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Vikram Seth Collection 3 Books Set
- GenresLiterature
Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
8 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Vikram Seth
60 books1,705 followersVikram Seth is an Indian poet, novelist, travel writer, librettist, children's writer, biographer and memoirist.
During the course of his doctorate studies at Stanford, he did his field work in China and translated Hindi and Chinese poetry into English. He returned to Delhi via Xinjiang and Tibet which led to a travel narrative From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983) which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse (1986) was his first novel describing the experiences of a group of friends who live in California. A Suitable Boy (1993), an epic of Indian life set in the 1950s, got him the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize.
His poetry includes The Humble Administrator's Garden (1985) and All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990). His Beastly Tales from Here and There (1992) is children's book consisting of ten stories in verse about animals.
In 2005, he published Two Lives, a family memoir written at the suggestion of his mother, which focuses on the lives of his great-uncle (Shanti Behari Seth) and German-Jewish great aunt (Henny Caro) who met in Berlin in the early 1930s while Shanti was a student there and with whom Seth stayed extensively on going to England at age 17 for school. As with From Heaven Lake, Two Lives contains much autobiography.
An unusually forthcoming writer whose published material is replete with un- or thinly-disguised details as to the personal lives of himself and his intimates related in a highly engaging narrative voice, Seth has said that he is somewhat perplexed that his readers often in consequence presume to an unwelcome degree of personal familiarity with him.
During the course of his doctorate studies at Stanford, he did his field work in China and translated Hindi and Chinese poetry into English. He returned to Delhi via Xinjiang and Tibet which led to a travel narrative From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983) which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse (1986) was his first novel describing the experiences of a group of friends who live in California. A Suitable Boy (1993), an epic of Indian life set in the 1950s, got him the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize.
His poetry includes The Humble Administrator's Garden (1985) and All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990). His Beastly Tales from Here and There (1992) is children's book consisting of ten stories in verse about animals.
In 2005, he published Two Lives, a family memoir written at the suggestion of his mother, which focuses on the lives of his great-uncle (Shanti Behari Seth) and German-Jewish great aunt (Henny Caro) who met in Berlin in the early 1930s while Shanti was a student there and with whom Seth stayed extensively on going to England at age 17 for school. As with From Heaven Lake, Two Lives contains much autobiography.
An unusually forthcoming writer whose published material is replete with un- or thinly-disguised details as to the personal lives of himself and his intimates related in a highly engaging narrative voice, Seth has said that he is somewhat perplexed that his readers often in consequence presume to an unwelcome degree of personal familiarity with him.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 17, 2022
This book is an investment in time! I did feel it could have been split as two books.
However, I enjoyed all the characters and their stories intertwining greatly. It is not a page turner, more of a long soak in a warm bath with a glass of wine.
I learned a lot about India and did have to use Google a lot!
However, I enjoyed all the characters and their stories intertwining greatly. It is not a page turner, more of a long soak in a warm bath with a glass of wine.
I learned a lot about India and did have to use Google a lot!
April 10, 2022
I listened to the radio show "audiobook" of this book. I enjoyed it although it would have been better with a cast of characters to follow. It was confusing to keep track of everyone through just dialogue.
January 28, 2023
An excellent work which kept me company one winter up north. Well drawn characters. Compelling story lines. However, skip the extended political speeches. It’s not worth your time to read them.
January 22, 2024
Such a beautiful tale of India. The author includes some fantastic poetry and beautiful descriptions of the landscape around you. A really educational read as well, as it shows such a good picture of life in India a few years after independence. The Times has a great quote about it 'make time for it. It will keep you company for the rest of your life' and it is so true.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews