Hooked by the book

Respite from Russia

From the book

I've just finished reading Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow. It's the perfect novel to dive into over a lockdown weekend. It follows three decades in the life of a Russian count under house arrest in Hotel Metropol, Moscow, following the Bolshevik Revolution. Though the premise is grim, the book is anything but; it is filled with warmth and wit. The engaging plot and elegant style can have a restorative effect. The underlying idea is that dignity, activity and joy are possible - even necessary - at a time when one's physical freedom is constrained.

Rehana Munir

Inside a flautist's mind

I finished reading Sathya Saran's Breathe of Gold: Hariprasad Chaurasia, just before the lockdown started. It's a lovely book that's written in a direct style so it's accessible. What's really interesting is that the book focuses a lot on the flautist's film music career, apart from his journey in classical music. It not only talks about his partnership with musical legend Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and the several hits they delivered as a team, but also about the misses. It's quite an honest read and gives us a great insight into the flautist's life.

Reality check

I've been caught up with wrapping up my next book, but I managed to finish this gripping novel recently. It's called Hassan's State of Affairs, written by Lahore-based author Mirza Athar Baig. It was translated to English by Haider Shabaz. The title remains one of the most important novels
written in Urdu literature in the past 15 years in Pakistan. It's a fictional work in which Baig has played with language and style to address the many realities possible based on different perspectives. It
received a lot of appreciation worldwide.

Rahman Abbas

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