So I’ve been following the Tournament of Books with glee, and I just had to link to the judge’s essay on Richard Ford’s Lay of the Land VS Upamanyu Chatterjee’s English, August. It’s hilarious. And I’m loving the comments from the peanut gallery at the bottom, although I still wanted Absurdistan to win over Half of a Yellow Sun. I guess there’s always Zombie Round.
Tournament of Books
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Every writer NEEDS this book.
It’s a guide to writing the pivotal moments of your novel.
Whether writing your book or revising it, this will be the most helpful book you’ll ever buy.
3 comments
John, I have visited the tournament link yet (but I will). I was just momentarily blown away by the mention of Upamanyu Chatterjee’s book, English, August! It’s not that well known a title (just came out last year in America). Have you read it? I read it last year and thought it was fantastic. Ok, on to the link…
Have not read it yet, but I’m glad you’re excited about it. Enjoy the tournament!
Not surprised that Ford’s book “won.” Thing about English, August — I wonder about that book’s “accessibility” to non-Indian readers. The humor in that book, the characterizations, the nuances of behavior are so hilariously Indian — especially that brand of the educated but parochial, falsely anglicized Indian (male, mostly) — that it’s best enjoyed by those who “know” how to read it. English, August came out in India in ’88 and it so happens that was exactly when I was there on a 20 month long stay following high school. So, for me, reading the book was a like a time capsule back to a period in recent Indian history that I felt directly familiar with. It’s a great, great book — but I have to wonder if Americans, i.e. non-Indian, English-speaking readers will fully “get” it. Even so, I recommend to anyone interested in post-colonial literature.