The Zeitgeist

Top 10 Books read in 2007: First 5

I managed to read 32 books in 2007 and I'd like to somehow wrap them up, so I figured a Top 10 list might be in order (I was aiming for Top 5 actually but just couldn't make the necessary cuts) to help process my thoughts on at least some of them and reflect over which of them had the most impact. So here goes, in chronological order read:



Kiran Desai - The Inheritance of Loss

This novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and I read it while I was in Singapore at the start of 2007. The novel deals with a number of different issues, in particular, the changing face of rural North India (set in a remote hill station in the Himalayan foothills) and the alienation that goes with migration to the west. The main protagonists are a small family, at the head of which is a retired judge, Mr. Patel, who's relationship with his granddaughter, Sai, is the focus of much of the storyline. The parallel storyline follows the son, Biju, of Mr. Patel's cook who is trying to make a living as an illegal immigrant in New York.

The musings are deep and interesting as they follow the alienation felt by the older generation of India, especially those more favoured under the British Raj, and the comparison between the crushing weight of expectations felt by poor migrants from India trying to eke out a living abroad and the realities of eking out this living. The novel also deals with the Nepalese insurgency at the time and the impact it had on the local population.

Albert Hourani - A History of the Arab Peoples

The late Hourani's tour de force history book that chronicles the history of the Arabs from the birth, and subsequent rise, of Islam up until the late 20th century (Hourani died in 1993). An absolutely essential read for anyone wanting to understand the history of one of history's most influential races, and most disputed and important regions of the world. One of the more interesting aspects of Hourani's book is the focus that he gives to explaining the rise and fall of many of the most prominent empires (Ummayad, Abbasid, Ottoman, etc.) and doctrines (Arab nationalism, Salafism, Ba'athism, Islamism, etc.). This makes the book useful and interesting not only in terms of historical information but also as an intellectual study into many of the forces contributing to the state of the Modern Middle East.





Robert M Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This pseudo-philosophical novel is Pirsig's exploration of, what he terms, the metaphysical aspects of Quality. The book is part a philosophical journey through the thoughts and research of a ficititious protagonist (under the pseudonym Phaedrus). The philosophical musings themselves are far too complex to condense in this shurt blurb discussing the novel but it is a very valuable read. Indeed, it has sold millions of copies in many languages and is considered to be the "most widely read philosophy book, ever". Pirsig's writing and philosophy are heavily influenced by Eastern religions, such as Buddhism and Vedantism, but his outlook is heavily imbued with the rationalist/logical traditions of the West. As a result, Pirsig often employs both Western (often Greek) and Eastern (mostly Buddhist) philosophy to underpin many of the concepts he writes about. Another classic and another must-read for anyone grappling with the concepts of God and/or meaning/purpose to life.


Albert Camus - The Outsider

It's quite incredible that it took me so long to read this book, however I am absolutely glad that I did because reading it later in my life, I feel I have a better chance at understanding it better. The Outsider is the best known piece of absurdist literature, and is commonly attributed to the greater body of existentialist literature (though Camus fervently denied belonging to the existentialist community and preferred to consider absurdism as a separate line of thought).

The novel focuses on the protagonist Mersault, who is moved primarily by sensory influences on his person, and who's approach to life is extremely passive. The first part of the book examines Mersault's simple life and reactions to the event of his mother's passing. The second half focuses on Mersault's killing of an Arab and the subsequent process of trial, imprisonment and execution and the thinking that Mersault does during this process.

For such a small book, it deals with many complex and interesting philosophical themes. One being the absurdity of society in the way that it deals with issues of life and death - the court proceedings focusing more on Mersault's reactions to the death of his mother (not deemed normal by society as he wasn't very grieving) and his choice of sticking to aetheism rather than turning to (or even pretending to turn to) religion in his final days. This seems to be at odds with the concepts of Justice and Truth, as it is entirely a moral judgment placed on a man by society without examining the issue at hand (the murder itself).

Another theme being the key existentialist point of view that Man is responsible for his destiny and not God or Fate, and that the universe is entirely indifferent to Man's plight, indicating that there is no per-ordained meaning to life. This is not a nhillistic view, Camus is trying to indicate that it is Man's responsibility to create meaning in life for himself, rather than rely on a pre-ordained religious doctrine or philosophy.

EM Forster - A Passage to India

Written in 1924, A Passage to India is set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movements that were gathering traction at the time. It centers around a few key characters, namely the "mercurial" (as he is described on the blurb) Dr. Aziz, an Indian Muslim, Adela, Fielding and Mrs. Moore.

The main plot of the novel focuses around a key event that is thought to have occurred somewhere in the Malabar caves, though the event itself is never described in the book. Adela accuses Aziz of rape and the ensuing process of arrest and trial brings out many underlying forces of ethnic tension, prejudice and racism between the indiginous Indians and British colonialists.

For me personally, one of the most interesting things about this novel is not how the ethnic tension affects the plot itself but how it affects the relationships of the characters. Fielding and Moore, for example, are sympathisers to the Indian cause, however both leave India very bitter. Adela, is a typical product of ingrained prejudice, she has nothing against Indians personally but lives in a culture of perpetual hatred and disdain and can't help being a party to it, at least for part of the book. She is, however, aware enough to question this eventually and that has a considerable effect on the outcome of the novel. The relationship between Fielding and Aziz, in particular, is an interesting one... even though Fielding is pro-Indian, it seems the gulf between the two nations is too wide for a friendship between the two to blossom in the end.

The novel has been named one of the greatest of the 20th century, and it's easy to see why. It has a very interesting plot, is beautifully written and addresses a very important issue dexterously and from many angles. Hats off to Forster for that one.

OK so those are my first 5 of my Top 10 of 2007. I will put up my next 5 later... if anyone's read any of these and would like to comment, please be my guest.

Labels: literature

posted by LX @ 5:39 AM Comments: 5