Category Archives: Books

Auden: Poem on a painting

Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 by Abhijit

It was Auden’s birth anniversary yesterday. He was born  in York on Feb 21, 1907,  and he died in Vienna on Sept 29, 1973. I love many of his poems, and when I saw this picture of a painting which … Continue reading →

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Poems for Valentine’s Day

Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 by Abhijit

It’s Valentine’s Day. Here are a few poems for the occasion.Click on the player buttons to start the slideshow. Tweet

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David Copperfield, Great Expectations: Last words

Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 by Abhijit

Today is the 200th birth anniversary of Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870). Here are two of my favourite endings from his novels. David Copperfield O Agnes, O my soul, so may thy face be by me … Continue reading →

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Salman Rushdie raps ‘the real enemies of Islam’

Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Abhijit

It’s a shame Salman Rushdie wasn’t allowed to address the Jaipur Literature Festival even by video link because of opposition from Muslim groups. “Even seeing his face is intolerable,” said Muslims protesting against the proposed video conference with the author … Continue reading →

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Salman Rushdie avoids India after death threats

Posted on Friday, January 20, 2012 by Abhijit

Salman Rushdie has announced he won’t be attending the Jaipur Literary Festival in India because of death threats. Who is to blame? Continue reading →

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Salman Rushdie ‘unwelcome’ in India

Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2012 by Abhijit

“The pen is mightier than the sword,” claimed Bulwer-Lytton, the author of The Last Days of Pompeii, and he was absolutely right. Revolutions have been sparked by the works of Karl Marx and Thomas Paine; people have fought and died … Continue reading →

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Kipling, Calcutta and The City of Dreadful Night

Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2011 by Abhijit

Today is the birthday of Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865- 18 January 1936). Born in Bombay, now called Mumbai, he died in London. Calcutta, now called Kolkata, has come to be called the “city of the dreadful night”. Even newspapers … Continue reading →

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The earliest memories of Christopher Hitchens

Posted on Monday, December 26, 2011 by Abhijit

How will Christopher Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) be remembered? I just happened to  pick up Hitch -22 and the last sentence in this passage may describe any established or aspiring writer. Describing his battle with cancer, … Continue reading →

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Flash floods, Paul Theroux and loving Singapore

Posted on Saturday, December 24, 2011 by Abhijit

Flash floods hit Liat Towers and other parts of Orchard Road, reported AsiaOne, but PUB, whose tasks include flood prevention, begged to differ. No floods in Orchard Road, just “ponding”: Pub, said the headline in Today. “Flooding” did occur in … Continue reading →

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The joy of love (From Sunset Park, by Paul Auster)

Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 by Abhijit

I have seldom read a more joyous paean to love – and the agony, too – than this passage from the novel Sunset Park by Paul Auster, set in America after the housing crisis. Ivy League dropout Miles Heller falls … Continue reading →

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