Supremely personal, yet always probing and analytical, this
rich collection of thought-provoking short prosepart
memoir, part essay, part literary criticismby one
of the best in a generation of Indian authors (New York
Times Book Review) takes us on a delightful journey of discovery.
Shashi Tharoor tells us what Iraqis go through in their beleaguered
land merely to get hold of a book, and how selling books from
their own libraries on the street helps many put bread on
the table. He reminisces about growing up with books in India
and discusses the importance of the Mahabharata in Indian
life and history. He also offers a poignant homage to Pablo
Neruda and astute views on Salman Rushdie and Indias
love for Wodehouse, Pushkin, Kipling, Le Carré, and
Churchill that make for fascinating reading. Tharoors
insightful takes on Hollywood and Bollywood will intrigue
even the most demanding cinephile. Pondering world affairs,
Tharoor declares that the defining features of todays
world are the relentless forces of globalizationthe
same forces used by terrorists in their macabre dance of death
and destruction.
Together,
these forty pieces reveal the inner workings of one of todays
most eclectic writers and form a lovely testament to the power
of literature to enrich and transform lives.