Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
I made another late night trip to Barnes and Noble. I was without a book to read and desperate to find a good book. My sister had just laid her hands on Shantaram and had enjoyed the first ten pages. I went out and bought the book for $15.00. It is is by far one of the good books I have read in my lifetime. It was hard to put it down and I ended up staying up late most of the nights reading this book. The book took me on a journey beyond my world. It took me to a world I knew existed but had never had a glimpse of. It fascinated me with how different and interesting lives can me. Shantaram is a great book and I highly recommend it.
It is the story of Gregory David Roberts called Lin or Lin Baba or Shantaram. It is the story of his trials and tribulations. It is the story of his desire and need to belong to Bombay. It is the story of freedom and love. It is the tale of Lin escaping a maxium security prison in Australia and arriving in Bombay and his eight years there. I look forward to his prequel and sequel to the book.
posted by MYV @ 3:07 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Nice. Your descriptions of the book do make me feel like picking it up when workload sorta reduces (one day in the near future hopefully!)
However, you might hate me for pointing this out (God! I am frikkin' dead after this!), but based on an interview on Robert's site on Shantaram to the Indian Express - he clearly states that Shantaram is a novel and not an autobiography. Here are the culprit lines from that interview:
"Q. When did the idea of an autobiography, with the city both as a character and as a backdrop, first strike you?
A. With respect, Shantaram is not an autobiography, it’s a novel. If the book reads like an autobiography, I take that as a very high compliment, because I structured the created narrative to read like fiction but feel like fact. I wanted the novel to have the page-turning drive of a work of fiction but to be informed by such a powerful stream of real experience that it had the authentic feel of fact."
Anyways, apart from that, from some of the excerpts I've read his love for Mumbai shows through.
I've yet to see a good Mumbaikar review of the book though. In any case, the interview has established that its a fictionalized account - and is NOT an autobiography. I had kinda gotten that feeling listening to some of the stories you mentioned from the book, as well as from the excerpt pages. I think all goras usually sweep Indians in novels in a typical single-dimensional fashion (simple-minded, good hearted, poor, but happy and loyal) brush. But, that representation being a given, it's clear that he is in the know about all things Mumbai, and has so many experiences from which to draw to write his book. Besides, as I mentioned, he's clearly in love with the city.
That, and the fibbing are the common thread that connects him and me. All us Mumbaikars actually!;) Hee! hee! Just kidding!
Heard that Chunkey Pandey will play a role along with the Deppster in the movie adaptation. Good for him!
Sarat,
Maybe I was not very clear in my description about the book. Most of his experiences in the book are real. Specially joining the Bombay mafia, going to prison and his daily life in Bombay. Some stories about the bear maybe fictional.
A city, specially a city like Bombay does not belong to any one kind of people. It does not belong to just Mahrashtrians, Gujratis or Indians. It embraces anyone that wants to belong.
The fact that enjoyed the book so much is not about the city or about Lin. It is the well written story. The set of experiences he goes through are so unique and so different from our sheltered lives. You should read the book and you will realize that he does not convey the people of India as simple hearted people. He build there characters the way people really are. He breathes life into them as normal, breathing, racist, selfish, loving people. You will really enjoy this book :).
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