Review: "The Agony and the Ecstacy" by Irving Stone

Summary: A biographical novel based on the life of the great artist Michelangelo. It is based in the Renaissance times —the powerful Medici family, the monk Savonarola, and the political turmoil which in intrinsically linked with his art making. The novel begins in his childhood when he begins his first apprenticeship and ends with his death when he is almost ninety, spanning the years where he is possessed with the fury of making magnificent art.

Review: This epic novel was brilliant and inspiring. It brought to life the turbulent Renaissance times and the genius of Michelangelo. His need to create art pervaded the book. The longing which he felt to carve stone, superseded any other emotional attachment in his life. My favorite parts were the descriptions of his state of mind as he conceptualized new sculptures or paintings. He put so much thought even into the traditional and mythical figures like Mary, David, Hercules and Christ, figuring out which stage of life he wanted to reveal them in, what they were to signify and how to best achieve that.

David

His obsession with his art, was juxtaposed by the difficult scenarios he found himself in, where he was forced to stay away from that what he loved. Even as fame came to him, the Popes wanted him to create works to immortalize them, in the process drawing him away from that which drove him. He became a pawn in the political struggles that scarred the landscape of Italy. But even as he created works that he was compelled to do, he was unable to to do them in a mediocre way. He had to do them to the best of his ability, disregarding money, food and even sleep. I was fascinated to learn that the Sistine Chapel ceiling which he is famous for, was also a commission which dismayed him, as it kept him away from marble carving. His greatest love was for marble carving and the language of the book, in the description of the process of selecting, carving and even describing the marble, portays this beautifully.

It was interesting to see his relationship with other artists, especially Leaonardo Da Vinci and Raphael, two other famous artists of this period. In terms of the women in his life, only his relationship with his first love, Contessina, Lorenzo de Medici's daughter, stayed with me. His relationship with his family was difficult to read about. His father's lack of interest in his art and only in the money it brought is not surprising but frustrating.  

Sistine Chapel

Even though it was absorbing, the book was a slow read. I felt that his sense of purposelessness when he was not involved in creating art, coincided with the slowing down of the narrative. And when he was engrossed in making new works, the pages rushed by. This was my personal experience, probably because I  really enjoyed reading about his art-making. It was heart-breaking when the arm of his David broke due to a mob of fighting people. It makes one realize how ephemeral art can be. It took him years and years to create some of these works and they could be destroyed so easily. His bronze statue of one Pope was melted and made into a cannon, with the change in power structure. I actually felt anxious when there were discussions of painting over his Sistine Chapel painting as people thought it "ungodly."

Tomb of Julius II

Besides the actual process of art making, there was this fury to create art that pervaded the entire text, which I found captivating. He was so in love with his work that he dismissed any practical and logical thoughts, doing whatever he could to get his hands on marble. He was driven by bringing his own unique interpretation to his art, in a time where staying true to convention was revered in artists. He actually performed dissections, something he could have been hanged for, because he felt he must understand the inner workings of the body in order to display them in art. He defied a Pope, questioned all authority and challenged the best artists of his time. At the same time, he doesn't come across as a vain person, just someone who was solely consumed by his passion for his art.

Pieta

 

I think everyone should read this book to understand the trials and tribulations one of the greatest artist ever, faced in his lifetime. The book is perfectly titled "The Agony and the Ecstacy" because it is marked by these extreme emotions. It is a fascinating read about the Renaissance times, the power struggles, the questions of faith and most of all the genius of Michelangelo.

 

Review of Sarah Dunant's 'The Birth of Venus'

Summary: Alessandra Cecchi is a girl born during the Renaissance times, who is passionate about painting, not really a viable option for women in that era. When her father brings home a young painter to their house to decorate the chapel walls in the family's Florence Palazzo, she is drawn to him. But she is eventually married to a wealthy, older man.
Her story is in the foreground of Italy during the Renaissance times. There is the Medici family, patrons of the arts and learning. Challenging their power is the fundamentalist monk Savonarola. As life in Florence changes drastically, Alessandra once again has the opportunity to paint, and to love.

Review: I enjoyed reading this book. It vividly brought to life Florence during the Renaissance times. The historical framework was really exciting but it was the character of Alessandra that stayed with me. Rebellious by nature, drawn to life outside of her home and hearth, and a talented painter, it is difficult not to fall in love with her character. She chooses marriage to a wealthy, older man, only because it would help her escape life in a convent. She challenges conventions and stretches the limited options available to her, as a woman of that era.

She vocalizes her thoughts that there were no women artists during that time, because women did not have the access to learning, apprenticeships and the other opportunities that the men had, to improve their skills. Still, with her limited access to resources, she manages to paint. 

Her life becomes the foreground and in the background is the political turmoil in Florence. Questions of faith stem up as religion becomes a political tool (not much different from the state of the world today!) There are references to the beginning of dissection by artists to understand the inner working of the body, in order to reflect that in their work. This is of course a huge taboo. The other taboo is homosexual relationships, and the fate of the people accused is horrific.   

Overall, it is an engaging read, rich in detail but without being tedious. The history and personal lives of the characters intersect so that the personal becomes political and vica versa. I am excited to read the other books in Dunant's Italian Trilogy.

Book Review: A.S. Byatt's "The Children's Book"

Summary (from the back cover of the book): Famous author Olive Wellwood writes a special private book, bound in different colors, for each of her children. In their rambling house hear Romney March they play in a story-book world — but their lives, and those of their rich cousins and their friends, the son and daughter of a curator at the new Victoria and Albert Museum, are already inscribed with mystery. Each family carries their own secrets.

They grow up in the golden summers of Edwardian times, but as the sons rebel against their parents and the girls dream of independent futures, they are unaware that in the darkness ahead they will be betrayed unintentionally by the adults who love them.

Review: It is difficult to review this book as the writing is extremely dense and it has so many interesting nuances. I read it a few weeks ago but there are parts of it that I am still thinking about. The book is set in the Edwardian times and I love the description of the artistic, cultural and political milieu. I especially like the contrast  between the artistic environments of England and Germany and the sprinkling of real facts, events and people, within the fictional world. They provide a rich framework of reference, within which Byatt's characters interact. 

The characters themselves are varied, some more memorable than the others. Olive Wellwood and Benedict Fludd, offer two different views of artists consumed by their art. Olive's residence, Todefright, stands in sharp contrast to the gloomy environment of Fludd's Purchase House. However, despite the differences in their personalities and their approaches to their respective arts, they both become the agents of tragedies, because of their artistic obsessions. There is an alternative offered to their tendency towards self-destruction and that is seen in the life of the German puppeteer Anselm Stern, who despite his eccentricities is able to find a balance between art and life. 

Initially Olive's world seems almost ideal. It echoes the pastoral life, even though it is clear that her husband Humphry's financial position, offers them this lifestyle. This couple is almost the antithesis of Humphry's brother, Basil, and his wife, Katherina Wellwood, and it is interesting how at the end of the book, after the destructive war, it is their home that becomes the focal point, a shadow of Todefright in it's glorious days. The physical spaces described in the book reflect and affect the personalities of those who inhabit them. The tree house becomes the everlasting symbol of the Wellwood childrens' childhood. Its destruction prefigures Tom's tragedy. For me, Tom is the single most memorable character and also the most tragic. With his inability to relate to the realities of the world, he almost becomes a part of the fiction that his mother creates for him, and is ultimately doomed because of that.

Olive Wellwood's stories, even though written for children have a dark and disturbing edge. The prince who's shadow is stolen by a rat and the girl who captures tiny people, to be captured by giant people herself, are children's tales with adult themes. They dot the landscape of the writing, and are intriguing.

In terms of the women characters, Dorothy, who follows the difficult path of becoming a doctor, stands out. Elsie, too emerges as a strong character. It is interesting that the women who seek to pursue life beyond the household, are able to find happiness in work and in their personal lives. The women who are more traditional, content to be homemakers, seem to find no contentment. Phyllis, the only Wellwood girl, who only wants to be a homemaker and a mother, is unable to achieve even that, and fades into the background, much like her mother.

The book explores themes of parenting, responsibility, freedom of choice, the city versus the country and sexual freedom, among others. It is a compelling read, but not a simple read. I was immersed into it quite quickly, but it needs to be read at leisure. It is not a book to be read in a few quick sittings. Much like Possession, which I also loved, maybe more so because of the poetry in it (I am partial to poetry!), this is a book that one needs to chew on. As for me, I think Byatt is becoming one of my favorite writers; I will definitely be reading more of her work.

Book Review: "Funny in Farsi" by Firoozeh Dumas

Summary: A memoir of a Iranian girl who migrates to America when she is eight years old. It is a humorous account of her experiences of growing up in America.

Book Review: I really enjoyed the lightheartedness of this book, the conversational tone and the simple language. It strung together Firoozeh's different experiences, being an immigrant from Iran in America. A lot of writing on the immigrant experience is preoccupied with the nostalgia for the homeland and the hardships of understanding a new culture. Even though this book did discuss the process of adjustment, it was permeated by a sense of innocence that made it refreshing.

The book, which is a memoir, is humorous. Firoozeh is able to laugh at herself and her family without demeaning them or her culture. Even though there is a sense of wonder about America, it is not blind, and she is able recognize the shortcomings of the culture, just as she can see the good and the bad in her own culture. I really liked the lack of bitterness in her tone, even as  she discussed important issues, such as being discriminated against for being Iranian, after the incident where several Americans were taken as hostages in Iran.

 In Firoozeh, one sees the intermingling of both the Iranian and American cultures. There is no pining for an idyllic Iran and no blind devotion to a perfect America. The ease of the writing and the honesty of tone makes it a delightful read. It is a quick read, that one can finish in one sitting.

Review: 'Broken Verses' by Kamila Shamsie

Summary (from the back of the book)


Fourteen years ago Aasmani's mother Samina, a blazing beauty and fearless activist, walked out of her house and was never seen again. Aasmani refuses to believe she is dead and still dreams of her glorious return. Now grown up and living in Karachi, Aasmani receives what could be the longed-for proof that her mother is still alive. As she comes closer to the truth she is also irresistibly drawn to Ed, her ally and sparring partner, and the only person who can understand the profound hurt and the profound love- that drives her. 

Review

What struck me first was how different his book is in tone and content from Burnt Shadows, Shamsie's other book that I have read and fell in love with. As opposed to the silent strength of Hiroko in Burnt Shadows, Aasmani is fiery, witty, and makes "language somersault[s] through the rings of fire." She is sharp-tongued but has build a wall of intellect around her, within which she remains consumed by her past. Her fragility and her pain at being the daughter who was left behind, pervades the novel.

Her mother Samina captures the reader's imagination, just as she captures the hearts and minds of everyone around her. So does the Poet, Samina's lover, and through them one is exposed to the socio-political milieu of Karachi. It was interesting for me to read this book, and Mohammed Hanif's A Case of Exploding Mangoes, almost back to back, due to the cross-references. Both are set in Pakistan, with
Zia-ul-Haq as the ruling President. 


The charismatic Poet and Samina resist the repressive government through their words and actions, but ultimately it is a bomb that kills the President, making Aasmani feel, that their efforts and their lives were futile. She drifts between meaningless jobs, between the past and the present. Even though the book  is not depressing, it is  characterized by Aasmani's loss. 


It is beautifully and cleverly written, punctuated with wit and sarcasm. Even though it is not an epic novel like Burnt Shadows, it needs to be read slowly and savored in the same way. I know some people found Aasmani's endless musings and her analysis of everything around her tiresome, but I reveled in it. From her thoughts on Shakespeare to her discussion of Character, her frivolous comment on a heart, or her description of her mother as being "lodged, like a tear, in the corner of her [my] eye, I loved the language. I would read it again just to savor it.








 

Review: 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' by Mohammed Hanif

Summary
On 17 August, 1988, a plane carrying Zia-Ul-Haq, the military ruler and eventually the President of Pakistan from 1977, several important army generals and the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, exploded soon after take off. There were many conspiracy theories but like most assassinations, no culprit was identified. In this book, Mohammed Hanif explores who could have assassinated the President and why? Is it a general waiting for a promotion, Junior officer Ali Shigri with his own private vendetta, or someone else?

Review
The novel is irreverent and darkly humorous exposing the corruption as well as the stupidity and hypocrisy of the people in power. It is a political thriller, though the tension builds up only in the last few chapters. There are times when the book tends to get a bit tedious, but not to the extent where one would lose interest. It is a scathing portrayal of the paranoia of the President, his toadying officers, the ruthlessness of people in power and the helplessness of those without it.

In terms of characters, I enjoyed the portrayal of Obaid or Baby O, Ali Shigri's roommate, who disappears at the beginning of the book, while Ali Shigri is detained in the questioning for his whereabouts. Baby O is seen reading books and poetry, splashing eu de cologne rather generously, and is somewhat of a misfit in the army. He provokes empathy more than any other character in the novel, including Ali Shigri himself. Another memorable character is the nameless Secretary General of the Sweepers Union, who further exposes the farcical government systems, who is Ali Shigri's neighbor in prison.

Superstition becomes a recurring theme in the novel as General Zia-Ul-Haq, uses the Quran almost like a horoscope. It becomes the basis for some of his most important decisions including the execution of the former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whom he overthrows; and for declaring Code Red. There is also a suggestion that his death is caused by the curse of Zainab, a blind woman, sentenced to death because she cannot identify her rapists, due to her blindness, and thus can't prove that it was a rape. Zainab's situation showed the idiocy of the system. The only other woman with a voice is the First Lady, who promptly declares she is a widow, when she sees a picture of her husband staring at an American reporter's cleavage. Unsurprisingly,  she is the one who sees the ridiculousness of the Zainab verdict.

What is interesting about the book is that various motives for the assassination of the President collide in the end. In some ways, all the various attempts work (I can't say too much without giving it away!) The political satire dominates the novel, and other aspects of life form the backdrop on which the political games are played.  Definitely a worthwhile read, especially for those intrigued by the machinations of government politics.

Review: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

Summary

Ella Rubenstein is a housewife, who lives a seemingly pleasant life in Northampton. However, she feels like something is missing from her life and eventually takes a job in a literary agency where she is asked to read a novel called 'Sweet Blasphemy by Scottish author, Aziz Z. Zahara. Based in thirteen century, Turkey, the novel talks about the legendary poet Rumi, whose life and worldview was forever transformed by the whirling dervish Shams of Tabriz. As she reads the novel, she begins communicating with the author and her own life is transformed.

Review

This was my first introduction to Elif Shafak’s writing and I will definitely be reading more of her work. The Forty Rules of Love is sensitively written and is beautifully subtle.

Rumi meets Shams for the first time (Persian manuscript)

‘Sweet Blasphemy’, which is a novel within the novel, talks about the relationship between the legendary poet Rumi and a dervish called Shams of Tabriz. Even though I am not religious and the Sufi way of life, which Shams lives by, forms the crux of the book, it was an engaging read. I have always loved Sufi music and it was really interesting to be plunged into the world of Sufi thought and philosophy. The book addresses the commonly held biases and misinformation about Sufi life, shown through the eyes of various individuals who disapprove of the dervish Shams. Sufi-ism is his way of life and yet, he is not restricted by the rules and rituals of the religious minded people around him. His interpretation of the Koran sharply contrasts with that of the scholars and the zealots who inhabit the 13^th century world of Turkey.

Whirling drvishes

The Forty Rules of Love explores how Shams’ love transforms Rumi and in parallel, reading ‘Sweet Blasphemy’, Ella, living in Northampton is drawn to its author Aziz, who becomes her modern day Shams. The quest for love and the spiritual quest fuse into one. Along with these parallel stories spanning the past and the present, Turkey and America, ‘Sweet Blasphemy’ itself is written by the points of view of various characters.  This reminded me of My Name is Red, by Orhan Pamuk, another novel set in 13^th century Turkey, though the style and subject matter is very different.

Rumi

While Rumi and Shams share their thoughts on the Koran, we also hear the zealots as well as a drunk; a harlot, a leper and various other characters express their thoughts. I like the fact that the women characters all have strong voices, including the harlot Desert-Rosee, even though the Rumi-Shams relationship dominates the landscape of the writing.  In Rumi’s household, his wife and adopted daughter, express doubts and opinions and question aspects of the Koran. While the book shows the transformative aspects of love, it also shows how people in Rumi’s household are torn apart by it.

Overall, the book is inspiring, imaginative and unforgettable. Cutting across time and space, it celebrates the universality of love, where love becomes spiritual, and spiritual longing is expressed through the language of love. 

Other Interesting Stuff

Elif Shafak talks about The Forty Rules of Love. click here

Rumi's poetry, discussion of Rumi-Shams relationship and more... click here

Rumi's poetry click here