Recently I again opened the pages of a collection of short stories by Guy De Maupassant, the great master of short stories. I read lots of his stories in my college days. But now when i read them after decades, a whole panorama of hidden beauty opens up through every line. The writer's keen observation of life, his description of nature, be it a farmyard, or a village,or a mountainous region, is true to reality. Every character and their moves come out so alive that for sometime i forget my own world and become a part of Maupassant's world...living in that particular setting and moving with the people of the stories in their day to day affairs and sudden ups and downs in life.In a word, Maupassant is unforgettable and certainly immortal. The Necklace is widely read. But i like specially The Mountain Inn, A Farm Girl's Story, for their pure pristine beauty; The Umbrella for its humorous strain and subtle characterization;and Mother Savage again for the dark subtleties of human nature. While i finished reading all these I felt that i spent my time in a most valuable way. |
I haven't read these, but after hearing your POV, I'll read it for sure. |
Just finished reading Milan Kundera's Immortality. A unique book dealing with Immortality in a novel way. People crave for immortality...in their every dealings they always think how they can retain an image of themselves in peoples' mind which is in fact not their true selves. there is a beautiful portrait of Goethe and Bettina and also some glimpses of Beethoven. The novel is strewn around a storyline of the lives of Agnes, Paul and Laura mainly and throw some significant insight into human nature. A very enjoyable and exciting reading. |
Since the last few days i have not been in a good mood for some personal reasons. Sometimes I am on the verge of frustration, sometimes i am depressed, sometimes i try to look for good things to happen but all in vain. Dejection hover over my mind like a dark cloud.To free myself from this,i talked with my friend for a long time which usually i never indulge in. Then i concentrated on my violin playing..that lifted my spirits a little. Then suddenly i remembered P G Wodehouse, the writer and grabbed a book by him called What Ho. My elder son downloaded this for me in the Kindle. I started reading it and within minutes i forgot all about myself and was totally engrossed in the theme of the book. It is a hilarious plot to knit a very short novelette.It deals with characters who are there to make you laugh at every moment, rather make one split his or her sides. Every line is fraught with wit and tart remarks and repartee. Every move of each character is destined to bring an innocent smile on the reader's face. The plot itself is woven in a manner which is not very reality proof, edging on the impossible and improbable things. But it takes us away from harsh reality of life for an hour or so and makes us laugh innocently to our heart's content. That, i feel is the reward of reading this book. |
Recently read the poem 'On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer' by John Keats again after a decade. The beauty of the poem has flowered before my mature mind with all its nuances..I have a feeling that no word can describe. John Keats, the great poet, on reading Homer's Iliad and Odessey was utterly thrilled and poured forth his indescribable joy in the lines of this poem. The grandeur and beauty of these two great epics made the poet Keats excited and overjoyed like the astronomer when he discovers a new planet or like an explorer when after long and assiduous journey he discovers a new land full of promise. |