prophesized the merciless extermination act against the Jews (he succumbed to Tuberculosis before Hitler came on the scene). ‘The Trial’ is the story of an innocent man by the name of Josef.K. who has been charged of a crime by the invisible court which he has definitely not committed. The novel goes on to show how K tries to fight for justice & instead is killed ultimately in the end without being proven innocent.

The beauty of it all is that, the charge against K is not mentioned at all during the whole narrative & yet, the indignation that K feels when his lawyer does not aid him or when he is unjustly sort of arrested on fine morning on his thirtieth birthday is felt by the reader as well. This was an early warning given by this master of modern 20th century literature to the whole world about the evil of the invisible court. This novel prophesizes the death of many Jews in concentration camps for a crime they have not committed as well as the killings of innocent Russians during Stalin’s era. The novel prophesizes the death of liberty at the very hands that shaped it, the hands of justice.

Kafka shows through the example of the businessman Block, whose case had been going on for five years, how he was now a mere shadow of his former self & now was only concerned about his case which according to Titorelli, the Painter would never end in absolute justice & freedom. Block to this extent even stays like a slave in the house of his lawyer who calls for him at odd hours & who treats him like a worm. K did not want the service of such a lawyer & to be grovelling like Block….& therefore meets his end in an abandoned quarry.

The character in the novel I admire the most is the painter Titorelli who is a court painter & who lives in a dilapidated shamble of a studio. He amuses me thoroughly when he explains to K about the different ways he could help him & also the way he suffocates K in his room by not opening the window or doors of his ill ventilated studio. The novel infact is suffocating thanks to the vivid descriptions & master storytelling. The heat felt in the artist’s studio is not only felt by K but also by us the readers as well as those readers who are aware of the faulty system of justice even in our own present ‘democratic’ times.

‘The Trial’ gave me a glimpse of the futility of justice in the modern world where everything is like a riddle with many interpretations, just like the riddle told by the prison priest to K in the novel, about the door keeper. The novel shows how justice can be manipulated & how a case can go on for years & years while the lawyers & judges make merry. According to Titorelli, perfect justice is a legend while Block states that a great lawyer is never found (as in honest). All this rings a bell, in the sense….it is happening even today, in India itself.

The Austrian Hungary bureaucratic system is also ridiculed & dry humour which is my favourite is also at times evident in the novel especially in the first part when the innocent K is arrested & his breakfast is eaten up by the wardens who come to arrest him. Leni is another character in the novel who interests me. She is the nurse of K’s lawyer is madly in love with K…..because she finds all condemned men very attractive. Infact, K’s senile lawyer even gives K a detailed description about how people who are involved in a case seem to the judges to also look very attractive which disgusts K.

Franz Kafka really brings out truth in this work which ignites one to think about the past, present & future of one’s government & especially ones justice system. He aids us to take a long & careful look at our bureaucracy & how will the future define its justice system. Will justice be equal & available to all, or will all citizens who approach justice be suffocated the way K was suffocated when he entered the attic filled with court offices ? Only time will tell whether K’s story will also be repeated in the 21st century……or will something worse take place which we all will have to endure.

#literature CLASSICS-Why children should be encouraged to read them

In my school we were always given an option during the library period. Either we could read a fiction book (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Princess Diaries, Harry Potter,etc) from the selection on the table next to the giant chart of South America or we could stand in a line & enter the inner part of the library where we could choose a classic to read (all abridged). 

Being a person of a very unusual temperament, I used to go for the fiction collection. Later on after we were banned from the library because we were in the librarians words , “Evil under the sun”, I started to ask my Younger Uncle for books & he presented me with classics. At first I made a wry face & bellowed like a bull but then I turned a page…that got me rolling alright. Then on I realized that, my mind was getting broader & I could ace my English papers with ease…..why ? because I was reading classics. 

Classics are those books which have been written by some of the best authors in the world. These stories or novels were excellent beyond words & so in time, they were hailed as classics, meaning something that will last for all time. There are a variety of great authors who have written stories that have not only been good but have been popular for many generations. The saying goes that we become what we read & if we read good literature…well….we rock ! 

Classics can be a century old, two centuries old or even a story come from the B.C. period. They are amazing & very informative. Some marvellous classic authors are :

1) Lewis Carroll
2) Charles Dickens
3) Jules Verne
4) H. G. Wells
5) Rudyard Kipling
6) Johanna Spyri
7) Homer & many – many more

Classics can be read over & over again & can improve your vocabulary in a weeks time of reading. Some great classics are :

1) Around The World In Eighty Days 
2) Oliver Twist
3) David Copperfield
4) Time Machine
5) Treasure Island
6) Little Women
7) Heidi
8) The Invisible Man
9) Dracula
10) Anne Of Green Gables
11) What Katy Did ?
12) Journey To The Center Of The Earth
13) Kim
14) Black Beauty
15) Dr. Dolittle
16) The Wizard Of Oz
17) Moby Dick
18) The Secret Garden
19) Ivanhoe
20) The Black Arrow & many more

So, what are you waiting for, grab a classic & get on with your reading. If you want more options, Google it or find it on Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Diesel, Kobo, Page Foundry, Sony , or any Public library.

Reading is fun & reading classics is extra fun.