Thursday, April 04, 2002

The Great Indian Novel

What is arguably Shashi Tharoor's best book is a great read. An interpretation of the conflicts and thrills of the Mahabharat set in pre-independence India, the book mixes a rich vocabulary with lucid entertaining prose and poetry to provide both entertaining reading and allegorical commentary. Although not as subtle as Shyam Benegal's 1981 flawed corporate adaptation Kalyug, the book compensates with strong often self-mocking tongue-in-cheek humour.

Related articles:

The Great Bharata War in Recent Film and Fiction by Robert P. Goldman

Mahabharata as Literature, Performance, Ideology (includes links and references to existing interpretations of the epic in art)

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