[lbo-talk] Overrated writers

Dissenting Wren dissentingwren at yahoo.com
Fri Apr 22 16:23:42 PDT 2011


Yes, yes, and yes to Narayan.  And to Amitava Kumar. (And to who knows how many South Asian writers who don't write in English).  

I won't join in the piling on Rushdie, though.  He strikes me as a bit of a tool, but I thought Midnight's Children was terrific.  Yes, you can argue that it's derivative of Garcia Marquez, but it's still a magnificent, sprawling, caustic tour de force.

But fuck Naipaul, who gives us pervs a bad name.  http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3688422.ece

----- Original Message ----- From: "123hop at comcast.net" <123hop at comcast.net> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Cc: Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 5:53 PM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Overrated writers

----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Smith" <mjs at smithbowen.net>

Oh and second the motion about Naipaul. Ugh! ---------

Yeah, I tried to read him but couldn't. It's interesting though that the West slobbers all over this constipated scribbler, but ignores R.K. Narayan, one of the great writers of the 20th century. The Chekhov of India if you will.

You can't even get his books here easily. Someone on lbo wrote a friend in India who sent me all his books. Oh, the ecstasy of it!!!

I suspect the reason Naipaul is preferred to Narayan is because Naipaul worries about the West whereas Narayan can't even be bothered to mention it.

And worse than that, fucking Naipaul won the fucking Nobel.

Ugh,

Joanna ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk



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