Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Start of Small Things



I have just finished reading Arundhati Roy's collection of speeches and essays, 'An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire,' on the very sound recommendation of an Avehi Menon.
Can I just say that Roy's writing is very much like Animal Planet: It Grabs You.
I am a fan. I loved 'The God of Small Things' when I read it years ago, and moving from her fiction to non-fiction has been a nice journey.
I have been seething ever since I started reading (racing) through her book. It's because she speaks clearly, see, not the bumbling, mixed-up mess the hoi polloi like you and me churn out daily. The world is in a shite state. Most blame can be attributed to Ugly Bush and his government, and his 'buddies' who are with him, not against him, mind. A substantial bit of the rest can be attributed to human beings' inherent shite-ness. Sigh.
Careful observers of human nature may notice that I am writing in a bitter vein. It is too true. Roy's work has stirred up in me a terrible fury, and, being an impotent fury, it is all the more frustrating.
What I already knew but didn't have clearly writ facts to back this knowledge up with, but now do, ha ha:
Empire- sucks
Media - sucks
Bush - definitely sucks
Politicians - suck
World - in a very bad state and it's all downhill from here

I mean really, who is going to to start global civil disobedience that will really hit out at Empire's guts? No one. Blechhh.
Anyway. Next plan of action. Get my grubby paws on all her works, read them thoroughly, spew venom at the world, create a sandalwood-incense-d shrine dedicated to Roy, and live out my life as a nonentity. I mean, continue to live my life as one.
Labels: , , , , Posted by longblackveil at 1:12 am

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Someone recommended this to me too...and now you too. Looks like I'll have to get this soon and start my small things too.

20 February 2008 at 03:04
kinkminos said...

big fan. big big fan.
did i mention i'm a big fan?

i loved GOST, when i first read it, and when i re-read it a couple of years ago. vah, vot a delicate touch yaar! without ever sliding into the syrupy soppiness which could so easily have been the defining mood of such a story.

she's a crusader. and one with a clear idea of what she believes in and, as you say, articulates it incisively.

i think i need to introduce my kids to her.

did i mention that i'm madly in love with her?
(the operative word in this case, i suppose, being mad :)

21 February 2008 at 13:54
Apoorv Gawde said...

hmmm, when i read an excerpt of her book, "God of small things", I just found it weird. So never got around to reading it :)

What else do you read?

26 February 2008 at 23:41

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