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Mappillai
Mappillai—‘son-in-law’ in Tamil—is the rollicking story of journalist Carlo Pizzati, a European living with his in-laws in urban Chennai and with his wife in rural Paramankeni. When in Paramankeni, he finds himself in the company of fishermen and goat-herders, in a house where 3G asserts itself in a corner of the bathroom and electricity courses through rooms in fits and starts.
At one level, Mappillai is deeply personal. With beguiling candour, Carlo tells of his struggle with two extreme, contradictory responses to India—fascination and suspicion—and his awkward attempts at cruising through a maze of bribery, bureaucracy and traffic. Yet, at another level, the book offers a glimpse into the world of expats in contemporary India by introducing us to a host of colourful ‘firangi friends’—from those who are overwhelmed by this nation’s noise and colour; to those who ‘go native’ in kurtas; to those who believe that India is vast enough to accommodate their diverse selves as dreamers or yogis or artists. But, beyond all of this, Mappillai is the story of India. Over his decade long stay in this nation—one that has taken him north and south, west and east—Carlo has witnessed a land in flux—from the gloom and doom of 2008 when the New India dream shattered, to the heady optimism of 2015 with promises of ‘acche din’, right up to today, marked by the domination of anti-Romeo squads and gau-rakshaks.
With wry humour and jollity, wisdom and acceptance, Mappillai offers an intimate capsule of contemporary Indian history—of the concomitant Hinduization and Westernization of India, intertwined with the Indianization of a European!
At one level, Mappillai is deeply personal. With beguiling candour, Carlo tells of his struggle with two extreme, contradictory responses to India—fascination and suspicion—and his awkward attempts at cruising through a maze of bribery, bureaucracy and traffic. Yet, at another level, the book offers a glimpse into the world of expats in contemporary India by introducing us to a host of colourful ‘firangi friends’—from those who are overwhelmed by this nation’s noise and colour; to those who ‘go native’ in kurtas; to those who believe that India is vast enough to accommodate their diverse selves as dreamers or yogis or artists. But, beyond all of this, Mappillai is the story of India. Over his decade long stay in this nation—one that has taken him north and south, west and east—Carlo has witnessed a land in flux—from the gloom and doom of 2008 when the New India dream shattered, to the heady optimism of 2015 with promises of ‘acche din’, right up to today, marked by the domination of anti-Romeo squads and gau-rakshaks.
With wry humour and jollity, wisdom and acceptance, Mappillai offers an intimate capsule of contemporary Indian history—of the concomitant Hinduization and Westernization of India, intertwined with the Indianization of a European!
317 pages, Paperback
Published October 2, 2018
8 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Carlo Pizzati
12 books16 followersCarlo Pizzati is the award-winning multilingual author of ten books of fiction and non-fiction. He is an editorialist and a political analyst for la Repubblica and la Stampa who has taught a post-graduate course in theory of communication at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.
He’s been a correspondent from New York, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rome, Madrid and Chennai. He’s covered the Northern Ireland strife, guerrilla war in Colombia, the narcos business in the Andes, smuggling of immigrants in Mexico, civil rights battles in Chile, pro-environment militancy in the French atoll of Mururoa, and the GMO battle in Europe and the US.
He’s won two Gambrinus-Mazzotti prizes (Exploration & Travel, and The Voice of the Readers); the Leonardo International Prix and the Igor Man Prize and has lectured at his alma mater, Columbia University, at New York University, Loyola University, Yonsei University, Ca’ Foscari and Sapienza Universities.
He lives in Paramankeni, a fishermen’s village in Southern India, with his wife and a few Pi dogs.
Novels in Italian:
"Una linea lampeggiante all'orizzonte" (Baldini + Castoldi 2022)
“Nimodo” (Feltrinelli 2014)
“Criminàl” (FBE 2010 Milan)
Non-fiction in Italian and English:
"La Tigre e il Drone" (Marsilio 2020)
"Bending Over Backwards" (Harper Collins 2019)
"Mappillai - an Italian son-in-law in India" (Simon & Schuster 2018)
"Tecnosciamani" (Punto d'Incontro 2012)
Essays and Conversations in English:
"The Edge of an Era" (Juggernaut 2016).
Short stories collections in English and Italian:
"A History of Objects" (Harper Collins 2022)
“Il Passo Che Cerchi,” (Edelweiss 2012)
Screenplay made into a feature movie:
“Non lo so ancora” - 2012
more at: www.carlopizzati.com
He’s been a correspondent from New York, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rome, Madrid and Chennai. He’s covered the Northern Ireland strife, guerrilla war in Colombia, the narcos business in the Andes, smuggling of immigrants in Mexico, civil rights battles in Chile, pro-environment militancy in the French atoll of Mururoa, and the GMO battle in Europe and the US.
He’s won two Gambrinus-Mazzotti prizes (Exploration & Travel, and The Voice of the Readers); the Leonardo International Prix and the Igor Man Prize and has lectured at his alma mater, Columbia University, at New York University, Loyola University, Yonsei University, Ca’ Foscari and Sapienza Universities.
He lives in Paramankeni, a fishermen’s village in Southern India, with his wife and a few Pi dogs.
Novels in Italian:
"Una linea lampeggiante all'orizzonte" (Baldini + Castoldi 2022)
“Nimodo” (Feltrinelli 2014)
“Criminàl” (FBE 2010 Milan)
Non-fiction in Italian and English:
"La Tigre e il Drone" (Marsilio 2020)
"Bending Over Backwards" (Harper Collins 2019)
"Mappillai - an Italian son-in-law in India" (Simon & Schuster 2018)
"Tecnosciamani" (Punto d'Incontro 2012)
Essays and Conversations in English:
"The Edge of an Era" (Juggernaut 2016).
Short stories collections in English and Italian:
"A History of Objects" (Harper Collins 2022)
“Il Passo Che Cerchi,” (Edelweiss 2012)
Screenplay made into a feature movie:
“Non lo so ancora” - 2012
more at: www.carlopizzati.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 19, 2019
Hard hitting yet funny.Extremely contemporary novel of an everyday changing India.Must read.
May 10, 2019
Most non academic books on India by non Indians veer from portraying an overly romantic and exotic ( think spirituality, yoga etc ) to an overly depressing ( think slums and poverty) picture of India . If you want to read a light and heartwarming yet engaging and objective view read this one . Carlo Pizzati’s commentary on present day India from the serene outskirts of Chennai makes for a compelling read.
The first few pages felt like flipping a romance novel but after that he makes some really sharp observations .Tales on Driving in India,apathy of the upper class towards poverty, the invisibility of the help around the house,navigating the bureaucracy, yuppie Indians and their lifestyles , the inherent dichotomies in the Indian society all weave well in the book .
Leaning on his experiences in living between India, Italy and various other places he brings in very balanced views on multiculturalism and shares pragmatic strategies to adopt while integrating into a new society.
Parts of the book that deal with humour behind auto rickshaws and the great Indian wedding leave you in splits . “ The Indian wedding provides a greater antidote to divorce : who’s got the energy to ever repeat such a torturous process” was a killer line !
A must read esp for my friends from Chennai !
The first few pages felt like flipping a romance novel but after that he makes some really sharp observations .Tales on Driving in India,apathy of the upper class towards poverty, the invisibility of the help around the house,navigating the bureaucracy, yuppie Indians and their lifestyles , the inherent dichotomies in the Indian society all weave well in the book .
Leaning on his experiences in living between India, Italy and various other places he brings in very balanced views on multiculturalism and shares pragmatic strategies to adopt while integrating into a new society.
Parts of the book that deal with humour behind auto rickshaws and the great Indian wedding leave you in splits . “ The Indian wedding provides a greater antidote to divorce : who’s got the energy to ever repeat such a torturous process” was a killer line !
A must read esp for my friends from Chennai !
October 20, 2018
Carlo Pizzati has written a generous and humorous story about his life and experiences living in India, bringing his adopted home country (in particular the fishing village in which he lives with his wife, dogs and various other species of wildlife) captivatingly alive. It is chatty, revealing book which, in spite of its tone, takes on important themes and realities, as well as the more light hearted ones. It's both personal and informative (as well as wonderfully descriptive) and cracked open a whole new world and place to me. (He's very honest and pragmatic; he writes from a place of acceptance and affection, his depictions are balanced, describing the attractive and harsh aspects of life in India). However, this is, ultimately a deeply touching love story; Pizzati's palpable love for his wife and for the country intermingle and infuse one another. (Actually, I strongly recommend reading this book alongside Doshi's 'Girls are coming out of the woods' - these two writers words/worlds complement and feed into one another, adding further layers and meaning, without collapsing one into the other.)
July 13, 2019
I was intrigued by this book after an introduction at the London Indian book festival, promoted by Dalrymple who is incidentally (?) mentioned thrice in the book. I was expecting it to be bad, how good can a westerner’s perception of Chennai be after all! I was pleasantly surprised. The rumination of this migrant struck a cord with me.
February 8, 2019
I listened to Carlo Pizzati at both the Ubud Writers Festival and the Dalle Literary Festival and had high expectations for his book. It did not live up to these. It was very disjointed. Some sections were wonderful and entertaining, but not enough.
May 22, 2019
Funny? Yes. Good writing? No.
October 5, 2020
2.5/5, was nice to read something set in the city I grew up in. But the writing was underwhelming.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews