Bookless In Baghdad - Shashi Tharoor

My first exploration of ‘Tharoor’ magic, and it would only be just to say that it left me captivated wanting for more.

This book is a collection of Mr. Tharoor’s essays (and an excerpt from one speech) about books, reading, writing, authors and reviews – literary experience, in short. It’s divided into 5 parts, with all 5 competing to steal the show.

Part 1 – Inspiration

In this part, the author writes about how he found inspiration for reading (and writing) making this my favourite portion in the whole book! The passion and yearning itched in the authors heart is directly conveyed with no loss; someone who loves to read, is sure to find parts of themselves among those first chapters. This section shows a glimpse of the copious volumes of books the author has read (and still reading) and how keen an observer he is. This review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning how this section re-kindled my interest in books, taking me almost 15,16 years back when I used to finish a book in one go. It is also amusing to read that Mr. Tharoor grew up liking Enid Blyton and similar foreign authors and how he beautifully explains this phenomenon, of which a considerable share of India’s reading minds are also a part of, as a contribution of our colonialism. That it gave us a unique taste in literature that we learnt to appreciate the settings of those books despite being quite strange to us. In his words “If the stories were alien, we weren’t alienated; they were to be read and enjoyed, not mined for relevance.”

Part 2 – Reconsideration

Writers’ ensemble – the ones who left a mark in Mr. Tharoor’s mind. There are articles about some writers like P.G Wodehouse and Salman Rushdie with such awe and admiration that would urge a non-reader of their books to give it a try. There are also texts bordering contempt about some others. There are some interesting discussions on the two poled literary and personal lives of some writers as well. There are quite a few quotes from across the globe which the author has carefully preserved and penned down, but I am lending one of his own as a response to Malcom Muggeridge’s words “it always seemed to me that the only thing worth doing in life was to write”, to which Mr. Tharoor writes “What words will endure, no writers can know, but for those of us, who have to struggle to find the time to write, that motto remains an inspiration”.

Part 3- The Literary Life

In this part, the author covers his eclectic literary experiences from around the world. The records range from the unsurpassed thrill and enthusiasm of a ‘fanboy’ on Salman Rushdie’s brief appearance from his seclusion on the Hay Festival of Literature of 1992 to writings on how to deal gracefully with a bad or negative review. In the subsequent chapters under this section, the author shares his views on the literary life of people, where do they stand with statistical numbers as well as personal encounters. He discussed mainly on America, France and the most on India. There are a couple of chapters where he weighs down his opinion about judgmental criticism wherein people review the works of an artist (be it a writer, composer, or anyone contributing creatively), based on pre-conceived notions about their cultural background. The author makes clear he is against any such “stamping”. As with all other sections Mr. Tharoor gives us something to ponder with his words “Understanding the point of view of those with whom we profoundly disagree is the first steps towards learning to create a society which manages such disagreement”

Part 4 – Appropriations

Among quite a few additions to my vocabulary contributed by this book, one is ‘appropriation’ roughly meaning taking something for personal use without owner’s permission. This section also addresses different topics like how one of his novels ‘Show Business’ turned unrecognisably into celluloid named ‘Bollywood’ by Bikramjith Singh, his say regarding odd ode to various authors by their fan club, which might have offended them, had they been still present. There are also interesting points of discussions on literature in journalism, its brilliance in bringing out the voice of the suppressed, to act as the last ray of hope, despite the often political and regional restrictions imposed. And for all writers out there, who takes pride in their own work Mr. Tharoor sends the message, it is natural to do so “Show me a writer without an ego and I’ll show you a good actor.

Part 5 - Interrogations

This section takes up more serious note. Here, Mr. Tharoor shares some of his literary journeys as part of his Assistant to secretary general of U.N. he talks about the idea of ‘globalisation and human imagination’ and the need for the whole world to come together and work together as one family. Sharing his professional knowledges and personal thoughts he shows how the poverty or illiteracy in one remote corner of the world affects all the people around the globe. He puts forward a very inspiring message across these chapters. The book ends with the chapter ‘The anxiety of audience’ where the author explains beautifully the purpose of his writing “India matters to me and through my writings I would like to matter to India.