The World Book Fair at New Delhi is about to begin, and INDIAreads will be there.

Do visit the INDIAreads stalls – we can’t wait to have you paw our brand new merchandise even as you struggle to manage a cheap sandwich with one hand, and a screaming brat with the other.

It’s always a pleasure to hear you gossip about the authors in hushed tones (“Amartya Sen – isn’t he the guy that invented Amul..?”), and it really makes our day when you ask us 50 painfully mundane questions and end up buying nothing. We live for those moments!

The theme at this year’s fair shall be ‘Indian Cinema’.

Cinema and Literature – Really…?

As long as the cinematic medium has existed, the movie industry has looked to literature for both inspiration and content.

But when turning a literary masterpiece into a movie, do the two mediums share enough commonalities so as to enable a smooth transition…?

The filmwallahs would answer ‘yes’. From ‘About A Boy’ to ‘Wuthering Heights’, the conversion of popular books to big screen pictures has been a recurring theme in film, particularly in recent years with the success of huge franchises like Harry Potter and the Twilight saga.

While much discussion centers around adaptations that aren’t seen as having lived up to the literature on which they are based, there are many adaptations that actually enhance an existing story; or completely supersede it.

Example: Fight Club – a brilliant movie, stemming from an okay novel.

Or Clueless, which takes a novel from 1815 and makes it relevant to the modern day by setting the story of Jane Austen’s Emma in the context of a Beverly Hills high school.

But all faffing aside – the tendency to make film adaptations of books stems largely from the desire for a guaranteed audience, and is not quite the ‘natural progression’ for a book as advocated by some filmmakers.

Flipside? Stories are abridged, scenes are added, movie-only fans (newbies, resented by the hard core lit enthusiasts) are born, and those who followed the series from its inception are often left feeling a little disappointed at the end product.

The greatest difference between movies and novels is that cinemagoers share a much more social, passive experience than bookworms – who enjoy an active, solitary read. This means that while those reading the book have their own visions of characters and events, film audiences are forced to share a single vision of what these aspects of the story look like.

This alienates the book fan further – what was once a personal experience for him/her, is now universal; with the perceptions and prejudices of producers, directors, actors and audiences – all influencing the final product.

All is not lost, though.

In Part II, we shall take a look at some of the more successful experiments to have managed the leap from literature to cinema.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

A disgraced journalist named Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) and a tattooed computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) are hired by the great-uncle of Harriet Vanger to investigate her forty year old disappearance. As he suspected, the event is linked to their crooked family and a past slew of murders. What will the family do to keep this information a secret for another forty years? Blomkvist has just lost a libel suit against anotoriously devious tycoon whereas Lisbeth has to deal with her sexually abusive guardian. Rape, incest, torture and serial killings consistently dominate the novel.  Author  Stieg Larsson who passed away leaving three unpublished novels that comprised the trilogy, became posthumously famous in several European countries. Mystery, suspense and thriller is something which can define the whole drama.

The film has been made in three parts. The other two parts are titled “The Girl who played with Fire” and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. Niels Arden Oplev directed the first one and Daniel Alfredson directed the second & third.

Buy/rent your favourite books by Steig Larsson from INDIAreads-online bookstore cum library. Register Now.

In the first few chapters of Twilight, Edward saves Bella from car accident at their school. After that, she is sent to the hospital even though she is not seriously hurt. At the same emergency room, Tyler Crowley, the one that almost crushed her with his van, lies bleeding profusely.

A few chapters later, when the students practice blood testing in their Biology class, Bella becomes faint at the sight and smell of blood.

Why didn’t she faint at the hospital when Tyler was next to her with nurses looking after his wounds? After all, he was seriously hurt and covered with injuries.

Why did she faint at the Biology class even though it was just a droplet?

John Le Carre is an author who writes ’spy literature’. His novels offer a look at the inner workings and emotions felt by his well fleshed-out characters in the espionage trade. Often bordering on poetry, his prose is spectacular and makes you feel as if you know the characters. As he introduces them to you one by one, you slowly find yourself caring for them as well.

Although some elements of this book may not seem overly realistic to the more discerning specialists of espionage, the general story line is believable. Bartholomew “Barley” Scott Blair is not a hero, not even a patriot. He is a careless publisher, a jazz player and a chess fan. Hardly possessing any of the qualities which would make him a great spy, he is pushed into the espionage game because of his drunken exchange of thoughts with a Russian scientist named Geothe. Reluctantly agreeing to play the part of a courier and agent-runner by British spymasters he soon lands up in the midst of huge conspiracy. From here onwards Le Carre takes the reader on a journey through London, Moscow, an island off the coast of New England, and Leningrad in the attempt to confirm Blair in his new job of spy and get the elusive scientist to switch sides. Soon after he arrives in Russia,Blair falls in love with a girl, who very much like him, has been pushed into the spy game. Not having expected to fall in love with Goethe’s emissary, a whole new tasteful spin is added to Blair’s debut mission in his spying career. He finds himself reaching a point where he has to decide whom to betray – the girl he loves or his country. A classical dilemma.

With his usual style, suspenseful artistry, and intellectual gamesmanship, Le Carre stirs the reader’s interest and dismay as the game is set into motion with deadly earnest by the Brits, the Americans, and the Russians, none of whom really care about Barley, the contact, or the scientist. The characters here are equally intimate and distant, illuminating yet shrouded in secrecy. They are real people, afraid, greedy, selfish, people who readers can relate with, people who don’t have the power to eliminate the evils of the world single-handedly. However, it is ironic that in a novel billed as a love story the most convincing relationships that are portrayed are those between the superpowers at the time of Gorbachev’s restructuring.

Through this novel, Le Carre gives us a glimpse of life for both the Westerners and Easterners in Communist Russia. The lingering shadows of Stalin and Breshnev are never dismissed lightly, but rather the hope that was glasnost shines on through the murky depths of intrigue. As one can expect from the shadowy and complex geopolitical world of espionage and power that Le Carre writes so brilliantly and unforgettably about, there are no simple answers or easy foregone conclusions. Stunning and suspenseful, this has the ring of more real-life veracity and worldly wisdom than one can easily find in most nonfiction books.

A film based on the novel was released in 1990, starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, and directed by Fred Schepisi.

The Russia House is available for rent and purchase at India’s fastest growing online book rental library cum bookstore.

Okay, so if a guy writes chick-lit or offers relationship advice to women, he’s treading on thin ice. Right? After all, there is a very thin line between chivalry and chauvinism. However, this book is not so much the tons of excuses that a guy could make up to validate the behavior of the male sex. Rather, the book serves as a reminder to a woman make sure she is being treated with the respect she deserves.

Okay so the title is a little off. But the idea is simple: why waste one moment of your precious time on somebody who doesn’t think the world of you? In fact, if she/he doesn’t dig you like you deserve to be appreciated, stop wasting your time barking up a lame tree.

Drawing inspiration from an episode of Sex and the City, Greg Behrendt, a standup comedian, co authored the book with Liz Tuccillo, who is in fact a writer for the show. For anyone who has tasted a sample of each author’s previous work, the book is sure to live up to any expectations there may be. The book is certainly fun and upbeat. The authors do a great job at engaging their audience with familiar, quirky experiences to which anyone can easily relate to. Full of hysterical one-liners, tidbits of advice on guys, and most importantly valuing yourself, this is a book which dishes out a lot of common sense. In fact, if you are one to consider gaining knowledge from a book on dating, written  by a comedian and a sitcom writer far too shallow, then after you finish reading this book, you wouldn’t want to be deep at all.

The book focuses on one clear point. Teaching the art of calling a spade a spade. The format itself is pretty easy to get into. It reads as if you are talking to an old friend who listens to your every word, understands all of it, and offers the most obvious, yet eye-opening advice. Of course, this isn’t high literature by any stretch of the imagination. But despite being humorous and breezy, it still is quite accurate on dealing with human behavior when one is not thinking straight.

However, there could have been a bit more about empowering women to promote real change in their relational positioning. Also it sort of diminishes males into simplistic characters that emanate one of two relationship signals: I’m interested, or I’m not. Relationships are not entirely based on Yes or No. There are various other dynamics involved and factors that develop with time. If the book’s assumption is that sex drives the man, then perhaps the book is accurate in that regard. The last few chapters could have also been entirely omitted, as they keep repeating the same idea over and over. Overall, a light read with lots of laughs and insight to offer. This is a positive book which repackages the truth about relationships in a very fresh and original manner. Post break-up manual? Perhaps.

Made into a Hollywood movie by New Line Cinema, the on screen adaptation stars award winning actors such as Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johanson.

He’s Just Not That Into You is available for rent and purchase at the INDIAreads Online Book Rental Library cum Bookstore.

The earliest known example of a detective story was The Three Apples from the Arabian Nights. Considered the archetype for detective fiction, it is the story of a man who, in order to prevent his own execution, manages to solve a case through reasoning. Since then, sleuths have evolved to a more systemized way of solving mysteries, deciphering hidden clues, and of course,  a dress code which doesn’t include a wearing a kaftan while solving crime.

Over the years, each decade has been witness to detectives who have not only lived the most amazing lives in books and the minds of readers, but have also owned the age of their foray into the literary world. And whether it was Hitchcock’s The Three Investigators or Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon, every fictional detective has at some point or the other made the transition from minor to great by stepping on the path illuminated by the two greats – Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot – the two most famous names in whodunit mysteries.

Even after years of their respective authors’ deaths, the two have been reincarnated in books, films and every other form of media time and again. Refined, multi- talented, and always dapper, these two detectives possessed the sharpest set of skill and intellect fine tuned by years of experience. So here in a battle of wits, observation patterns and deductive powers, the two greats finally go head to head. Is it Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s enigmatic Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie’s fastidious Hercule Poirot who deserves to be named the better detective? You decide.

Celeb author Andrew Morton’s is all set to reveal details of Angelina Jolie’s trysts with drugs, self-harm and voodoo. His new book, a biography of teh Hollywood diva will, also expose some secrets of her sex life and will contain information on the Brangelina relationship.

Morton’s book is based on interviews with friends of associates of Angelina. However, Morton claims that the actress will herself have to wait to find out what’s in it.

Earlier, Morton has written a tell-all book about Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles

They are immortal descendants of noble birth. Enigmatic, powerful and possessing a thirst for human blood, vampires have featured in some of the most famous books throughout the ages. Their haunting presence has given life and a whole lot of blood to the role of characters such as Jonathan Harking, Dr. Goodweather and Buffy, who, if not for their unnatural rivals, might have crawled into anemic oblivion.

Here, in a match-up between two of the most famous vampires – The Count and young Mr. Cullen go head to head.

Who has a better bite?

So which one is the badder, faster and more powerful of out of the two?

Is it Bram Stoker’s archetypal, caped nosferatu or is it the mysterious teenager from Washington in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight? Participate in our poll and vote for whom you think deserves to win in this face-off between two of literature’s most famous vampires.

By Dr Syeda Hameed

I was determined to see The Japanese Wife. First, because I admire Aparna Sen’s work and second because a few months ago in Kolkata, Sharmila Tagore (one whose intellectual depth is formidable) told me, “Syeda, it is a must.”

It was a Sunday afternoon. I had read that morning a review in Hindustan Times which trashed the film. I decided to go anyway.

The film begins with a wide angle shot of Sundarbans. The Matla river which is a recurring metaphor of timelessness, reminded me of two days I spent on a shabby boat which took off from Basanti towards Sundarbans. It followed the meandering river stopping at various islands adrift in this amazing confluence of land and water. Although I did not even see the pug marks of the Bengal Tiger when we stopped at Shonakhali but the experience of navigating across the Hoogal river was unforgettable. It all came back to me in the darkened hall, watching yet another one of Sen’s unforgettable films.

When the lights came on at the end, my throat was choked. I looked at my friend, one of the country’s most promising young administrators. Her eyes were clouded. We spoke very little on the way. At home I found a corner where I had the luxury of crying, because I had seen in the film some goodness in a world where the word ‘goodness’ has lost its place. There was only one other film which had this impact on me, ‘War and Peace’ which I saw in 1950’s. I had just read the novel; the film brought Tolstoy’s characters to life in the persona of Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrar.

In those days tears were nothing to be ashamed of and no one made fun of us when we cried reading Tolstoy, Thomas Hardy or Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. Those were different days when human emotion was respected.

Japanese wife is the love story of a Maths teacher Snehamoy who lives in a village inside Sundarbans with his aunt, wonderfully acted by Rahul Bose and Moushumi Chatterjee. He develops a pen friendship with a Japanese girl, Miyage. The letters flow and so do the small confidences, intimacies, ultimately leading to a long distance marriage. Snehamoy wears Miyage’s silver ring with his name engraved and Miyage places the kumkum in the parting of her hair. Meanwhile life goes on at both ends of the globe at its own leisurely pace. The languid rhythm of Sundarbans parallels the gentle pace of Miyage’s life in Japan.

It is when Miyage gets afflicted with cancer that Snehamoy’s love finds a strong direction. While he seeks cure from Ayurvedics, Homeopaths and Hakims, she grinds the Indian ingredients in a mortar in accordance with his instruction. The entry of a young widow Soundhya and her little son in Snehamoy’s life creates a turmoil which is intensely felt but contained. He writes to Miyage his feelings for this woman. The relationship of Snehamoy, the widow, and the little boy is a masterpiece of cinema. The boy asks Snehamoy “Why did you marry a Japani? Couldn’t you find a Bengali bahu?”

We see the natural manner with which villagers treat this long distance marriage. Aside from one incident when there is a competition of Indian kites with Japanese kites (Miyage’s father was a kite artist and she sends all his ‘master kites’ to her husband) the villagers accept the idea of a Japani Bahu. When the boy hangs out at the river waiting for the boat to bring Japani Kakis’s letters, the old teashop owner simply says, “Child, don’t get wet, wait inside, if you must. The boat won’t come in this storm.” It is the storm which lashes its fury on Snehamoy and finally he succumbs to pneumonia for want of a pharmacy in this small hamlet.

In the final scene, we see a boat coming in. Miyage steps out in a white sari, her head shaven (cancer or widowhood?) Snehamoy had told her of the Indian custom for widows to shave their hair. She asks for his address. When she reaches Snehamoy’s house and tries to pay the rickshaw wallah; he places his hand on his ears refusing to take money. Miyage is ushered in by Soundhya and taken to Snehamoy’s room which is decorated with the Japanese mementos she had sent over the years. The two women are, in a manner, alone in the world of Sundarbans.

The Japanese wife is an Ode to Human Spirit which oscillates between love, duty, responsibility, goodness, courage and resilience. It invokes values which, at the end of the day, are the only ones which persevere. Its beauty cannot be seen by eyes which are dazed by gazing at computer screens rescuing the few letters from the trash of the email. Its gentleness cannot be appreciated by who live by the creed of cocktails and condoms.

Dr Syeda Hameed

For me, an Urdu speaking poetry loving woman, it was amazing that not for a moment did I realize that the film was in Bengali. It felt like a ‘nazm’ in universal language. Aparna Sen has transcended the boundaries of language, culture and time by creating a film which is best described by the Shakespearean epithet ‘ripeness is all’. One can only pity those who have written smartly worded reviews, for they, as the Quran says “Have eyes but cannot see.”

(Syeda Hameed is a writer and Member of Planning Commission)

Check previous posts on THE JAPANESE WIFE

Rent, purchase best selling novel The Japanese Wife by Kunal Basu from INDIAreads Online Book Rental Library

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picloult expresses hope and heartbreak all at once with her amazingly realistic fiction. Through the viewpoints of half a dozen people, Picoult narrates the story of a young girl named Kate plagued with leukemia since an early age and her family’s struggle to keep her alive. Kate’s younger sister Anna, is a thirteen year old who was genetically conceived to be a match to her leukemia positive sister. Having been in the hospital as much as Kate donating things such as blood and bone marrow, Anna seeks legal emancipation from her parents after she is asked to donate one of her kidneys to her sister.

As the story gets off to an interesting start, one thing that takes a little getting used to is the switch of the point of view in every chapter. After the initial awkwardness, we see that this actually helps move the plot along. Skipping through the minds of Anna and all the people close to her, (except for Kate) Picoult allows the reader to have a well rounded view look at the story. Going through each chapter from a different character’s standpoint, the author will leave readers torn. At times finding themselves supporting Kate, and at other times leaning towards Sara, the poor, helpless mother.

With the notable exception of the mother, each character’s perspective is given in the present. Picoult traces the mother’s path of learning that her daughter has leukemia, and the decisions that lead her to the current moment. This bit is extremely well executed as instead of simply leaving the mother’s character and her decisions open to judgment, the author allows readers to see the mother’s pain and experience her anguish. This approach gives a far greater impact to the storytelling.

A gifted writer no doubt, in a fashion similar to  Dan Brown or William Shakespeare, Jodi Picoult is able to write wonderful stories that keep the reader entertained from start to finish. However, the negative aspect is also that when these writers find a plot formula they like, it is usually run to the ground. Picoult’s novels follow this track: Improbable and dramatic events, dramatic trial decision, twist ending, etc. repeated in her other novels as well. Nevertheless, My Sister’s Keeper is a tense and riveting book which deserves to be called Picoult’s finest work to date.

This is a story which brings up interesting ethical issues surrounding stem cell research, designer babies, as well as parenting and the difficult choices a family must face in the wake of a disease like leukemia. Well written, well plotted, and well developed, it is sure to make you think. The moral and religious viewpoints anyone has might reject the notion of a test-tube baby created for a specific purpose. On the other hand, how easy would it be to remain true to moral perspectives when parenthood sets in and demands all that needs to be done to protect a child or a loved one? How true would anyone stay?  This is a story which takes ambiguity to a new level.

Released by New Line Cinema, the screen play adaptation by Jeremy Leven of the same name stars Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin. The movie won three of the five awards it was nominated for.

You can rent, purchase or gift a copy of My Sister’s Keeper available at the INDIAreads Online Library

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