Set in Mysuru, India. Reread on 2019/01: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtOWnSeHlsv/
And this is my last #rereadmini review for this month. Considering all the visceral and emotionally demanding books I’ve #reread and which I seem to have a predilection for, #theguide was a much needed and strongly welcoming break. And #narayan ‘s book not only feels different from this month’s books, it also reads different from most of the #indianliterature or books set in #indiawhich I have read so far. This is not a rococo and highly embellished meta-narrative of 4-5 family generations aiming to explain the history of the country and/or region since the beginning of time. Quite the contrary! #rknarayan keeps the story simple, mischievous and dare I say, entertaining. This is a writer that wants the reader to enjoy and be a part of the story without suffocating anyone with a history lesson. The sheer genius behind this seemingly basic story is that by amusing the reader, the writer is simply enticing us all into looking at what’s really lying underneath the text. The writing mirrors the scene of the #snakedancing. Narayan plays flute and the snake dances automatically. Does that mean we are the snakes? What happens once the music is done? Do we wake up from the dream? Or do we continue to live the nightmares of our lives? I’m going to let you a little bit of reading here and figure that one out as much as #raju had to figure out by himself. #highlyrecommended #Mysuru#penguinclassics #sahityaakademiaward#guru #noending #denial #selfdeception#rereadmarathon #malgudi
Reviewed on 12/2018: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrXiO1NHGRO/
What a brilliant short novel! There is pure #irreverence oozing from these pages which usually makes me think of all the Central, Eastern European and even Russian stories that I adore. There is #joiedevivre mixed up with #socialsatire . There is #tragicomedy mixed up with our #mundane lives. I think even a title such as #theguide has to be a wordplay for this type of a story. It’s an absolute and straightforward title which aims to define someone specific or a specific role with no straightforward results. I will let you read and discover who does the guiding at the end. I was not surprised at all to read that this story was adapted both for a film and Broadway. #rknarayan apparently sets most of his book in a fictional #indian town called #malgudi which ultimately allows him to paint such an acute and captivating universe. #narayan was without a doubt a master storyteller in complete control of the story, a control that seeks to observe, to laugh and to guide. #highlyrecommended #Mysuru#penguinclassics #indianliterature#sahityaakademiaward #snakedance #guru#noending #denial #selfdeception
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