Poet and Dancer

by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Jhabvala, winner of the Booker Prize as well as an Academy Award for screenwriting, has written a haunting tale of the complex and perilous relations between two young cousins, Angel and Lara.  A masterful novel which explores the dangers of love and committment.

Genres: Fiction

199 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1993

About the author

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was a British and American novelist and screenwriter. She is best known for her collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of film director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant.
In 1951, she married Indian architect Cyrus Jhabvala and moved to New Delhi. She began then to elaborate her experiences in India and wrote novels and tales on Indian subjects. She wrote a dozen novels, 23 screenplays, and eight collections of short stories and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List of the 1998 New Years Honours and granted a joint fellowship by BAFTA in 2002 with Ivory and Merchant. She is the only person to have won both a Booker Prize and an Oscar.

Reviews

[Pascale · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most haunting and frightening book I've ever read. Of all the literary genres, the novella is my favorite, and in this one, every word is strictly necessary, just as it should be. It is the story of 2 cousins, Angel and Lara, who belong to a moneyed Manhattan family. The shy one, Angel, wrote some poetry as a child, and ever since has been considered "a poet" by her relatives, although she is quite incapable of writing anything of significance. Similarly, Lara, who is very beautiful, showed some inclination for dancing in childhood, and was dubbed "the dancer". But Lara is actually a narcissist, who only enjoys being the centre of attention. When it becomes clear in her early twenties that in fact, she is not particularly gifted either for dancing or for acting, she quickly gives everything up, and starts an affair with Angel's father, who is no longer married to her aunt. In spite of this, Angel, who is much more deeply in love with Lara than her father is, begins to look after her, as Lara's behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Lara's tragedy is that she cannot thrive unless she attracts everybody's admiration, and the paucity of her gifts makes that less and less forthcoming. Angel gives up everything in order to protect Lara, but by so doing she also becomes complicit in Lara's downfall, because what Lara needs is serious medical help. As is often the case in such circumstances, the whole family is in fact complicit, since even when disaster stares them in the face, nobody takes action, having other fish to fry. It's one of those stories where most everybody behaves a little bit shabbily, if not atrociously. The cousins also come into contact with various people from the under-privileged class, a cab driver who swears he'll turn into a proper carpenter once he gets a bit of money, and a Polish woman who minds Angel's grand-mother at some point. Both these characters, "through no fault you could call their own", as they are at pains to explain, have had dealings with the police. Amazingly, in such a short novel, Jhabvala has time to look at how the other half lives, and shows great compassion for the have-nots who she clearly thinks stand no chance of ever making it in today's America. While showing great compassion for these characters, she nonetheless exposes them as being as self-deluding and deceitful as anybody else. For instance. the Polish maid has almost managed to convince herself that her employer gave her the jewelry that, in fact, she stole from her when she was too feeble to notice. Eventually, Angel, unable to protect Lara from her own demons, gives everything up too: "Her principal feeling was that a great promise had been made and broken, although it was not clear whether she herself had made and broken it, or whether this had been done to her."

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great library find!

This resonated with me on so many levels.

[Tina Tamman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It must be a crime not to finish a book of 200 pages - well, a minor crime, but I am guilty of it. Just could not get interested in the main characters, did not want to know what would happen to them next. An early sexual scene between the two girls did not help. Instead I remembered that I have so many unread books on my shelves.

[Tonton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read, with harmony in its expression. I like the history.

[Srajana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reticently crafted tale of a complex web of human relationships, where norms and cultural determinations cease to dictate in the light of incisively strong characters. The relationship between the cousins Angel and Lara , between Helena the mother and Angel the daughter, between Lara and her lovers, between Grandmother Koenig and her maid Rosa, the way in which Angel perceives her world, each shines out in various hues, a common core of care and its various entanglements with love. In the face of the more carefree of personas, that is Lara’s, who is an agile life, like a dancer Angels limitless caring becomes a way in which her life’s poeisis unfolds.

[Jaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited at the beginning of this book; the idea of a poet and a dancer living in Manhatten was appealing. The characters also seemed very interesting, but somehow the story didn't keep my attention.

[Susan Chow-Dukhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the tale of a the relationship between two cousins of different personalities. Based on their behaviour at an early age, Angel, the plain introverted cousin is expected to become a poet, while Lara, the pretty extraverted cousin is expected to become a dancer. The two girls meet when Angel was 8 years old, and Lara one year younger. During that initial meeting, Angel develops a strong attraction towards her cousin, which is intensified when they meet again, fifteen years later.
Lara constantly enjoys being the centre of attention, but her behaviour becomes erratic to the point where her mental stability is questioned. She relies heavily on the support of Angel, who becomes her constant companion and defender.
The character of Angel is well developed which is shown through her relationship with other characters, as she tends to help everybody and is always agreeable, trying to avoid conflict or disapproval. Angel's obsession with her cousin is a symbiotic relationship that becomes a parasitic relationship. Angel basks in the shadow of her cousin, as the admiration and love given to Lara makes Angel proud that they are so close. Lara feels that Angel is the only person who truly understands and supports her, but this faith in her cousin contributes to her downfall, as she became too dependent on Angel's presence to keep her from acting irrationally.

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poet and Dancer is about the importance of boundaries and how unconditional devotion to a flaky personality can contribute to the downfall of both despot and slave. If you haven’t read any of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s numerous novels and short stories before, I’d recommend starting with the 1975 Booker Prize winner, Heat and Dust, before this, which I found somewhat underwhelming.
Full review
Childhood obsession rekindled: If I Had Two Lives & Poet and Dancer https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post...

[Stella Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant. I'm a psychologist and I'm not sure whether I've read a more psychologically insightful novel. everyone in it, to varying degrees and in highly variable ways, suffers from the same malady. shall I diagnose? something about longing, something about the anxiety of separation, something about desire.

can't wait to reread.

[Lady Drinkwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of obsession and manipulation. The characters are very vivid but the story is mysterious, lots of incidents when I wasn't really sure what was going on.

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book about Angel's growing up was very good. However, I did not find Angel's relationship with Lara believable.

[Lisa van Zyl-Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange, peculiar, a little unsettling, but very well written.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Poet and Dancer mesmerized me with its dangerous and elegant style about the start of two young girls who meet each other for the first time.

The theme of Poet and Dancer were the dangers of love because the story focused on two relationships that were complex and obsessive.

Jhabvala's style appeals very rich and elegant. I really liked her style as it gave off great details about the characters and place. The narrators voice to me sounded thoughtful and unique from other books that I have read because it went into detail about her thoughts. Jhabvala's style also gets you thinking about her detailed descriptions whether it's the characters thoughts or their actions. It also makes sure to describe the mind of the characters really well, making the book even more interesting.

The characters of this story can completely be believed off as real people. The author does such a good job of including the characters feelings and emotions throughout the entire story that they become very like able. There was one particular character that I felt outshined the rest, even though she was known for being plain and dark. That character is named Angel. Although it first begins with a writer but remains anonymous.

The setting of the place compares to the world we live in today. The story takes place in Manhattan, New York. The author does make you feel like you're in a small yet lonely apartment in Manhattan, New York. The author also doesn't just make you feel like you're a part of the setting but she takes you along with her.

This interesting story consists of two main characters, Angel and Lara. Two completely different cousins who meet each other when angel was eight years old and Lara seven, but even at that young age, Angel felt overwhelmed by her beauty. Angel begins to feel attractions towards her cousin Lara that begin to develop into what she calls love and later on an obsession. Then, throughout the story they end up not seeing each other until fifteen years after when they are grown woman and Angel only realizes that what she claims to be loved is still there but excessively. Lara the clumsy dancer and Angel the poet become roommates in Manhattan, New York. Will happiness ever find them? Or will one of them play a selfish part?

I would definitely not compare this book to another because it simply cannot. It's very interesting yet sad but gets you to think. This books does not connect to me on a personal level but I did enjoy reading.

I would recommend this book to people who like rich and good dialogue and to people who like tales of commitment and love.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weird little book. Not much of a life for these two girls. Too sad.

[Mol · Rating 2 out of 5]

.I hate saying this but I'd rather read a single book for the rest of my life than read this again

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not my favourite and I really like this author.

[Sheela · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked very much. it describes the mind and thinking of the persons. it is very interesting book.