Book Description
Thirteen passengers are stranded at an airport. Tokyo, their destination, is covered in snow and all flights are cancelled. To pass the night they form a huddle by the silent baggage carousels and tell one another stories. Thus begins Rana Dasgupta's Canterbury Tales for our times.
In the spirit of Borges and Calvino, Dasgupta's writing combines an energetically modern landscape with a timeless, beguiling fairy-tale ethos, while bringing to life a cast of extraordinary individuals-some lost, some confused, some happy-in a world that remains ineffable, inexplicable, and wonderful.
A Ukrainian merchant is led by a wingless bird back to a lost lover; Robert De Niro's son masters the transubstantiation of matter and turns it against his enemies; a man who manipulates other people's memories has to confront his own past; a Japanese entrepreneur risks losing everything in his obsession with a doll; a mute Turkish girl is left alone in the house of a German man who is mapping the world.
Told by people on a journey, these are stories about lives in transit, stories that grow into an epic cycle about the hopes and dreams and disappointments that connect people everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Short Stories on a Long Nights.......2007-09-14
"Look sir you're not going to tell me that! Everyone knows stories! I just told you I slept in the same bed as my wife every night for the last fifteen years in the same bedroom of the same flat in the same suburb of Tokyo - and look at all you different people! You just have to tell me how you travel to work every morning in the place where you live and for me it's a fable! it's a legend! Sorry I am tired and a little stressed and this is not how I usually talk but I think when you are together like this then stories are what is required."
Page 7
Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta is a modern day Canterbury Tales. A group of passengers get snowed in at an unnamed airport, on their way to Tokyo. They hunker down for the night in airport chairs, surrounded by cavernous, vacant halls. To pass the time, they tell stories.
From there, Dasgupta had a choice. He could have taken us into the passengers' lives. We could have learned about why they were travelling, what was important to them, how they made the right choices or wrong choices in their lives, and how they came to be stuck at that airport. Dasgupta had other ideas, though. The stories the passengers told were modern day fables.
The book is a collection of thirteen of these fables framed in the overall story of being stuck at the airport. They stories are generally magical and filled with unexpected twists. Dasgupta writes clearly and simply, but still has wonderful imagery. Some of the stories have simple plots, and come to a resolution; others end with more questions than they began. The characters in the stories accept a magical world with few questions.
These are not children's fairy tales, though. In many of them, they characters don't live happily ever after. There may be morality lessons in some of them, but the lessons, if any, are far from clear. Good isn't always rewarded and evil isn't always punished. And in many cases, there is no good or evil -- just a deep gray. And in this book, Dasgupta finds ways to write about nearly all bodily functions at some point. While not jarringly out of context in the stories, the material may not be appropriate for sensitive readers.
That said, it is a great book to read. The stories are fascinating, and Dasgupta does a nice job of pulling the reader in.
When Dasgupta has a point to make, he usually has one character in a story speak it to the main character in that same story.
For example, one character describes the world of organized crime like this:
"`It's a scintillating world; it's a pyramid of mercury: and we have to be standing on top.'"
Page 159
That's one of the best descriptions of a treacherous balancing act that I've seen in a long time. I can see the poisonous material sliding out from underneath.
We also get this description of the nature of time:
"'For you the present is easy to discern because it is simply where memory stops. Memories hurtle out of the past and come to a halt in the now. The present is the rockface at the end of the tunnel where you gouge away at the future.'"
Page 27
The idea that the present is nothing more than where memory stops will keep me starting at my lava lamp for hours.
The point of the book may be that the only time things worthwhile actually happen is when something major completely disrupts people's lives. They sleep walk through their routines, and big adventure like in the stories, or a simply travel mishap like in the framework may be all it takes to live a different life.
"Was it not at times like this, when life malfunctioned, when time found a leak in its pipeline and dripped out into some little pool, that new thoughts happened, new things began? Would they look back at this night and say That is when it started?"
Page 255
The book is not perfect. I don't think some of the stories needed to be as graphic at they were.
My other concern is the voice of the story. Each story "sounded" like the same story teller. Even "The Doll", with its innovative layout, had the same language-feel as the others. This would not be a problem for me if it was just a collection of short stories. But Dasgupta chose to have passengers tell the stories. And all the passnegers tell their stories the same way.
It's still a great novel, though. Tokyo Canceled is a rare book that calls for a second reading. It's difficult to get everything out of the early stories without having read the later stories. Each story itself brings its own setting, plot, and characters.
Discussing the deeper meaning of these stories would be great way to pass the time with fellow passengers the next time I find myself stuck in an airport overnight.
not my cup of tea.......2007-04-20
This book was recommended in a book review column i always read and usually agree with. However the stories are very disturbing, strange, gross, sick and upsetting. I'm obviously not ready for this kind of book - i'm going back to Maeve Binchy.
This was his first book - i wonder if he'll write another!!
Disappointed.......2007-04-11
I found the first story interesting....absurdist fantasy but then the next story was the same genre as was the next etc. etc. The two stars are for the use of language but the stories (do not equate it with the Canterbury Tales even though the dust jacket does) seem to pick something absurd, do something absurd with it and leave with an incomprehensible ending. That's fine in small doses but it doesn't add much to understanding characters or life in general. The "plot" device of 13 people stranded in an airport could have been something interesting but there is only one of the passengers who is given any identity at all so, an interesting situation is wasted and we know nothing of the people who are telling these stories. That would have added an interesting dimension.. Read one story from it and then go on to something else.
interesting.......2006-10-05
A modern-day "Arabian Nights" for the next generation. Some of the stories in here are downright odd, but they're all enjoyable and perfect for late-night reading.
Writing is good - but the stories awful.......2006-06-27
I agree on the following points:
Great concept.
Great writing style.
Good command of language.
But for the rest - the stories were too bizzare. They were too warped and ugly to fall into a category of good reading.
They were neither original or imaginative. Dasgupta's formula seems to be - take a well known fable/fairy tale like "Rapunzel" and "Bluebeard" - set it in one of the world's well-known capitals (Paris, Tokyo, Delhi)- and then throw in some sci-fi events, make a series of progressively darker and bizzare events happen and then either provide a sadistic ending or a nice "happily ever after" ending. In one case he has twisted the story of the sailor and the albatross - to convert it into the story of a wingless bird that unites two lovers.
There is too much of gross descriptions and stuff in the book as well.
Book Description
No one in London knows that Lady Tessa Linowes is a spy for His Majesty's government. The Foreign Office recruited Tess three years ago when she was desperate and without means after her dishonorable husband lost her inheritance at cards and then got himself killed in a duel over cheating. Tess uses her connections to protect England from Napoleon's designs.
Heath Bartlett, a childhood friend, suddenly resurfaces in Tess's life, unearthing feelings and passions she'd thought long dead. Tess soon realizes that it's not just passion that draws Heath to her side; he is investigating her for the Solicitor–General's office! Tess fears for her future and her country, yet when she's around Heath, what she fears most is losing control. Passion overtakes good sense and the pair must choose between love and duty, placing their lives in peril.
Customer Reviews:
When Seducing a Spy .......2007-07-24
Shortly after seeing his childhood friend again, Heath Bartlett is shocked to hear she is being accused of a crime. As an Officer of the Crown, Heath is assigned to investigate the lovely Lady Tess Golding. While he doesn't want to believe she is guilty, Heath will do whatever it takes to solve the case.
Tainted by scandal, Lady Tess Golding is not what she seems. Tess has secrets that must be kept to protect her country. Unfortunately, Heath Bartlett is a threat to her way of life. Heath tempts Tess with his passionate embraces and seductive kisses. If Tess isn't careful, she will give Heath more than the secrets she keeps, she will give him her heart.
I adore romances involving childhood friends. Although I never experienced this type of romance, it still appeals to my romantic soul. One of my favorite elements of When Seducing a Spy is the magnetism Heath and Tess share. Sari Robins made it clear these two are soul mates that must have each other to find true happiness. I adored the way Heath thought of Tess constantly and that Tess was unable to deny her passion for Heath.
Although When Seducing a Spy is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. I'm sure that after you finish When Seducing a Spy, you will, like me, rush out to purchase the first two in this series.
Annmarie reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
4 Klovers! Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques.......2007-07-07
Tess had not seen Heath in years, not since her family had fired Heath's father as her tutor. Now she seems to run into him everywhere, and she wants to know what he's up to. Is he back for revenge over what her part in his father's dismissal so many years ago, or has he discovered her secret life as a spy for the foreign office? Tess is determined to find out, but she ferreting the truth of his return proves harder than it seems when she consistently loses her head to passion whenever he is near...
Heath can't believe that his childhood friend is really a thief, as her accusers state. Yet, as he investigates her in secret, he realizes she is definitely hiding something, and it certainly seems as if there is more to her than meets the eye. But his investigation is thrown off balance as he loses his heart and soul to the beautiful but scandalous Lady Tess Golding.
I have a penchant for historicals, and love those that star strong heroines who can stand independent of the story's hero. Sari Robins' heroine in When Seducing a Spy is just such a woman. Having been the center of several scandals, betrayed by her now deceased husband, and left to pull herself up by her bootstraps after finding herself penniless and cut off by her domineering father, she has finally found her backbone after a lifetime of doing what is expected of her, and cowing to the wishes of her father and husband. While we aren't a part of that growth process, we experience it in her memories, and find admiration for the woman that has grown out of such adversity.
Heath is as aggravating and clueless as they come, but these traits make for a great plot, of course! Truly, if readers did not find Heath aggravating, then the author would not have done her job. Robins ably engenders feelings in the reader that mirror those of Lady Tess as she deals with Heath. While definitely not a bad guy, his ambitions have him working against his better judgment, with the bait of a promising legal career and an advantageous marriage leading him astray.
But Heath soon redeems himself, as his feelings for Tess override his ambitions, and he finally does right by her, no matter the cost to his personal goals.
I'd certainly recommend When Seducing a Spy to anyone who loves historicals with a strong woman cast as the heroine and a few unsuspected twists in a suspenseful plot.
When Seducing a Spy.......2007-06-08
Pretty darned good! Different new twist- Lady Tess is the government secret agent and Heath's her old tutor's son, turned barrister. He's sent by another branch of the government to investigate her when her name is connected to a crime, not realizing what she's been up to in the intervening years.
Poorly structured and poorly executed.......2007-05-01
I think it's understood when one picks up a trashy romance novel that one does not expect prose of Austen's calibre. I've read a good number of Regency romance novels, and the majority of them betrayed the lack of a competent editor (or any editor, perhaps). This novel is no different, with its atrocious grammatical errors and lapses of anachronistic diction. However, I've read many novels that are very engrossing and entertaining despite lapses in writing style or historical authenticity. This novel, however, is so poorly written that it is barely enjoyable. Plot-wise, the premise is shaky, to say the least, and the development is barely credible. The only thing remarkable about the ending is the blatant deus ex machina. In reading this book, I get the sense that the author was trying to hint at secrets from the past of the two main characters, and slowly reveal them along the way. However, what she achieves is a series of confusingly vague references punctuated by intermittent and lengthy exposition, which makes the narrative take on a plodding - if not outright funereal - pace. That is, until we get to the 300-page mark, and the author seems to realize she needs to wrap things up if she's going to get to a resolution before her reader gets tired of the book.
As for the characterization, it is incomplete at best. Many of the characters' actions are insufficiently motivated. For example, the author quickly sets up an adversarial air between the hero and heroine, and hints that it is due to friction arising from some past event. Eventually, however, the reader will realize that no events took place in their past that should cause mutual emnity (I guess it's plausible for the lady to have felt uncomfortable in the hero's presence at first, considering what she believed at the time, but there was no reason at all for the hero to treat her initially as anything other than an estranged friend). Her two protagonists seem to have a penchant for willy-nilly blowing hot and cold, conveniently allowing her to create more tension and dragging out the inevitable dissolution of their obvious misunderstandings. The most egregious instance is probably one scene when the heroine is one the verge of explaining away a major point of friction, but instead chooses to fly off in a fury. I suppose one could argue that she felt she owed no explaination to one who had wounded her pride, but a heroine who is so blindly willful is hardly sympathetic.
It seems that the author had great ambitions for this novel. It had many elements that would have made this story into an imaginative and complex work. Sadly, the effort fell short, and what we have is a pulp novel bloated with contrived melodramatics, starved of believable character development, and barely held together by a half-baked plot.
Long story short? Don't read this book, it's not worth your time.
I would skip !.......2007-04-28
When Seducing a Spy by Sari Robins was ok but not great. It took me forever to finish this book. The last 1/4 of the book was fast paced when the mystery was being solved.
Book Description
Elite spies, secret defenders of the king, The Royal Four are unsurpassed in courage, honor, and daring. Known to his brothers-in-arms as The Falcon, Lord Wyndham is the most secretive and aloof of the four. But when The Falcon meets the impetuous Lady Alicia, he discovers a soul mate whose hidden fire matches his own...SEDUCING THE SPYLady Alicia Lawrence was cast out of polite society and branded a liar for a youthful mistake. When she overhears details of a conspiracy that could affect her country's fate, she turns to the one person who might believe her-Stanton Horne, Lord Wyndham. Posing as Wyndham's mistress in order to root out the enemy, Alicia is drawn into an uneasy partnership...and a wildly seductive liaison.Lord Wyndham's uncanny ability to detect lies has made him a valuable member of the Royal Four, but in matters of romance it has proven a distinct liability. Alicia is the only woman whose thoughts he cannot read...and the only one whose sensual touch quenches every secret desire. As the mission grows more dangerous and more personal, and each encounter with Alicia more fiery than the last, this daring spy must face his greatest challenge yet-learn to trust the passion in his heart...
Customer Reviews:
Bittersweet Ending.......2007-04-24
This is the fourth and final book in the Royal Four series and is Stanton, the Falcon's story. When a notorious ruined liar, Alicia, comes to his home and advises him that she has overheard a plot to kidnap the royal prince from a wild weeklong house party, Stanton offers her the chance to get herself and her former governess out of poverty if she will attend the party with him posing as his mistress. The Falcon's unique gift to the Royal Four is his ability to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth. He is attracted to Alicia which shocks him, he is exceptionally proud of his service to the Royal Four for his ability to control his passions. His passions run amuck with Alicia around and he doesn't know how to handle it. He is shocked to find that his gift does not work on Lady Alicia and he spends the rest of the book wondering if he can trust her or not. Alicia was ruined when a stable boy was found in her bed, when she tried to tell everyone that she was framed, no one believed her and her own family shunned her. Alicia sees attending this party with the notoriously cold hearted Stanton as a way of seeking revenge against her family and society. She will flaunt herself as a blatant mistress, plus she will get the chance to help her country. Alicia is so attracted to Stanton that she is even willing to have a little affair while achieving her revenge. What she finds out is the man underneath is even more intriguing.
This book has one of the best characters ever in it. In her attempt to shock society, Alicia finds a gay man, Garrett, to serve as her lady's maid. He is sooo much fun. At times, I really got aggravated with STanton for his coldness to Alicia but he does end up redeeming himself. Wonderful heroine, great story. Way to end the series.
Seducing the Spy (Royal Four, Book 4).......2007-03-26
Purchased for a gift. Perfect Item & Fast Shipping.
# 4 of the Royal Four series.......2006-11-18
Seducing the Spy (Royal Four) by Celeste Bradley is the fourth book of the series of Royal Four who rule England back in 1813. This is the story of Wyndham who finds himself with Ldy Alicia known for a wild affair and lying. She tells him about a plot that she heard to kill the prince. Since a wild french man has been trying to kill (for the last four books) and spy against England he makes her his mistress so she can help stop the murder plot. A short two day read - enjoy ! Check out the whole Royal Four Series To Wed A Scandalous Spy (1) Surrender to a Wicked Spy (2) , One Night With A Spy (3) and Seducing The Spy (4).
Seducing the Spy.......2006-11-15
This last book in the "Royal Four" series will delight those who enjoyed the other three. Lady Alicia has become a pariah in society after a terrible scandal years ago. She accidently overhears something that seems to endanger national security and contacts Lord Wyndam, whom she knows by reputation, because she thinks he will take her seriously. Unbeknownst to her, he is a member of the Royal Four, a secret group sworn to protect The Crown. He is unsure whether to trust her information because of her bad reputation. He decides to give her enough benefit of the doubt to have her pose as his mistress in order to flush out a possible traitor. There is a great deal of sexual tension (and activity) between the two. Wyndam uses sex as as a weapon both to interrogate and try to get control over Alicia. Alicia is very vulnerable to Wyndam both for her terrible past experience and her feelings for him. The relationship between the two is interesting because they themselves are intelligent, interesting people. My only quibble is that Alicia is a too soft on Wyndam considering his cruel treatment of her, and in light of her past experiences. I think she was somewhat too resilient to be believable. The book is, however, an entertaining read and I recommend it.
Enjoyable.......2006-10-31
The four part series was great to go through. It made me want to purchase the Liar's Club series also. Very good conclusion to the set.
Customer Reviews:
David Gerrold is a jerk.......2007-10-04
This is an excellent series. I won't write why, because the ground has been covered. David Gerrold needs to finish this series. He hasn't died, so what's the excuse?
15 years for 5th book..........2007-02-17
It's February 2007 and still NO book 5. Authors website was not updated since 2004...
If Gerolld is alive and well (as we all wish him), so where the hell are promised books? It's maddening - betraying his readers in such a way...
Solid sci-fi!.......2005-06-04
One of the better of the series, some good action and further development of the main character. However lke others, I've lost faith that there will be any closure on the storyline as it's been *years* since the last book.
Superb!.......2005-05-30
After the horrible mess that was book 3, the Chtorr series is right back on track here!
We get more insight into the Chtorr when McCarthy discovers one of the main methods by which the original infestation was spread. In the process he gets himself into political trouble and all but ruins his career. He just about manages to get assigned to a new mission, which leads us to the main part of the book; international effort to explore the infestation in South America, which has reached unparalleled size after the Brazilian government decided to try and co-exist with the invaders peacefully.
Lots of action, lots of progress in the relationship between McCarthy and Lizard, many tantalising new facts about the worms and the Chtorran ecology - I think I am even starting to realise where the whole series might be heading with the Chtorr, though knowing Gerrold he probably has at least three new twists planned!
Overall, this is without doubt the very best book of the entire series so far. I can't wait for the next one, even if it does take another ten years!
Leave them wanting more, I guess.......2003-04-25
This series is excellent. I love them and have reread the books many times. However, I will not put forth the effort to reread them anymore. We are coming up on one decade since the last book and I've lost faith that there will be any closure on the storyline. If you start reading these books, you will love them. Just don't be upset that when the author dies at the age of 107 and the next book still hasn't been published.
Average customer rating:
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Seasons in Hell: Slaughter and Betrayal in Bosnia
Ed Vulliamy
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster (Paper)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
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General
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General
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ASIN: 0671713450 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Association Management, published by American Society of Association Executives on June 1, 2002. The length of the article is 470 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: A craft for all seasons. (Keeping Your Edge).(association executive Diane Slaughter)(Brief Article)
Publication:
Association Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2002
Publisher: American Society of Association Executives
Volume: 54
Issue: 6
Page: 96(1)
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
Acclaimed writer V.S. Naipaul has the eye of a novelist, the fearless curiosity of a 2-year-old, and the tenacity of a cornered badger. In Beyond Belief, he puts these three attributes to use in delving into the secrets of Islam--the other Islam, that is. Journeying into the non-Arab Islamic countries of Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia, Naipaul wonders about how these young nations are absorbing a resurgent Islam into their ancient societies and where it might lead them. His exploration is at the grassroots level, through the people living and breathing Islam today. Naipaul illustrates his points with vignettes about characters he meets, by both happenstance and calculation, along the way. We learn about their histories, their families' histories, their motivations, and their dreams. The mosaic that materializes is not always appealing, for Naipaul is a sensitive but disinterested observer, more a watcher than a champion. Islam, we learn, is a font of hope for the converted peoples, sweet when taken in gulps but often bearing an acrid aftertaste. It buries traditional cultures under promising new foundations, indirectly encourages broken families through polygamy, and turns only tentatively to face the issues of modernity. From beginning to end, we find ourselves empathizing with Naipaul's subjects, seeing ourselves in their struggles with family, religion, and nation, feeling their drive to create a fresh world of virtue and prosperity. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
"Brilliant. . . . A powerfully observed, stylistically elegant exploration." --The New York Times
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
"The book's strength lies in Naipaul's extraordinary ability as a storyteller to draw striking portraits of a cross section of individuals."--The Boston Globe
Fourteen years after the publication of his landmark travel narrative
Among the Believers, V. S. Naipaul returned to the four non-Arab Islamic countries he reported on so vividly at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini's triumph in Iran.
Beyond Belief is the result of his five-month journey in 1995 through Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia--lands where descendants of Muslim converts live at odds with indigenous traditions, and where dreams of Islamic purity clash with economic and political realities.
In extended conversations with a vast number of people--a rare survivor of the martyr brigades of the Iran-Iraq war, a young intellectual training as a Marxist guerilla in Baluchistan, an impoverished elderly couple in Teheran whose dusty Baccarat chandeliers preserve the memory of vanished wealth, and countless others--V. S. Naipaul deliberately effaces himself to let the voices of his subjects come through. Yet the result is a collection of stories that has the author's unmistakable stamp. With its incisive observation and brilliant cultural analysis,
Beyond Belief is a startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon.
"Highly accomplished. . . . Another display of Naipaul's remarkable talent." --The Independent (London)
Customer Reviews:
Beyond Mere Travel Writing.......2005-08-03
Here, the great traveler and cultural observer V.S. Naipaul travels to lands in which non-Arab peoples were historically converted to Islam. This offers many insights into how adherents see their faith and their place in the larger Islamic order. Naipaul's modus operandi is to dispense with predictable travel writing based on scenery and touring, and to illuminate the lands visited by telling the stories of the ordinary people met along the way. This method gives us intriguing looks at Indonesia, where a hybrid version of Islam, influenced by old Buddhist and Hindu cultural traditions, encourages local adherents to strive for their own type of Islamic renaissance; Iran, with the after-effects of the inconclusive and poorly realized Islamic revolution of 1979; Pakistan, which still shows political and social damage from the 1947 religious and cultural partition from India; and Malaysia, where Islam has united the native Malays in the face of the large Chinese immigrant population.
One problem with this book is that Naipaul is revisiting areas he previously wrote about back in the late 1970s, with the goal of providing a modern update on these lands. But given his habit of recounting his old reports and comparing them to new reports, it is sometimes difficult for the reader to tell which decade is being discussed. Meanwhile, Naipaul's focus on the people and their stories definitely makes the histories and cultures of these lands come alive, and that is Naipaul's greatest distinction. But in this book, dozens of biographies just pile up one after the other, as one person's memoirs end quietly and are replaced by those of yet another person. That makes this book seem more like a loose collection with no beginning, middle, or end. Hence, the reader gets little sense of any authoritative conclusions to the points being made about these interesting and often trouble-prone lands. {~doomsdayer520~]
Beyond Belief by V.S. Naipaul .......2005-02-01
In my point of view, this book is a Classic.
First because its prose, its writing quality. Naipaul is a great writer, a master who can describe richly what he sees, what he thinks and what he experiences - as few writers could. He moves quickly from a single detail of daily life to a big panorama of history. He can be subtle, and he is also sharp. Several times he is ironical, and most of all his writing is fluid and simple, unregarding the complexity of his themes.
A second thing is the very particular situation of this book. I had never read a book in which the same author travels to countries he had been 20 years before. Besides, for us of the West, it's an entry into the islamic world. Through his words, we have a very clear look over Iran, Pakistan, Malasia and Indonesia social and political experiences. And what results those systems brought.
Another great thing about this book is how Naipaul is a keen observer of culture. The past, present and the future are linked. Waves of subtle transformations and assimilations sometimes occur very very slowly. Sometimes abrupt facts take place. The people who talk to Naipaul are real, and they tell him their "own truth" through many different ways: their lives, behaviors, way of speaking, gestures. Every little sign counts, and fortunately Naipaul is there.
Those who want to complete Naipaul's journey should also read "Among the Believers", 1979. Great narratives by a master, these books bring a lot of reflections about culture, religion, politics, and our values. Everyone should read! I'm glad I did.
Flawed but colorful.......2004-12-29
V.S. Naipaul's personality portraits in Beyond Belief are not overtly discriminatory as some reviewers have claimed, but a subtle hubris and xenophobia does creep into the text. When I first began reading Beyond Belief I couldn't help but wonder if Naipaul's Indian/British heritage would factor into his assessments and character profiles. To be sure it does, but I believe Naipaul's literary talents and gift as an observer somewhat compensate for his flare-ups of bias. That said, the faults of Beyond Belief are numerous, glaring and worth mentioning:
Perhaps the strongest argument against Beyond Belief is that Naipaul refuses to frame events in a reasonable context. The byproduct of any sharp cultural change is the (often temporary) clouding and confusing of traditions and identity. Certainly this phenomenon occurred with the Christian conversion of Europe, the industrial revolution in the West, and indeed it is even happening today as Western pop-culture seeps into Indonesia and the Middle East. The cultural shifts were (and are) so numerous and so intricate in the countries Naipaul visited, it is simply naive to point to the adoption of Islam as the single entity that now triggers how these people view themselves and interpret their native culture and history. As cultures evolve (or de-evolve as Naipaul might argue), the syncretism or blending of old and new, past with present, is what defines and shapes cultures, it's what keeps them from stagnating. Islam has proven itself adept at absorbing indigenous worldviews and marrying them with its own set of ideals. No small feat and certainly the West has proven that another Semitic religion, Christianity, was easily blended with earlier traditions such as Roman Stoicism and Greek philosophy, to no ill effect.
One does get the impression that Naipaul did a disservice to those that he interviewed in Beyond Belief. Certainly the hospitality and overwhelming openness that many of the subjects extended to Naipaul would seem to argue against his persistent notion of Islam as a hyper-secular "closed off" religion. The fact that so many Muslims opened up to Naipaul, a foreigner of Hindu/Indian origin, speaks volumes about the generosity and willingness to share of many Muslims.
Criticism aside, Naipaul is an excellent writer. His observations are colorful and detailed. He didn't approach his subject matter as an anthropologist, which works to his benefit in most cases, even if a more scientific end-analysis would have benefited him.
Summation: I give this book 3 stars, all of which are awarded based on Naipaul's flair for writing and observation. I would suggest readers approach this book with a healthy skepticism and allow themselves to form their own Weltanschauung while soaking up Naipaul's beautifully written travel notes.
Worth a read.......2003-11-13
I will break the mold and give this book 2.5 stars! I read Beyond Belief two years ago, and recently, I read two of Naipaul's other books, Among the Believers and India: A Wounded Civilization. When I read Beyond Belief, I was very impressed with it. It seemed an original way to observe everyday people and, through them, learn about and analyze their culture. The book is not an easy read, as none of Naipaul's books are. But it has a captivating narrative.
However, more recently, I picked up the other two books that I mentioned before. Reading those two books, it seemed that Naipaul writes in a continuum, moving from one country, culture, religion to another. The fact that they are separated by time, distance, tradition etc do not make any difference to his analysis and lead him to the same conclusions, as if his mind was already made up. I found this trait in all three of his books I have read.
I will say a little more about his book India: A Wounded Civilization. I was born in India and spent the first twenty years of my ife there. To be fair, Naipaul has a very sharp mind. He picks up things too subtle for most people. Many of the questions he raises are sharp and deserve to be thought on. In many instances in the book, I felt that his observations were so penetrating that I felt naked. However, Naipaul has one fatal flaw. He is obsessed with the negative. In all the three books that I have read of him, I could not find a single positive thing he said about the five countries he wrote about. In more than seven hundred pages, not a single positive thing about people who constitute about one third of humanity. Sure these countries have problems, all kinds of problems, and too many of them. However, it is very hard to believe that there is nothing about any of these peoples that is inspiring and good. I can site many things. But Naipaul was completely blind to any positive traits. And so his credibility as an objective observer is betrayed.
I give his book 2.5 stars because what he sees, he sees it really well, but he only sees half of it! So take what you can from the book, but remember, it is not the full story.
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Eqbal Ahmad, Interviewed by David Barsamian.......2003-04-10
Beyond Belief ý V.S. Naipaul
Eqbal Ahmad, Interviewed by David Barsamian
V.S. Naipaul was born of Indian ancestry in Trinidad in 1932 and emigrated to England in 1950, where he has lived since. He's a much-heralded novelist. Two of his novels were recently listed among the "100 Best" of the century. He has been knighted. He also writes non-fiction. In 1981, he wrote Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey, which according to his publisher received universal acclaim. In 1995, Naipaul traveled to Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia. His latest book, Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples, is his account of those travels. In his prologue, Naipaul says,
Islam is in its origins an Arab religion. Everyone not an Arab who is a Muslim is a convert. Islam is not simply a matter of conscience or private belief. It makes imperial demands. A convert's worldview alters. His holy places are in Arab lands; his sacred language is Arabic. His idea of history alters. He rejects his own; he becomes, whether he likes it or not, a part of the Arab story. The convert has to turn away from everything that is his. The disturbance for societies is immense, and even after a thousand years can remain unresolved; the turning away has to be done again and again. People develop fantasies about who and what they are; and in the Islam of the converted countries there is an element of neurosis and nihilism. These countries can be easily set on the boil.
What is your take on Naipaul's assessment?
I think you have put your finger on the problem by quoting at some length the introductory paragraph of Beyond Belief. The central thesis is that Islam in the countries he visited is Islam of converted people. He calls Islam "an Arab religion." Everyone who is not an Arab is a convert to Islam. A convert's view is distorted and nihilistic. It produces disturbances; it's a condition of neurosis. So, the central thesis rests on the impact of conversion on the converted. Throughout this book, Naipaul identifies a problem in Pakistan or in Malaysia and says it exists because the people were converts to Islam. At one point, for example, he describes quite correctly how some of the greatest historical monuments in one of the oldest cities in Pakistan, Lahore, have been criminally neglected. He describes the neglect and he asks how can a people allow Versailles-like structures to be so neglected? Clearly it is because these people have no relationship to their history. Converts don't care about the past. That's his conclusion. But it's an unfortunate fact that historical monuments are being neglected in India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan, Africa, Latin America, and all over the world. They're even neglected in many European countries and in America. What does that have to do with converts? There's that problem. His central thesis is wrong.
There is a second problem that is even greater. Who is not a convert? By the definition he is giving, if Iranians are converted Muslims and Americans are converted Christians, the Japanese and large numbers of Chinese are converted Buddhists. Everybody is converted because every great religious system has had only a few followers at the beginning. Given that, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, especially all the prophetic religions, developed through conversion and have produced an entirely distorted humanity. In that sense, his organizing thesis should not exclude anyone. You are wasting time.
V.S. Naipaul is a man haunted by imagined, created ghosts. None of his ghosts are actually real. They haunt him in very unexpected ways. In this book, for example, it's about Islam. But suddenly, in the chapter on Pakistan, he spends the major portion of it on a particular person whom I'll discuss in a moment, a character he calls Shabaz. Here is a British-educated young Pakistani who discovers Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, and, above all, Che Guevara, while studying at Oxford and Cambridge. He returns home and - like young people of that generation in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, or America - he joins a leftist group and ultimately a leftist armed uprising in Baluchistan. Naipaul goes into very great detail of this person's narrative. He makes him look like some sort of a distortion. At the moment, I'm not debating with you or telling you whether this person is a distortion or not. But that's how Shabaz looks as he goes through this rigamarole of a leftist uprising that doesn't work. His friends die and he goes back to normal life.
Nowhere is there any suggestion in this entire chapter that Shabaz was a believing Muslim, that Islam had any role in his life, his education, or his thinking, or had any role in the narrative on which Naipaul is spending thirty-five pages. He comes in for only one reason. Shabaz appears because Naipaul is haunted by his hatred of everything leftist. He finds an opportunity to discover his ghost. As soon as he discovers his ghost, whether it fits his narrative or not, he vomits out his fears, hatred, and disgust.
There is another aspect to this, which is rather typical of this type of Orientalist, racist scholarship. That is, Naipual cannibalizes his friends. The Shabaz of his book is a man who is my friend, Ahmed Rashid. He took Naipaul as a personal guest during his six-week visit to Pakistan, showed him around, and introduced him to a myriad of people, including me. Ahmed was generous to a fault. He dropped a lot of other things he was doing to help Naipaul in his work. Naipaul has repaid him by writing a caricature. He changed his name but only in such a way that every educated Pakistani would recognize Ahmed Rashid in that book and will pity him for having befriended this cannibal of a man.
Naipaul is, and it doesn't please me to say so, a very sick man. This book is actually beyond belief, perhaps because it's a book driven by ghosts. Islam is one of his ghosts. He's like Captain Ahab.
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Al limite de la fe / Beyond Belief: Entre los Pueblos Conversos del Islam / Islamic Excursions Among the Converted People (Contemporanea / Contemporary)
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Beyond belief: Islamic excursions among the converted people.: An article from: Harvard International Review
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Title: Beyond belief: Islamic excursions among the converted people.
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Harvard International Review (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1999
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Title: BEYOND BELIEF: ISLAMIC EXCURSIONS AMONG THE CONVERTED PEOPLES.(Review)
Author: Jeffrey Meyers
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American Scholar (Refereed)
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Naipaul's travelogues and the "clash of civilizations" complex.(V.S. Naipaul ): An article from: Cross Currents
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Title: Naipaul's travelogues and the "clash of civilizations" complex.(V.S. Naipaul )
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