A Sunday of Books

On the first Sunday of the month I have a lot to look forward to- The Literary Review supplement in The Hindu to begin with, followed by the visit to the book bazar at Abids, and then ‘Just Books’ on NDTV in the evening. On the first Sundays there is always too much of books for me.

The Literary Review in The Hindu had an article by the renowned writer Sashi Despande which was a sort of rejoinder to an article by Vijay Nair in last month’s Literary Review. Sashi Deshpande’s article made me glad because I had felt sort of upset on reading Vijay Nair’s article which seemed to ridicule all those readers who had not liked the books of the Booker Prize winners from India.

Vijay Nair’s article makes it out as if the readers were not intelligent enough to see the merit of the books the way the Booker jury saw it, and that the criticism of those books (and their writers) was based on jealousy and other extraneous reasons which have nothing to do with the merits of the books. It was an absurd argument that is insulting of all those who read books by Indian writers.

But Sashi Deshpande’s reply to that article was well argued and turns around Nair’s theories on their heads. She says that just because a book got a prestigious prize doesn’t make it wonderful to all readers. She also questions why we have to whole heartedly accept the valuation of the British Literary Establishment and dismiss the response of readers in India. I guess the reader has a choice to like or dislike books if he or she feels the book doesn’t strike a chord.

Also on the front page of LR was the homage to John Updike by the revered critic- Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times. I had not read any of the books mentioned in her article but I have read a few of his lesser known books. One was ‘Assorted Prose’, a collection of his reviews and other articles. Another book that I have read is his collection of short stories, ‘Pigeon Feathers.’ But it is Updike’s ‘It All Adds Up’, a sort of writing memoir that I am looking for all the while. It is difficult to read Updike’s books since they are filled with so many images, observations and asides that one has to read every word very, very carefully so as not to miss anything.

I took out my copy of Writer’s Handbook 2002 to reread Updike’s interview in it in which he talked about the writing life. John Updike said: 'You can only teach so much about writing. You can do some things about point of view and try to clean up spelling and punctuation, but basically, I think, of all the higher arts it’s the most self-taught. You learn through the example of the writers who move and impress you.’ Then there is mention in the same interview about what Alfred Kazin praised Updike with the observation that Updike writes as if there is no greater pleasure.

All of it sounds very true. One learns to write mostly on one’s own. That is what I am doing though I am desperate to do the writing workshops at Iowa or find someone who can teach me a few things about writing. Luck doesn’t seem to be favoring me at the moment but I am sure some day I will get to do the workshops and also find a good mentor.