Book Rack

From the world of literature

Shekhar: A Life

Agyeya, translated by Snehal S and Vasudha D

Penguin, 2018, Rs 699, pp 571

On the night before he is to be hanged, Shekhar finds himself drawn into a vortex of scattered memories of his childhood and youth. Regarded as an influential novel, it reimagines the journey of an underground revolutionary in the pre-independence era.

Rebel Sultans

Manu S Pillai
Juggernaut, 2018, Rs 599, pp 308

Packed with riveting tales and compelling characters, it takes us from the age of Khilji to the ascent of Shivaji. The author narrates the story of Deccan from the close of the 13th century to the dawn of the 18th.Unravelling the forgotten chapters in our medieval past, it reminds us of a different age and time.

The Man Who Saw the Sun and other plays

Makarand Sathe

Speaking Tiger, 2018, Rs 350, pp 185

This volume includes three best works of the author translated into English. They Went Ahead is set in a limbo-like space after death. And, many vivid characters are brought together at a traffic jam in Crossroads. The Man Who Saw the Sun explores questions of truth and justice with help of the Greeks.

Memory in the Age of Amnesia

Saeed Akhtar Mirza

Westland, 2018, Rs 499, pp 222

The author unravels the loaded terms like patriotism, terror, democracy and national interest through the essays and stories in this book. He attempts to
demystify the constructs of nation and power in
contemporary India.

Claudia

Sophia Lorena Benjamin

Niyogi Books, 2018, Rs 395, pp 251

Claudia, a young Goan woman with two older, unmarried sisters, is the family’s only hope, as reputations can be salvaged if she marries a sailor from the community. Except, Claudia is in a ‘forbidden’ relationship with a Portuguese man.

The Most Dangerous Place

Srinath Raghavan

Penguin, 2018, Rs 799, pp 453

This book presents a gripping account of America’s political, strategic, economic and cultural presence in the region. By illuminating the patterns of the past, this sweeping history also throws light on the challenges of the future.

The Zero-Cost Mission/The Wily Agent

Amar Bhushan

Harper Collins, 2018, Rs 250, pp 200

The Zero Cost Mission is a tale of Vijay Shukla, in charge of Bangladesh operations at India’s external agency and his plans. The Wily Agent details the pitfalls of gathering intelligence in a foreign country. These thrillers are soon to be motion pictures by Vishal Bharadwaj.

Spirits in a Spice Jar

Sarina Kamini

Westland, 2018, Rs 499, pp 326

For the author’s Kashmiri family, food is love, love is faith and faith is family. There is an emotional upheaval when, 10 years after her Australian mother is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, unaddressed grief turns into spice, and her prayers to poison. This book compiles her journey, healing that comes from recipes, and her new perspective towards her faith.