I first met Eng at the Ubud Festival in 2007. We were attending a Literary Dinner as guests and he had just written "Gift of Rain" his first novel. It was long listed for the Booker Prize.
We were not sure where to go, and he happily walked along with us and soon another young wonderful writer joined us Madeleine Thein who wrote "Certainty" another great book. Both writers were very chuffed to be there, and they signed my books
with warm messages. I loved both books because they were historical fiction around Singaporean and Malaysian history.
The Gift of Rain spanned decades from Chinese emperor rule right
through to the last days of the British Empire and focuses on the feelings of displacement and isolation for many individuals of mixed parentage and try to straddle two cultures.( In this case Chinese and English) His writing is beautifully crafted,
atmospheric and richly visual. I loved this book and didn't want it to finish. Even better second time around...
The Garden of Evening Mists, his second novel (He is a Lawyer as well)
was shortlisted for the Booker this year, 2012. I was very keen to read it and I did so in 2 sittings. I loved the poetry of his language and his descriptions of the physical beauty of nature, which presented as such a healing force for many after the horrors
of the Second World War and the life in concentration camps. His protagonist is a woman and he uses the first person narrative. The book continually surprised me with its gentle twists and turns, and then the ending kept me spell-bound with a totally unexpected
sub-plot around Japanese art (which I will not reveal).
Both Eng's books are beautifully designed, so read it in book-form, looks great next to your bed, with a delicate teapot full of green tea. I want to try a moon-cake too.
The other
books I am reading were suggested by friends.
A Man of Many Parts- David Lodge (2011)
This large historical novel centres around the very interesting life of H.G. Wells, particularly
on his intense relationships with women (Rebecca West, author) and his subsequent disappointments with the sexual side of his relationships. Apparently he was a very promiscuous genius and the book at times lapses into a journalistic format (Q & A's) which
allows the author to present Well's thoughts in a very direct way, rather than having his character revealed through interactions with others. Well- written in what I found was a rather formal style, probably to evoke the times perhaps ( I havent read any
of his other books), I found it well-researched, but it's taking me quite a while to plow through.
Poetry- Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)
The Chilean poet and politician was born Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto but chose his pen-name after Czech poet Jan Neruda, and then legally changed his name to Pablo Neruda. His poems covered many different styles and themes:
erotic love poems, historical epics, political manifestos, surrealism and psychological distress. In 1971 he won the Nobel Prize for literature. He had many contemporary fans, such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez who declared he was the greatest poet of the C20th
in any language.
He often read to huge packed out stadiums of fans in honour of Communist Revolutionary leaders ,then when communism was outlawed in Chile in 1948, he had to go underground and was cared for by fellow
poets. After many months in exile, he managed to escape to Argentina and became a close colleague of the socialist President Salvadore Allende. Said to be a great favourite with Che Guervara, his poetry makes the heart race and the blood soar.
Some big favourites of mine:
"Carnal Apple, Woman Filled, Burning Moon,'.......dark smell of seaweed, crush of mud and light.....'
'The Song of Despair'......Cold flowerheads are raining over my heart, oh pit of debris, fierce cave of the shipwrecked.....
Castro Alves from Brazil.......I sang for the
slaves, aboard the ships as a dark branch of wrath... in those days against the inferno, against the sharp languages of greed,
( To be read with a
light Chilean rose, I can't drink red remember, and some good bitter chocolate)
UPDATE ON CURRENT READINGS (JAN 2013)
BOOKS: Just finished Shamini Flint's fifth Inspector Singh- The Case of the Curious Indian Cadaver which as all the Inspector' series are real
who done its without the violence, but always with a shade of ethics and political comment.
Thought that I should re-visit The City of
Djinns by William Dalrymple as I will be leaving for the Jaipur Writers Festival in two weeks. First three days are in New Delhi so have to get in the right frame of mind for the culture shock of India (I hope things calm down in Delhi
so I can do a bit of exploring. As I said I love William's older travel books because he is a great evoker of the atmosphere of a place and is very funny without being patronising.
POETRY: Reading poetry by Kahil Gibran (The Prophet plus, plus), which was a bit overly presented in my hippy days in the 70's, but my goodness, his writing is beautiful. Kahil was a Lebanese- American poet, painter, writer, philosopher and
sculptor who embraced all religions and spiritual beliefs. He was born in 1883 in Lebanon, and died in New York in 1931 (Aged 48 years). His family immigrated to the US when he was a young man, and he studiesd art and literature.
He wrote The Prophet in 1923 contains 26 prose poetry essays written in English and it has never been out of print and it is translated in over 40 languages. While it endured mild criticism from both the Arabic and Western worlds
when it was first published, it was heartily embraced in the counter-culture of the 1960's.
The Garden of the Prophet was released post-humously in 1933 and is Almustafa the chosen
and beloved prophet and his discussions with his 9 disciples.
He is the third best selling poet of all time, only being eclipsed by Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu, the Chinese founder of Taoism.
Definitely accompany these readings with a glass of minted
apple tea, and figs with honey and yoghurt........
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