I finished reading Katabasis by R F Kuang last weekend and have since remained enthralled by the expanse of the book. The story not just holds good with its fantastic core premise, it also peppers its 541-pages long body with a plethora of references. Mathematics, Logic, Science, Mythology, Poetry and more – you shall frequently … More References in ‘Katabasis’, R F Kuang’s latest novel
Somewhere in the middle of this loosely drawn, pencil-shined sketches, sits an instance in which Adrian Tomine, a fair figure in the cartoon industry, is at a book fair in Tokyo and is about to scribble, in palpable excitement, his first autograph of the day when he notices the book slipped under his fingers carrying … More Tonnes of goofiness, handed with a bow
About last month. Actually, an entire month. That’s how long it has been since I heard ‘em. Words. Words. What else do I love more than their soft, unwavering power to make things go and take shapes of wonder? Those who know me, know I am a logophile – to spot member of the community … More Meeting Words, once again.
Homo Irrealis by André AcimanMy Rating: 5 of 5 Stars I am the gap between what I am and what I am not. Even before the essays – beautiful, wise, full yet strangely wistful – begin to sing, this quote of the maverick Fernando Pessoa finds place. And that rounds up the mood of the … More Life, as you don’t see it
Art Matters by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris RiddellMy Rating: 5 of 5 Stars When I walk down a street I take often, I don’t need telling where the hump is or where the manhole splays. But even so, on days the street light doesn’t work, I feel a pinch; as if the little streak … More Book Review: Art Matters by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris Riddell (2018)
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars If I close my eyes tight, what shall I see? If I shut out all the noises I can sense, what shall I hear? If I shun the world completely, what shall I feel? A dark nothingness? Or a blinding muddle of overlapping images? … More Book Review: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami (2018)
Call Me By Your Name | Directed by Luca Guadagnino | Starring Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars I tried thrice – writing down my thoughts about this movie – and failed all three times. Every time I would begin scribbling, my fingers would come to a gradual stop, … More Movie Review: Call Me By Your Name by Luca Guadagnino (2017)
The Book of Chocolate Saints by Jeet Thayil My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars Aut insanit homo, aut versus facit. – The man is either mad or he is composing verses. But what verses, would you say, emanate from the bosom of passion that borders on delirium? What timbre of voice floats in the smoked air … More Book Review: The Book of Chocolate Saints by Jeet Thayil (2017)
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars You landed in my world on a calm, dewy evening And struck was I with a song I was about to sing; A song that lay hidden in the silhouettes of each letter That protruded from the cover, all poised to embitter. But waited … More Book Review: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1972)
The Vegetarian by Han Kang My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars [Originally appeared here (with edits)] Many of us, if stretch a little, can recall the question that appeared in our science textbooks in primary schools: choose the living and non-living thing from the following options. While we conveniently tagged all humans, animals and plants to … More Book Review: The Vegetarian by Han Kang (2007)
SEEMITA DAS 