DAILY PHOTO: Rumtek Monastery
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True Bamboo [Haiku]
bamboo painted against white clouds is betrayed by a breeze
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Prek Chu [Haiku]
soft, shrubby shoulders line Prek Chu's winding way of smooth, white boulders
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DAILY PHOTO: Gompa Art, Ravangla
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Tiny Daisies [Tanka]
tiny daisies stand still under gloomy skies; then one shakes (pelted by a raindrop) then another, then all
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DAILY PHOTO: Rhododendron & Khangchendzonga [and Vice Versa]
BOOK REVIEW: Adi Shankara by P. Narasimhayya
Adi Shankara by Anant PaiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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This short, comic book tells stories associated with the Advaita Vedanta sage, Adi Shankara. As it’s a comic book intended for children, it’s more occupied with mythology and magical tales than with describing Shankara’s philosophy or what real world events influenced said philosophy. That said, it’s a quick way to gain some insight into the mythology of Adi Shankara as well as a few sparse biographical details such as the places he traveled and people he met.
At the end, it does have a half-page box of quotes that offers a tiny bit of insight into what Shankara believed and what concepts he emphasized in his teachings.
If one reads it with the expectation that this is a book that is primarily going to offer insight into stories and fantasies bandied about, it’s certainly worth the limited investment of time and effort required to read the book. But it’s kind of boring in the way of Superman-type comic books –i.e. fantasies of a guy who does whatever he can imagine because he’s not bound by the physical laws of the universe. That is, it’s more intended as escape from reality than as education.
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BOOK REVIEW: The Torrents of Spring by Ernest Hemingway
The Torrents of Spring by Ernest HemingwayMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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This novella is atypical of Hemingway’s work in several ways. It’s one of his earlier works of fiction, so it may stand to reason that his style and genre preferences weren’t yet set. The book parodies certain works and authors and satirizes the conceits and affectations seen in some popular writers of the day. Not that Hemingway’s work is otherwise devoid of humor, but it rarely plays the central role that it does herein. The story also has plot points that feel surreal in their absurdity, which is a variation from Hemingway’s usual dramatic realism. The novella also features a number of fourth wall breaks in the form of “Notes to the Reader.”
The book combines two storylines, each featuring a different worker at a pump factory in a Michigan town. Scripps O’Neill is a writer who comes to town after wandering away from his home down a train line after his wife left him. Scripps goes native in the town, getting a job at the pump factory and marrying a local woman, but he’s perpetually restless. Yogi Johnson is already an experienced worker when Scripps arrives, and he’s shaped by his experience in World War I, which other characters continually question amongst themselves. He ends up wandering out of town down the train tracks in a way that echoes Scripps’ arrival.
The book is funny and quirky and oddly engaging. Some of the humor would probably land better for those familiar with the pretentious writers that were the book’s target, but even if one isn’t familiar with the literature of the era, one will come away with an understanding of how Hemingway viewed said writers.
I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it for readers of American Literature.
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DAILY PHOTO: Foggy, Mossy Forest
Tiger Riding for Beginners 