Thursday, March 08, 2007

Tamas


In Tamas, a novel of India the author, Bhisham Sahni, recreates the period in India just before the partition. I especially liked his ability to portray different points of view, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and the British, through his characters as they become involved in the events of the novel. You get a particularly good feel for the relationship between the British administrators and the Indians as well as the tensions between the religious factions. I've read several books about India and this was one of the best

3 comments:

Azalea said...

Tamas was made into a very beautiful TV series which aired when I was a child. If you ever get a chance to watch it, please do. What other books from India have you read?

James said...

Thanks, I'll have to check out the filmed version of Tamas.

A few of the better Indian novels I've read (and some favorites) are Heat and Dust by Jhabvala, The Moor's Last Sigh by Rushdie, The Financial Expert by Narayan, and A River Sutra by Gita Mehta. I have found R. K. Narayan particularly fun to read.

Azalea said...

Ruth Jhabvala has written several books, all of which are wonderful. Ismail Merchant and James Ivory adapted several of them into beautiful TV productions worth checking out.

I love R. K. Narayan too. You should try reading his "Swami and Friends". It is delightful.