The Road -Cormac McCarthy

Despair in a book is very hard for me to read. Despair from the past is better than despair based in the future. In the former case at least we know things got better. What does the the future of a very bleak future hold? There is very little hope. Sitting in Wisconsin on a poopy day adds another layer to the already existing despair in the book. It almost made me want to hoard food in the pantry. Despite all this I read the book.

The book explores the human condition in a post apocalyptic world. There is not much said about how it came about, just that it is. The father and son take the road south in the hope of finding the 'good guys' who also 'carry the fire'. The narrative is crisp. The entire book is written without the use of quotation marks or apostrophe (don't is dont, won't is wont!). It adds something to the book. Makes it unattractive like the landscape and the life the words describe. I am not sure if this is an acknowledged writing style, but the usage in the novel is brilliant.

In the entire novel the father and son eat out of cans. The earth lacks a biosphere. Hence there are no plants, animals etc. The air is still breathable. How long can, what is left of humanity, survive on left over cans? What happens to left over people in countries that do not can food? Silly thoughts, but I did wonder about that. The book provides a first world perspective of what the human condition will be in such a future. What will the third world outlook look like? The survival skills of the third world is so much more different than the first world. The degree of despair and hardship will be so different.

The movie will be out during Thanksgiving. I cannot watch despair in a movie. Remember Artificial Intelligence, I desperately wanted to get out of the theater. So I will not watch this one.

Global Short Story Competition - I made the short list!

Success for England and France

Fiona Cooper has selected our September winners and it‘s honours shared between England and France.

Our winner comes from North East England. Hazel Osmond, of Stocksfield, Northumberland, wins £100. Our judge, Fiona, said of her story Step-baby: “This is a slick and observant story, where the reactions of each character are unpredictable and ultimately satisfying. Stemming from the most unlikely event, the triumph of Gavin’s rebellious spirit is movingly described and convincing.”

Highly commended was Michael Abberley, Indre, France, of whose story A Shared Crossing, Fiona said: “Set in the confines of a passenger ship and a short period of time, this story is accomplished and the writing is assured and confident, leading the reader into the mysterious elements with total belief. The unexpected conclusion is very pleasing.”

The September shortlist is again truly international:

Liliane Parkinson, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand

Ginny Swart, Constantia, South Africa

Susan Lanigan, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Dragica Djiipalo, Volos, Greece Baron Frankal, Manchester, England

Terry Bell, Montreal, Canada

Jackie Vickers, Long Hanborough, England

Sowmya Santanam, Wisconsin, USA

Fiona Foster, Stourbridge, England

Pamela Scott, Glasgow, Scotland

Jonathan Pinnock, St Albans, England

That late 80s TV series

I was reading some blog post and someone mentioned Supriya Pathak. Suddenly I wanted to google her and see what she looks like now. There was time in the late 80s when I liked her a lot. So I google and find out she doesn't look anything like she used to. Wikipedia reminds me that she married Pankaj Kapur and Shahid Kapoor is her step son. That leads me to google Pankaj Kapur's first wife and that turns out to be Neelima Azeem. The name rings a bell and I cannot place her at all. Some more googling and I recognize her. I feel really old figuring out that Shahid Kapoor is Neelima Azeem's son.

Now, there was this TV series back in the late 80s with Neelima Azeem in a supporting role. She plays this muslim girl. Her friend who is from a rich family falls in love with a guy in college. Turns out he is poor and from the village. The rest of the story leads to these guys eloping with the help of Neelima Azeem and her fiance, who she marries later in real life. I cannot remember the name of the series.

Does anyone? Please tell.

Another one that I remembered was called "Pachpan Khambe lal diware" starring Mita Vashisht and one cute looking guy. I was 14 or 15 and liked Mita Vashist a lot, until she starred in a Hindi rip of Star Trek. But anyway, I loved "Pachpan Khambe lal diware". It aired for only a few weeks and then it was gone.

That is DD's contribution to my nostalgia.

Duet

Once upon a time I was 19 and still naive. One day my sister came up to me and asked me to sing a duet with her. I was all ready and eager. So she starts singing the above song and tells me to say "kyun" every time it was required by the song. I had never heard this song and didn't know it was an 'equally sung' duet. I was not paying much attention to the lyrics. I just thought one person sang the song and the other person said "kyun". I told you I was naive. So I dutifully pitched in and said "kyun" every time my sister cued me. Then later when I heard the song I figured I was just a kyun prop and my sister had made a complete fool of me. To this day, Appa recounts this incident in detail and tells every relative that visits home of how my sister made me sing only "kyun" and called it a duet. Mean sister. Meaner Appa.

Love Story - Erich Segal

I read this book the first time when I was 19. I hardly remember how I felt or why I liked the book. It was mandatory reading for the English class and since we had to be cool in college, we watched the movie too. I only remember that the movie was very 60s style and nothing much else.

Yesterday I was walking towards the library check out counter and saw this book and picked it up. I read it in a couple of hours. Even though the story and setting sounds dated at times, there is still a timeless aspect to the wit in the narrative. It is a very well told, poignant story. The kind that wants one to shove all the cynicism aside, at least for a couple of hours. I am glad I am still capable of that.