Last Sunday I had the kind of super haul of books I haven’t had so far this year. I found more than half a dozen wonderful titles that filled me with lots of joy and also a certain confidence that I indeed have an eye for picking out good titles.
The effects of the viral fever that I had for more than two weeks seemed to be wearing off and I felt much better than ever. I had started for Abids about an hour earlier than my usual time because I wanted to take public transport, and also take my own time to look at all the books laid on the pavements.
So, I began first with the sellers at Chikkadpally on the way to Abids. The first find was a wonderful book. I found a copy of ‘Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide’, something I felt I should have found long back. There’s so much about books by well-known writers, books in different genres, and other titles that I looked forward to start reading it right away. I got it for hundred rupees only.
Then with another seller I found an almost new copy of ‘The Crooked Timber of New India’ by Parakala Prabhakar, a title that I had been wanting to read ever since it came out sometime last year. It is about how the country is being run at present. I got it for a hundred and fifty rupees.
Then I hopped on another bus upto YMCA, and from there took a ride on a bike. I had chai and samosa in Grand while flipping through the pages of the two books I had found earlier at Chikkadpally. After the break for tea the first title I found at Abids was something that looked different but good. I spotted a copy of ‘The Novels of Ayi Kwei Armah’ by Robert Fraser, a slim hardcover book. I had never heard of Ayi Kwei Armah, and when I saw that the book was published by Heinemann I felt Armah must be one good novelist. So, I took this book and added it to my haul.
I have the feeling that there is a lot I have to learn about writing beginning with grammar. So whenever I spot a good book on grammar I buy it. When I found ‘Bloomsbury Grammar Guide’, incidentally the second Bloomsbury title of the day, I picked it up. While paying for it I happened to glance at other books on the pavement and my eyes spotted the familiar logo of The Harvill Press on the cover of a book.
Knowing how precious these books are I picked it up and saw that it was ‘The Conspiracy & Other Stories’ by Jaan Kross. I had once again found a book by an author I had never heard before. When I looked down at the bottom of the cover I saw the blurb by Doris Lessing- ‘Jaan Kross’ scope and depth make him a world writer.’ I knew it was too good and so grabbed it and was surprised when the seller asked just fifty rupees for it. In my heart of hearts, I knew that it was the best find in the haul I had gathered so far. It has the following stories: The Wound; Lead Piping; The Stahl Grammar; The Conspiracy; The Ashtray; and The Day Eyes Were Opened.
I have a few titles by Jerzy Kosinski except the ‘The Painted Bird’ that I am still looking for as he is considered an unconventional writer. So when I spotted a slim book, a copy of ‘Being There’ by Jerzy Kosinski lying in a heap of books selling for just fifty rupees I grabbed it. On the cover it said that it was also made into a picture starring Peter Sellers and Shirley Maclaine. I was pleased to have found it.
After finding these six titles I decided enough was enough and thought of not buying any more titles. However, once at Abids I cannot return without checking out all the sellers. So, it while doing so that I spotted another wonderful title that had the sort of an arresting cover that marks it out as something good. It was a copy of ‘Mr. Mani’ by A.B. Yehoshua, an author I hadn’t heard about before. But I was certain it was a good book even before I read on the cover the blurb by ‘The Nation’ that said- ‘A marvel…the Nobel Prize has been given for less.’ I felt it in my gut that it was a good book and so bought it for seventy-five rupees. It is translated from the Hebrew by Hillen Halkin and is ‘A Harvest Book’ published by Harcourt Brace & Company.
With the same seller was another book on something that interests me a lot- handwriting. I found a copy of ‘The Missing Ink: How Handwriting Made Us Who We Are’ by Philip Hensher, a name I remember reading somewhere. This was the eighth book of last Sunday’s haul at Abids, and it was a wonderful haul of some wonderful titles by authors I haven’t heard about before. I just hope I find the time sometime soon to read at least a couple of books from this haul.
No comments:
Post a Comment