Book # 14 - Brave New World

'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley had some similarities with George Orwell's, '1984'. Both books talk about what life in the future would become owing to great advances in science and technology. Huxley and Orwell wrote their books in 1931 and 1949 respectively. Their books were preceded by the two most devastating wars the world has seen (WWI and WWII). Huxley talks about a future London (AD 2540) where society has developed a reproductive technology which rejects natural reproduction and produces human beings en masse.

Bernard, Lenina and Helmholtz are the main characters whose activities help us to understand this new world. It is the introduction of the Savage, a human being, which adds an element of emotion in the story. The Savage is discovered by Lenina and Bernard when they go on a holiday to New Mexico to visit the Savage Reservation (a secluded area where life as we know it now, exists). They bring him back to civilization as the World Controller of Eastern Europe feels that he would be interesting to study.

It is a disturbing book because the way events are shaping in our world, totalitarianism is not unlikely to happen in the future. The world, as described by Huxley, knew nothing of art and culture. In fact, they had no idea who Shakespeare was! And a world without Shakespeare would definitely not be worth living in.

A courtroom drama

While I was reading my 15 books in 15 days and trying to write a decent blog about them, hubby dear was busy preparing for his final drama exam of this semester.

The drama that his class enacted was that of the famous Indian playwright Vijay Tendulkur. 'Khamosh yeh Adalat Hai' or 'Shantata! Court Chalo Aahe' (Silence! The court is in session) is a Marathi play and was first performed in 1967 (info source: Wikipedia). The play addresses the theme of middle class hypocrisy and the abnegation of women by society even when they are not at fault.

The setting of the play is within a play when a group of amateur actors reach a village where they are supposed to perform in the evening. To kill time they decide to create a mock trial in which they accuse one of their group member, Miss Benare, of having illicit relationships with a married man. Not only that, she is also held guilty for aborting the child which she begot through her relationship.

Hubby dear played the role of Mr. Sukhatmay, a lawyer, who along with the others corners Benare and finally forces her to give in and make her confession. Adnan was extremely convincing as the scheming, corrupt and menacing lawyer who derived great pleasure from the whole activity. It was an absorbing play with a sad note to it. The beauty of this play lies in the fact that it is applicable to our society even now where men conveniently rid themselves of all blame by pointing fingers at women.

Directed by their drama teacher, Rahat Kazmi, this play was a treat to watch. Kudos to the entire cast for doing such a great job and of course, a thumbs up for hubby dear for doing so well, yet again!

Book # 13 - Gabriel's Gift

In the recent month I had bought two books of Hanif Kureishi and even though Gabriel's Gift was not a part of my selected books, I was very tempted to read it and made it a part of the 15/15/15 project.

Gabriel's Gift is a story of a fifteen year old boy who tries to keep his parents, Christine and Rex, together. Christine, tired of Rex's lazy ways, throws him out of the house. Rex was a rock star (almost) and had played with very famous bands during the 60s. Christine was also in the rock n roll business, designing clothes for the band members and groupies. Both of them seemed to be stuck in the 60s era and were almost always telling Gabriel stories from the past. Rex's career came to an abrupt halt when he tripped over his platform shoes at a concert and broke his ankle.

Gabriel had a very creative and sensitive personality. He talked to his dead twin brother, Archie, and often took his advice in moments of difficulty. His talent lay in drawing and he made amazing sketches of ordinary things (which actually came to life in the beginning of the book!). His biggest dream was to make a film with his friend Zak and he had drawn the entire storyboard on his sketch book. He impressed his dad's rock star friend, Lester Jones (a fictional famous rock star), and got an autographed drawing by Lester when the latter called both of them for a brief meeting at his hotel. Owing to their difficult financial situations, both Christine and Rex wanted the picture so that they could sell it to Speedy, another friend from the 60s era who owned a restaurant with a wall dedicated to rock star memorabilia. How Gabriel manages to get his way, keep the picture and bring his parents together makes for a very fascinating read!

What I loved about these three characters was their unquestionable and unconditional love for each other. Gabriel, especially, is very compassionate towards his parents and tries to help them out even when he feels they are in the wrong. His gift is not in his artistic abilities only but in his ability to love. I guess that is what the world needs, just a little love!

Photograph: Google Images

Book # 12 - My Childhood

It was not such a great idea to choose the book of a Russian heavyweight and what made it even more difficult was the fact that I was reading Maxim Gorky for the very first time. Even though it was a slightly dismal read, it was a consolation that it was not as difficult or long as those of Dostoevsky or Tolstoy.

'My Childhood' is an autobiography and is based on Gorky's own childhood experiences. After his father's death, Gorky and his mother went to live with his grandparents. Gorky's grandfather was a terror who took pleasure in punishing everyone, especially children. His grandmother was very kind to him and told him many stories and folk lores and is said to have influenced him towards becoming a writer. This is the first part of his autobiographical series as the book ends when Gorky is in his teens and is kicked out by his grandfather when Gorky's mother dies. The other two parts are 'Among the People' and 'My Universities'.

The prose was crisp and simple though a little melancholic. But when it comes to Russian authors, Dostoevsky is still my favourite!

Book # 11 - Theatre

Maugham does not write, he creates magic. His books are a pleasure to read and so much so that at times, I am disappointed when the book ends. ' Theatre' is another masterpiece of his and I enjoyed it even more than any of his other works because of hubby dear's involvement with stage and acting.

This book, as the name indicates, revolves around the stage and is the story of a couple who are in the theatre business. Essentially the story is about Julia Lambert; a beautiful, talented and successful actress. But it is not her success story as an actress that Maugham talks about. He tells the story of Julia Lambert the person who leads two lives; one in reality and the other in a make-believe world. The only problem with Lambert is that she doesn't know when to stop acting and thus, she employs her acting methods ( body movements, lines from plays) with her husband, son and lover. This technique is advantageous to her in some cases but in other instances it does leave her distressed and broken. What makes her a wonderful character is her passion for acting. She derives strength from her make believe world in which she reigns as a queen.

A highly recommended read, especially for actors. If you're not the reading sort you can watch 'Being Julia', a film based on the novel.

Photograph: Google Images

Book # 10 - Carry on, Jeeves

After reading this book I had only one thought, I want Jeeves also!

'Carry on, Jeeves' made for a fantastic read on Sunday. It was full of wit, humor and the anecdotes of the wonderful Jeeves who seemed to have a solution for every stickler that the protagonist found himself in. Almost all of the stories were about how Jeeves helped the friends of Mr. Wooster (his employer) fool rich aunts and uncles, find lost love, replace cooks and get out of forced marriages. Jeeves is a jack of all trades and can come up with solutions in a matter of seconds. If only there were such servants in real life also!

Mr. Wooster is the perfect employer. He loves Jeeves and though he doesn't want to succumb to the butler's view on his appearance every time, he does give in whenever Jeeves helps to get one of his friends out of trouble. We find Wooster discarding some cherished pieces of clothing all because Jeeves disapproved of them!

A wonderful read. I had a smile throughout Sunday, thanks to this book. God bless P.G.Wodehouse!

Photograph by author/blogger. Spot the MINI.

Book # 9 - To Have and Have Not

Except for 'Farewell to Arms', I have never really understood any books of Ernest Hemingway. Somehow, I can't digest his writing style and can never finish his book in one sitting. To Have And Have Not' has to be the most difficult book of this project and I barely managed to finish it.

In a nutshell, the book was based on the moral that even honest and courageous men can resort to a life of crime if forced against the wall. This is what happens to the hero, Harry Morgan. Fate plays some dirty tricks on him leaving him with no other option but to fool some one else and thus, earn some quick bucks.

There is also a movie on this book which stars Humphrey Bogart in the main role (which might be the only reason I might check this movie out). Ernest Hemingway was not too happy with this book also and legend has it that he considered it his worst work. If only I had gone through wikipedia before selecting the book for this project!

Movie Image: Google Images