Wednesday, May 24, 2017

What is Ryan Lobo reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Ryan Lobo, author of Mr. Iyer Goes to War.

His entry begins:
I am currently reading several books both fiction and non-fiction.

I also just finished reading The Poetry of Derek Walcott, much of it at 2:30 AM while feeding my one month old daughter. Such powerful writing. A line struck me '..and the doors themselves, usually no wider than coffins'. I recalled a friend telling me the story of a maid who had criticized an apartment building because its stairwell was not large enough for a coffin and it struck me that...[read on]
About Mr. Iyer Goes to War, from the publisher:
A fresh, unique interpretation of Don Quixote, set in modern India.

Dispatched to a hospice center in the sacred city of Varanasi, seventy-something Lalgudi Iyer spends his days immersed in scripture, awaiting spiritual transcendence. After he suffers a concussion, he sees a vision of his past life--he is the reincarnation of the mythological warrior Bhima sent from the heavens to destroy evil.

Convinced of his need to continue his mission and revive the noble principles of Hindu mythology, Iyer embarks on an epic adventure across India with the help of his trusted companion, Bencho the undertaker. His attempts at restoring order to the world, and in the process, winning over the heart of the deeply uninterested maiden Damyanti, are hampered only by his complete detachment from sanity and the reality of contemporary India.

An inventive, ambitious interpretation of Don Quixote for our times, Mr Iyer Goes to War is a sometimes playful, sometimes profound adventure heralding a bold new voice in Indian fiction.
Visit Ryan Lobo's website.

My Book, The Movie: Mr. Iyer Goes to War.

Writers Read: Ryan Lobo.

--Marshal Zeringue