The Fig Tree

by Aubrey Menen

A satirical description of the attempts of a scientist to convert a fig tree into the tree of life using a chemical process. Scandal soon rocks the very foundations of the church, when the figs turn out to be an aphrodisiac. The author has also written "The Abode of Love".

Genres: India, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Salvator Aubrey Clarence Menen was born in 1912 in London, of Irish and Indian parents. After attending University College, London he worked as a drama critic and a stage director. When World War II broke out, he was in India, where he organized pro-Allied radio broadcasts and edited film scripts for the Indian government. After the war ended, he returned to London to work with an advertising agency's film department, but the success of his first novel, The Prevalence of Witches (1947), induced him to take up writing full-time. Aubrey Menen’s writings, often satirical, explore the nature of nationalism and the cultural contrast between his own Irish–Indian ancestry and his traditional British upbringing. Apart from his novels and non-fiction works Menen wrote two autobiographies titled Dead Man in the Silver Market (1953) and The Space within the Heart (1970). He died in 1989 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Reviews

[Paul Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.

[Sadaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is HILARIOUS. Not in an obvious sort of way - but there are layers of humour here. Not the laugh out loud kind, but a smirk and a 'I see what you did there' kind. This man is underrated.
This is a very short novel. It starts off by a brief introduction about the protagonist Harry Wesley, whose ultimate aim is to have a statue of himself made and gifted by multiple countries for some astounding work that he does to help humanity. After much thought, he decides that trying to get grains to yield more can help hunger problems and get him closer to his dream.
What commences is a roller coaster ride of the accidental invention of aphrodisiac figs. Soon, his neighbour is involved in the scandal, the government and even the Vatican.
The ending is also quite satisfying, funny and smart. Can't wait to read the three more novels in this omnibus, and also more Indian writing in English.