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India in Mind
Ever since Herodotus reported that it was home to gold-digging ants, travelers have been intrigued by India in all its beguiling complexity. This superb anthology gives us some of the best fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that has been written about the world’s second most populous nation over the past two centuries.
From Mark Twain’s puzzled fascination with Indian castes and customs, to Allen Ginsberg’s awe at the country’s spiritual and natural splendors, or from J. R. Ackerley’s delightful recollections of his visits with an eccentric gay Maharajah, to Gore Vidal’s unforgettable scene in his novel Creation , in which his character finally meets the Buddha and is bewildered–all twenty-five selections in India in Mind reveal a place that evokes, in the traveler, reactions ranging from fear and perplexity to astonishment and wonder. Edited and with an introduction and chapter notes by the award-winning novelist Pankaj Mishra, India in Mind is a marvel of sympathy, sensitivity, and perception, not to mention outstanding writing.
From Mark Twain’s puzzled fascination with Indian castes and customs, to Allen Ginsberg’s awe at the country’s spiritual and natural splendors, or from J. R. Ackerley’s delightful recollections of his visits with an eccentric gay Maharajah, to Gore Vidal’s unforgettable scene in his novel Creation , in which his character finally meets the Buddha and is bewildered–all twenty-five selections in India in Mind reveal a place that evokes, in the traveler, reactions ranging from fear and perplexity to astonishment and wonder. Edited and with an introduction and chapter notes by the award-winning novelist Pankaj Mishra, India in Mind is a marvel of sympathy, sensitivity, and perception, not to mention outstanding writing.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2005
About the author
Pankaj Mishra
165 books756 followersPankaj Mishra (पंकज मिश्रा) is a noted Indian essayist and novelist.
In 1992, Mishra moved to Mashobra, a Himalayan village, where he began to contribute literary essays and reviews to The Indian Review of Books, The India Magazine, and the newspaper The Pioneer. His first book, Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India (1995), was a travelogue that described the social and cultural changes in India in the context of globalization. His novel The Romantics (2000), an ironic tale of people longing for fulfillment in cultures other than their own, was published in 11 European languages and won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum award for first fiction. His book An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World (2004) mixes memoir, history, and philosophy while attempting to explore the Buddha's relevance to contemporary times. Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond (2006), describes Mishra's travels through Kashmir, Bollywood, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, and other parts of South and Central Asia.
In 1992, Mishra moved to Mashobra, a Himalayan village, where he began to contribute literary essays and reviews to The Indian Review of Books, The India Magazine, and the newspaper The Pioneer. His first book, Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India (1995), was a travelogue that described the social and cultural changes in India in the context of globalization. His novel The Romantics (2000), an ironic tale of people longing for fulfillment in cultures other than their own, was published in 11 European languages and won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum award for first fiction. His book An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World (2004) mixes memoir, history, and philosophy while attempting to explore the Buddha's relevance to contemporary times. Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond (2006), describes Mishra's travels through Kashmir, Bollywood, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, and other parts of South and Central Asia.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 15, 2017
I could see what Mishra was trying to do here but while reading it became apparent that it was falling flat on it's face.
Mishra was attempting to showcase India from the perspective of relatively famous people who had visited India during the late 1800 to around 1970-80. Each chapter is an excerpt of the essay or story that they wrote that shows India from the writer's perspective. Interesting concept but failed in execution.
This book taught me nothing. Showed me nothing. It's just writings about India from the people who visited. Some of the stuff they wrote were so meaningless that I was bored reading it.
Mishra was attempting to showcase India from the perspective of relatively famous people who had visited India during the late 1800 to around 1970-80. Each chapter is an excerpt of the essay or story that they wrote that shows India from the writer's perspective. Interesting concept but failed in execution.
This book taught me nothing. Showed me nothing. It's just writings about India from the people who visited. Some of the stuff they wrote were so meaningless that I was bored reading it.
Want to Read
June 13, 2010Every time I read this book, I fell asleep....hence until now I still haven't finished it...
October 30, 2016
A collection of extracts from the writings on India by various authors.
Not all 25 of the pieces were enjoyable to me. Perhaps a max of around 18, but then that's my view.
Given that most of the extracts are dated, the most recent is perhaps from the 90's, the general perception about India by most writers is of a poor country; or more a country full of poor people. And dust. And dirt.
As the editor of this compilation, Pankaj Mishra says about these pieces, "They tell us as much about the traveler as the world he describes."
Not all 25 of the pieces were enjoyable to me. Perhaps a max of around 18, but then that's my view.
Given that most of the extracts are dated, the most recent is perhaps from the 90's, the general perception about India by most writers is of a poor country; or more a country full of poor people. And dust. And dirt.
As the editor of this compilation, Pankaj Mishra says about these pieces, "They tell us as much about the traveler as the world he describes."
June 17, 2014
Meh. Was hoping to hear a non-Euro/US perspective somewhere in this book.
December 28, 2015
Excellent selection of writings on India. In one of the stories, the essay on the cow (apparently written for a civil service exam ) was absolutely hilarious. Overall, a satisfying read.
Read
March 15, 2021There's something about reading of a place while being in said place. Contained herein are accounts of India from her almost all foreign visitors - except perhaps Naipaul - from different moments of time. My account in 2021 will be as disparate from theirs, as theirs are from each other. The selections are not particularly memorable as a whole, but individual ones left their imprint. Here's a passage from Twain's below.
Mark Twain in Following the Equator (1897)
When I think of Bombay now, at this distance of time, I seem to have a kaleidoscope at my eye; and I hear the clash of the glass bits as the splendid figures change, and fall apart, and flash into new forms, figure after figure, and with the birth of each new form I feel my skin crinkle and my nerve-web tingle with a new thrill of wonder and delight. These remembered pictures float past me in a sequence of contrasts; following the same order always, and always whirling by and disappearing with the swiftness of a dream, leaving me with the sense that the actuality was the experience of an hour, at most, whereas it really covered days, I think.
Mark Twain in Following the Equator (1897)
When I think of Bombay now, at this distance of time, I seem to have a kaleidoscope at my eye; and I hear the clash of the glass bits as the splendid figures change, and fall apart, and flash into new forms, figure after figure, and with the birth of each new form I feel my skin crinkle and my nerve-web tingle with a new thrill of wonder and delight. These remembered pictures float past me in a sequence of contrasts; following the same order always, and always whirling by and disappearing with the swiftness of a dream, leaving me with the sense that the actuality was the experience of an hour, at most, whereas it really covered days, I think.
May 12, 2017
A diverse collection of writings on India, and like many collections, contains good writings and bad writings. The ones by Mark Twain, George Orwell and Jan Morris captivate, the one by Pasolini repels.
And like Pankaj Mishra observes in the introduction, the outlook tells as much about the writer as about the subject.
And like Pankaj Mishra observes in the introduction, the outlook tells as much about the writer as about the subject.
June 11, 2026
Eclectic collection of excerpts, each one has a unique flavor. Mark Twain made me laugh, the unique rural landscapes described from a western perspective made for an interesting fun read.
March 8, 2008
For those of us who can't get enough of India. This collection brings the best of the best together in one paperback.
June 15, 2012
short stories about India--very good
September 4, 2012
Gives you a very broad idea on the most bewildering aspects of India! Don't miss Mark Twain's!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews