Four Reviews

Today I'm posting review of four books from varied genre: Fiction, History, Religion and Science.

Somerset Maugham was one of the greatest story writers of the twentieth century, in the company of greats like Maupassant, Chekhov and Rudyard Kipling. He was hugely popular amongst reading public. And indisputably the richest from his writings. His short story ‘Rain’, allegedly, earned him one million dollars in his lifetime. Perhaps it was his enormous popularity, his unconventional lifestyle, his sardonic wit and his bone-chilling wry sense of humour- earning  him the reputation of being a cynic- which did not endear him to the high-brow critics of the day. He wrote many forms of fiction: short-story, novel and play. I think his art reached its apogee in ‘long-short-story’. I understand the term sounds like an oxymoron. But I do not know how else to label a story of ten to fifteen thousand words, that is too long to be called a short-story but not long enough to earn the title of a novella. The cast-iron compactness of his stories, the impregnable structure, witty and natural dialogues, and brevity of prose not at the cost of lucidity, are astounding. I present to you, my opinion on the second volume of his Collected ShortStories (a set comprising four volumes). This was one of the first review of a book I penned. But, I had been reading Maugham for many years. You must overlook the gushing adulation of a moonstruck fan and his seething critique of other authors, all quite foolish and immature.

Pascal Boyer's Religion Explained is an erudite enquiry of the phenomenon of religion. Book is not about theism, atheism, or agnosticism. Consequently it does not criticize any form of belief or the lack of it. I will strongly recommend it for anyone interested in this strange, powerful, and all-pervading cultural meme.

India Discovered, by the Scot historian John Keay, is a marvelous book about the process of the discovery of Indian History. Keay makes history fun to read, while sticking to facts and assiduously avoiding fables. He has authored many books on South Asia, each written well.

The most intriguing attribute of our species is our Mind. It gives us an unparalleled advantage in the history of life on earth, proffering us with enormous power and capabilities. Homo sapiens has been the most successful species amongst millions extant and many more million extinct species. This is definitely the victory of brain over brawn. VS Ramachandran's Tell-Tale Brain is an ingenious attempt to unravel the deep mystery of the infinitely arcane human mind.