5 comments about A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.

1. Newby and his traveling companion are the sort who would have been described as "mad, you know" by their peers. The book is an engrossing description of their efforts and failures, trekking in Afghanistan. They reach base camp via Europe in a station wagon. They have made no effort to do physical conditioning and their preparation consisted of a few hurried days in Wales. Newby is a skilled observer, incisively documenting places, people, and experiences. It's amazing they survived as well as they did. It's also an interesting chronicle of how trekking used to be--the bulky, uncomfortable equipment, and the lack of anything resembling technology. The book ends somewhat abruptly, but well.
   
   As for issues brought up by other readers: British English is not that difficult to pick-up and this is not going to appeal to the crowd that never gets beyond the supermarket tabloids. Newby lacks some of Rory Stewart's background reading, but thankfully, he is a much more reflective, self-deprecating soul than the whiny, entitled Mr. Stewart. Comparing Newby to Bill Bryson is like comparing Noel Coward with Benny Hill. Newby's humor is wry, understated and often ironic, while Bryson is more like the writer of a second or third tier sitcom---a master of the obvious, with lines you can see coming a mile away. Newby is adventurous in a different way from Theroux and tends to take himself less seriously. Although the book is less of a quest than Matthiessen's journey, it is likely to appeal to fans of "The Snow Leopard". Evelyn Waugh (who wrote the foreward) is obviously a snob, but the book has less in the way of race and class prejudice than one might expect from it era.



2. A "short walk" is at once accurate and understated. Accurate because the walk is short, less than a month. Understated because its walkers confront extreme challenges and setbacks at every turn, ranging from hostile citizens and difficult weather to physical maladies that would drive the less intrepid of us to the nearest hospital.



3. Unlike other critics, I had a hard time dealing with Newby's commitment to sticking to the facts and his telling the story free of any detours into what it meant to him or what he had learned about himself or his countrymen along the way. Perhaps an appreciation for his style comes after one has read enough travel books that he/she sees the kind of wistfulness for which I had hoped as useless, cliched BS. But, being a relative novice to the genre, I lacked that kind of cynicism and, consequently, did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped to.
   
   Also, my lack of familiarity with central Asian geography and history hendered my enjoyment of the book. Newby usually relies on an assumed foreknowledge of the reader, so he doesn't spend much time explaining things. This made it hard for me as I oftentimes had to go back a few pages to figure out where he was or what particular tribe with which he was currently encountering.
   
   Furthermore, I personally have a hard time with large, Moslem names, so it was very hard to remember who all of the locals were, what their jobs were, what their personalities were like, and how they had already interacted with Newby. This may have been more due to my laziness than Newby's writing, though, so it's hard to fault him on that front.
   
   I was somewhat disappointed with this book; however, I can see why many people enjoy it and why it has garnered critical acclaim. For seasoned travel book readers or those with a high familiarity with central Asia (especially around the Pakistani-Afghan border), though, I think this book would be right up your alley.



4. "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" by Eric Newby (1958) is a minor classic among travel books that was, recently for me, a true pleasure to read. It's new info, insightful, light but not shallow, humorous, yet apropos to current events. Its preface by one of my favorite 'snobs' (Evelyn Waugh) was enough recommendation for me. An amateur British mountain climber with his sidekick in the wild mountains of North-east Afghanistan. Very subtle, very English. Eric Newby died in 2006. I'm happy he was a writer.



5. I got this book on the recommendation from the book Afghanistan: A Companion and Guide, which described it as "among the best travel books ever written". Having read the book, I would have to agree.
   
   This book could be a humor book almost as much as a travel book. Newby's style of writing is, at times, felt like watching a Monty Python sketch in its dry British humor and the unexpected places that one constantly found it coming up.
   
   Eric Newby starts the book as a man working in the fashion industry after World War II, who realizes that he's in the wrong job. He calls up a friend who worked for the foreign service in Afghanistan and asks him if he wants to go to Nuristan in northeast Afghanistan. He quits he jobs, does four days of mountain climbing in Great Britian, and heads off.
   
   I will not spoil the adventures he has just in getting there but will say that they are amazing, unexpected and fascinating. You really get the sense of a seat-of-your-pants road trip in the way that he almost blindly goes into what would be anyone's trip of a lifetime.
   
   His description of Afghanistan and its people who he meets and who guide him is wonderful and accurate to everything I have seen in this country myself. To anyone who likes travel books or simply wants to read a fascinating adventure, you need to read this book.

2 comments about Banaras.

1. This book takes one on a breathtaking Odyssey through the sacred landscape of the world's oldest and most sacred city: Lord Siva's eternal abode. Eck's approach is sensitive and captivating, her scholarship is impressive, and the result of her labour has been a preciously insightful and informative book. Anyone seeking God owes it to himself to learn about the Holy City of Kashi, where death is transformed into divine liberation, and reading this book is an excellent way to get started. As both a Saiva and a scholar, I highly recommend it!



2. Diane Eck has written the most readable and spiritual book on the city where Hindus make pilgrimage to bathe in the Ganges and to take their last breath in this lifetime. The book includes good maps of the bathing ghats and detailed information of this ancient city of temples devoted to Shiva and other Gods and Goddesses. I have been to Banaras and walked those crooked streets and Eck's book places me right back in that sacred place.

5 comments about The Temple of Dawn.

1. This was the first novel I read in the Sea of Fertility tetrology, and though I have finished the series, this still remains my favorite one. Few other novels I have read, not just in the series but other books in general, have been as shocking or deeply moving.
   The main character's quest for enlightenment and search for truth culminate into a disastrous obsession with a young lady. His fixation on her youth and beauty are compared to his own tired and aging body, and that of his unhappy wife.
   Deeper than other novels, he pursues the link between people beyond death. If someone is reborn, are they forced to replay their fate again and again? Is this the fate of mankind, or is the protagonist simply unable to accept the death of someone he loved? He is searching in this novel, searching for lost love and friendship, and searching for his own soul. The dialogue in the novel on Buddhism is somewhat dry and scholarly, but the this fits in with the dryness and objective view the narrator feels towards the world in general.
   Mishima manages to connect eroticism, reincarnation, post-war Japan skepticism, beauty and death into a work of art. I highly recommend this novel.



2. Not as engrossing as the first two books of the tetrology, The Temple of Dawn meanders through Honda's life in his 50's, as he falls in love with the Princess of Thailand who, he suspects, is the reincarnation of Isao and Iunima, the protagonists of "Spring Snow" and "Runaway Horses".
   The book provides for deep reading, and with Mishima's wonderful descriptions and exploration of the mind, it is a book not to be missed.
   The story deals with the multilayered emotions of Rie (Honda's wife), Keiko (his neighbor), Makiko (Iunuma's romantic interest in Runaway Horses) and other characters.
   With Honda as the main character, the development of his thoughts on life and death are dealt with in detail, which may provide some moments of "skipping", if you're not into that kind of stuff.



3. This is not an intent to (summarize) mishima's sea of fertility... rather it's an approach into analyzing it ... a sort of reading between the lines...
   
   Then ... again, what are we exactly trying to portray?
   
   we would say we are ( intending ) to deliver a semiotic vision of what the sea of fertility represents ... we are not trying to ( read ) it for our reader , rather , we let him read , and help him amidst it , by presenting a cluster of signs , keys , semiotics , call it whatever you want , that would - at the end - clarify the road , and that can be grasped by the reader so he can get a wider vision , and a better comprehension of this gigantic universe , which mishima called ( sea of fertility ) ...
   
   But first, why is this bizarre title (sea of fertility)?
   
   mishima himself is going to answer this question , to give it the first ( leading ) sign , that we should know it doesn't crack secrets for us , but merely provides us with a minimum limit , which we can begin our journey from ..
   
   in a note mishima sent to the famous American criticizer Donald Keene , he clearly admits that the reason he chose this title for his tetralogy is a hint for an area of the same designation on the moon's surface not so far of ( the sea of silence ) ... the reason for this reference is to aim at a ( contradiction ) between this vivid and colorful name , and the wasteland it stands for in real ... we can go further on saying that this title combines the image of universal nihilism with the image of ( sea of fertility ) ...
   
   in summer 1945 mishima wanted to write an immense oeuvre that would sum up Miller's famous trilogy ( the rosy crucifixion ) , and that would stress more and more on that ( dark ) side of art ... to write a novel that would take six years of his life , and that would cover - chronogically - those sixty years from 1912 and on ..
   
   That decision , which was the most important one in mishima's practical life , obliged writing this novel in four volumes , in each an individual story , for each a special protagonist , but these characters would not be totally separated from each other ...
   
   How?
   
   The figure in the first volume is the lad kiwaki, the noble descent of the wealthy family of Matsugai, lives a love story, one of its kind that memory would not forget easily, and his friend Honda stands as an eye witness for this superb experience of his...
   
   From that point on , in every volume that succeeds, we can notice that the hero is merely the first one, but after being (reincarnated), to start a new cycle of life, and to let Honda only figure out the connections that ties these four characters...
   
   
   Mishima Knew very well that his Tetralogy is a rich threshold for everything he learned as a writer ... he told his friends, that when he finishes it, there is only one thing left for him to do ... (suicide) ... and by taking his own life in November 25th 1970, he fulfilled his final quote: the life of men is short, I want to live forever...
   
   ( The sea of fertility ) is not an easy read nor its a happy one , it is a lament melancholic presentation of life ... rendered by an artist ...



4. In THE TEMPLE OF DAWN, the third book of Yukio Mishima's "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy, we find Shikeguni Honda on business in Thailand. Six years after the death of Isao Iinuma, the former judge is now a successful lawyer, but his interest in practising law is shaken when he meets Ying Chan, a Thai princess who is the second reincarnation of Kiyoaki Matsugae. THE TEMPLE OF DAWN differs greatly from the first two books of the tetralogy. While SPRING SNOW and RUNAWAY HORSES focus mainly on their tragic young men done in by fatal youthful flaws, love and idealism respectively, Honda is the central figure of this volume. All events are filtered through his eyes, and what little we learn about Ying Chan comes from his desperate musings. In its chronology this third volume also differs, for while the first two volumes take place within a span of a couple of years, THE TEMPLE OF DAWN leaps from 1939 through the war years to 1952, and ends with a shocking revelation in 1967.
   
   Honda has changed a lot since we last met him. Right off the bat Mishima tells us that the death of Isao turned Honda from a idealistic man of reason to a nihilist, and nihilism is finally revealed as the big theme of the cycle. Honda continues to change as he grows older in this volume, and this process of growing old, of questioning earlier assumptions, and of searching for some answer to life's mysteries makes for a fascinating plot. Readers will be shocked by the behavior of the protagonist, his wife, and their social circle. This is a novel where every nearly every page punches the reader in the cut, and Mishima appears as much a master of apparently casual revelations as Gene Wolfe. He is also a master of the love story, for love affairs in this book, twisted though they be, come out as much more realistic than Kiyoaki's doomed affection for Satoko.
   
   But beyond the individual personages of the book and their foibles, Mishima wants the reader to consider universal principles of philosophy. Honda spends the war years in a haze, reading through the Buddhist canon and trying to figure it all out as his country is battered around him. While one can enjoy THE TEMPLE OF DAWN without too closely paying attention to ideas of samsara and the self, the novel richly rewards repeat reading. And finally, the book stands out for its amazing ending. I won't give it away, but I will say that Mishima brilliantly alludes to his earlier writings, reinforces his thoughts on "cosmic nihilism", and even pays a tribute to his mentor Yasunari Kawabata.
   
   All in all, this is the finest book of "The Sea of Fertility" that I have read so far, and I really can't recommend it enough. Pick up SPRING SNOW if you haven't yet, and other readers can continue on through this one without fear.



5. This was, for me, the weakest of the three Sea of Fertility novels I have read. One problem has been commented on by almost every reviewer: the theme of the overall work is reincarnation. But traditional Buddhist philosophy regard the soul, and even the self, as illusions. If this is so, then what is it that is reincarnated? A long and complex essay on this takes up far too much of the novel and probably could be understood only by a reader with extensive previous knowledge of Buddhist philosophy.
   
   A more subtle problem is that this book seems to lack the compassion of the earlier volumes. Part of this is the treatment of Honda himself, and perhaps a natural reflection of the fact that Honda, in the timeline of the overall work, is becoming an old man, combined with Mishima's own horror of old age that influenced his suicide a few years after this book was written. Certainly the contrast between the fading age of Honda and this novel's reincarnation of Kiyoaki, a beautiful young Thai princess, is made frequently and rather heavy-handedly. But in other cases Misihima's cruelty seens clearly gratuitous, particularly the case of a pseudo-intellectual and a would-be poetess who are brought in as characters almost solely so that Mishima can mock them before killing them off. This whole subplot struck me as entirely unworthy of Mishima.
   
   Mishima was a genius, though, and there is much in this book that is impressive, fully equal to the brilliance of the two prequels. The dramatic ending has been justly praised by other reviewers. The recent history of Japan is a major focus of the tetralogy, and the descriptions in this story of Tokyo in ruins during and just after the war are harrowing. And the portrayal of Honda's marriage with Rie, two people who have spent their lives together and are growing old together, tied to each other by familiarity and social custom, yet never really united by love, is poignant and remarkable.

5 comments about Born into Brothels: Photographs by the Children of Calcutta.

1. BORN INTO BROTHELS is a welcome addition to the books on color photography. Granted these shots are extracted from the award winning film, a feature documentary exploring the sad and at times sordid lives of these eight children born to prostitutes in the red light district of Calcutta, India. But what photographer Zana Briski has captured in richly brilliant colors is not focused on tragedy or the smarmy aspect of the places in which these children live. Instead she has found the beauty in the innocence of these children, living in a closed world without much hope of escape - except through the gracious ingenuity of Briski who held classes, teaching these children how to use the camera, offering a transient glimpse of a world they might never know.
   
   The children are extraordinarily photogenic, but the dazzling colors of the cloths, jewels, streets, glitter and scents from the spices are palpable. This book stands alone on its merits of color photography: the fact that it holds the message it does makes it incredibly touching and unique. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05



2. Zana Briski came up with a unique idea. Give the children in Calcutta's red-light district their own cameras and let them take pictures of their lives. The result was a documentary of extraordinary children born into the most wretched of circumstances where the girls were destined to enter their mother's trade of prostitution and the boys would join related criminal enterprises. The award-winning film documentary has now produced a unique and extraordinary coffee-table book of photography showcasing Zana Briski's own work in collaboration with these children's photography over a period of seven years. This is also the story of how Briski began holding photography workshops to instruct these children in the basics of photography from lighting and composition to editing and narrative sequencing. Some of these children became so skilled and adept that their developed and developing photography skills could eventually be the source of their emancipation from the lowest rung of Calcutta social and cultural ladder. Highly recommended reading, "Born Into Brothels" would make a stellar addition to academic and community library Photography collections, Indian Studies reference shelves, and Women's Studies supplemental reading lists.



3. After watching the DVD and looking at this book, it has compelled me to take action... It's incredibly moving and very powerful!



4. I bought this because I wanted to preserve my impressions after viewing the DVD. The DVD was exceptional as is the story of these children and how quick they were to pick up a camera and be able to do something with it. I'm still working on that. This is a nice companion to the DVD but if I had it to do over again I would probably pass.



5. Born into Brothels shows what can happen when children in desperate circumstances are given the opportunity to talk about their lives by making pictures. The pictures that the young people make provide evidence that a camera in the hands of a child can be an empowering device that provide the voice that they might otherwise not have. A powerful testament to the power of photographs and the power of pictures.

5 comments about Sorcerer's Apprentice.

1. Tahir Shah is an Englishman of Afghani/Scottish descent who writes what may be a new form: The eccentric maybe true, maybe not true, but true on a metaleval travel book. What I mean by that is that, while the details of his day-to-day experiences may be exaggerated and padded to make the book work with a coherent theme, the facts about the country remain true. I genuinely enjoyed this second book of his that I have read. In it, an 11-year-boy meets the guardian of his ancestor's tomb, learns a bit of magic, grows up, travels to India to tour and meet the guardian again, hoping to learn more slight of hand illusion magic. From there he is referred to his teacher's teacher, who is definitely the archytypical teacher as sadist. As Mr. Tahir learns the craft, we learn a great deal about India, about the travelling magicians, godmen, sadhus, charletans, etc. I found the book engaging from beginning to end and highly recommend it.



2. I ordered my book and got it in 3 or 4 days in flawless
   condition. Many thanks.



3. I loved this book !!! It is the second book I read by this author (the first was the Caliph's House which I also loved) and I intend to read ALL his books past and future.
   I simply fell for his style of writing, it goes to the core and makes you feel like you are present and for me that is what books should do, suck us into the narrative. I had a travel guide of India by me to look up all the locations mentioned in the book and i just marvelled at the amount of information I learned about magic tricks. I hope more people read his books and that he keeps writing.



4. When I purchased this book, due to the title of the book, I expected the book to have an esoteric, occult, flavor and to describe some of the esoteric practices of India - perhaps something along the lines of the books on Aghora, given the illustration on the cover where the individual looks as if he were a devotee of Kali. To me the word "sorcery" represents working in some way with consciousness and energy. This book has nothing of the sort. It is all about performing illusions and is in a way a collection of tricks done by street magicians. If you like street magic, you may enjoy this book. Some of the tricks are based on outright deception, as in the slight-of-hand, while others may involve some knowlede of chemistry, physics, anatomy and psychology. You may feel inspired to get one of those Harry Potter science experiments kits or similar that begin by teaching you how to pass a boiled egg through a glass bottle. You may then progress onto other illusions as performed by David Blaine, Derren Brown or Chris Angel.
   
   I did find the writing style of the author rather entertaining and at time rather funny, which helped to swallow some sad facts about the life of the poor people in India (as in beggars renting babies so that they could make money - the book also has pictures of a "baby dealer" in Calcutta), about the way people look at and treat widows, and few other beliefs and customs that made me appreciate all over again all the comforts I have and sometimes take for granted.



5. This book gets an A+. I've been swimming through Tahir's safaris for the last few months and benefiting to an immense degree. The books are baited with hilarity and insight and inspire to take a more thorough look into our own worlds and the world at large, beyond the illusion of our own delusions. The India presented by Tahir is riveting-- a course in smells, spells, and sales. I read this book in two days, one because I'm so smart, and two... well... I don't want to ruin the sirr-prize, you're fired!

No comments about Time Out Mumbai and Goa (Time Out Guides).

4 comments about Waterproof India Map by ITMB (International Travel Maps).

1. This map is great because it can be stuffed into a backpack and sweat and rain will not damage it. The detail is good, and the information helpful.



2. i WAS IN iNDIA WITH A GROUP IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR AND I WANTED TO MAP OUT JUST WHARE WE WERE DURING THE TRIP.
   THE MAP WAS VERY USEFUL IN HELPING ME SEE JUST HOW FAR AND HOW MANY MILES WE TRAVELED IN 15 DAYS.
   THE MAP IS CLEAR AND VERY WELL LAID OUT
   KEN



3. I brought this map mainly to put it up on the wall - but its not designed for that. The map is on both sides of the paper - divided by regions. Its water-proof and does not tear easily - so its great if you want to use it as a driving guide.



4. ITMB maps are excellent. We have purchased ITMB maps on several previous occasions for various countries... and have never been disappointed in their accuracy and ease of reading. I look forward to getting to use my India map this summer!

No comments about Fodor's India, 6th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

2 comments about Hindi, Urdu & Bengali: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. Although this combined edition is more accurate than the previous separate phrasebooks for Hindi/Urdu and Bengali, do not expect to use it to actually learn the languages or even get beyond a couple of dozen phrases.
   
   Perhaps in conjunction with a formal language guide to Bengali, this phrasebook would be more helpful, but at the time of my recent travels, there was no English language language study guide available for Bengali/Bangla (I think the Teach Yourself series has one, but that series is currently going through a one-by-one reissue as the cover format and typeface have changed).
   
   The main problem is the Bengali to English dictionary, which is listed from the point of view of the written form vs. how things sound or how they transluterate to Latin characters. This requires first learning Bengali script, which is quite difficult due to the bizarre rules in all South Indian derived scripts (including Thai and Khmer/Cambodian as well as Hindi) vs. Cyryllic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. And besides which, literacy is not and should not be a requirement for developing the more important day-to-day fluency of speaking and listening skills in a new language while traveling.
   
   The publisher would also be advised to make clear that there are significant regional variants within Bengali (if not also Hindi/Urdu), and thus one is not always understood even with basic everyday phrases as they are published here. They might also be advised to include the related Punjabi language/dialect in the next edition, to be more complete.



2. I've been using the computer program Rosetta Stone to learn Hindi, and it's extremely helpful in getting a person started with learning the grammar, some basic words, and the script. But Rosetta Stone doesn't teach you the really crucial basic phrases, like "Hello, how are you?", "My name is Bob," or "Where is the bathroom?"
   
   That's the specialty of this phrasebook--teaching you the basic phrases you'll need to get by. It also shows the basics of how to read the Urdu and Hindi scripts, but it's not necessary to learn them to use it, since the phrases all have phonetic renderings. One of the other reviewers complained that this phrasebook won't teach you the language. But it's not meant to; it's just supposed to help you get started, or to help you get by when you're not planning to actually learn the language.
   
   The organization of the book is very useful, since it's grouped into sections for different kinds of phrases, making it easy to find the stuff you're most interested in.
   
   The dictionary in the back, when you're going from Hindi or Urdu to English, is arranged in the order of the Hindi or Urdu alphabets. Maybe this doesn't make the most sense for English speakers, who if they're just starting aren't going to memorize the order of all the letters in the Hindi and Urdu alphabets. The other reviewer complained about this, but since the dictionaries aren't very long, I don't think it's a big deal. The dictionaries also have the phonetic spellings, so you can flip through pretty quickly to find the letter you're looking for.
   
   My main complaint is that the Urdu font in this book is kind of hard to read. It might just be because I first learned the script from another book that used a different font, and that's what I'm used to now. But I think that with the font used in this book, it's inherently harder to tell which letter is which, making it harder on a beginner.

1 comments about Simon Winchester's Calcutta (Writer & Place).

1. This book is, in my opinion, a close second to Blaise and Mukherjee's "Days and Nights in Calcutta" as the best introduction to Calcutta for westerners. Winchester's own views and experiences are valuable, but it is in his choice of other voices that this book comes into its own.