The Sunday Haul (on 10 October 2021)

 Surprisingly though Dasara was only a few days away the booksellers at Abids were present in full strength last Sunday. The place was thronging with the festival shoppers that reminded me of the days before Covid. Anyways I trawled through the books on the pavements and ended up with a large haul of seven books.

I had found a copy of David Sedaris’ ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day’ a long, long way back and since then I have been looking for his books but couldn’t find any until last Sunday when I spotted a nice copy of ‘When You are Engulfed in Flames’ by David Sedaris. It was my first find of last Sunday and I was pleased that I had made a nice start to my hauling at Abids. Another thing that added to the pleasure was that I got the book for just fifty rupees.

The second book that I found too I got for only fifty rupees. At the corner of the road opposite to the Bata store there’s a seller who had new books but sells them either for hundred rupees or for fifty rupees in separate piles. In the latter pile I saw a copy of ‘The Art of Not Falling Apart’ by Christina Patterson that I felt I should buy to read it before giving it to someone whose life seems to be falling apart.

The next find was a title by one of my favourite writers, Nadine Gordimer. I spotted a wonderful copy of ‘A Soldier’s Embrace’ by Nadine Gordimer on a make shift table that I almost missed looking at were it not for someone who did not let me pass on the pavement. I am glad that rude fellow helped me find a good book. This too I got for fifty rupees. It is a collection of short stories.

The next find was at a seller on the road beside the GPO. I saw a copy of ‘Between the World and Me’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I had not read anything by Ta-Nehisi Coates because I did not find a single title of his at Abids or anywhere in Hyderabad. So when I found this hardcover title I was quite excited because it was in almost new condition and seemed short enough to finish it quickly.

There are some titles I pick up the moment I spot them unmindful that I have several copies of the same title at home. One such title is ‘On Becoming a Novelist’ by John Gardner that I already have two copies of on my bookshelf. But this was a copy with a different cover that I loved.  I wondered how much the seller would ask because he usually quotes high prices but I was surprised when he asked for just sixty rupees for the copy of ‘On Becoming a Novelist’ by John Gardner.  I was especially pleased with this find.

Of late I’ve been finding gems in the heaps a seller near the Bata store has for sale for fifty rupees. Last Sunday I picked up a book with a blue cover ‘Night in Tunisia’ by Neil Jordan. I felt it could be a good book as I flipped through the pages of the short story collection that had an introduction by Sean O’Faolain. On the back cover the blub says it is a ‘stunning collection of short stories, for which Neil Jordan was awarded the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979.’ That alone was enough to make me buy the book though I had by then bought five books. These are the ten stories in it:  Last Rites; Seduction; Sand; Mr Solomon Wept;  Night in Tunisia; Skin;  Her Soul; Outpatient; Tree;  and A Love.