tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post5173443955640913331..comments2024-03-27T14:57:37.031+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: Short take: To Live or to Perish ForeverJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-25055320952204316822009-09-08T10:41:54.110+05:302009-09-08T10:41:54.110+05:30Jai_C: thanks. Will probably need to look at your ...Jai_C: thanks. Will probably need to look at your points more closely when I have the time, but quickly: this sort of touches on a point I've made before, about how a structured, "holistic" review written for a print publication (especially a relatively serious publication like the Literary Review) can be very different from a blog post where I have the freedom to home in on an aspect of a book that I've been struck by (negatively or positively). <br /><br />In this case, my overall impression of the book was favourable (speaking from the perspective of a reader who hasn't read enough on this subject), so I didn't think it would be right to begin the Hindu review with the negative references to Schmidle's analogies.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-8915399324474195102009-09-08T10:16:55.227+05:302009-09-08T10:16:55.227+05:30Jai,
This is a sort-of-academic exercise at expl...Jai, <br /><br />This is a sort-of-academic exercise at exploring how readers frame opinions, how stimuli are responded to by the reader - ie. me in this case. This may be of interest to some readers of this blog. If you feel this is irrelevant or off-topic do feel free to delete this comment.<br /><br /><br />To wrap up my comment on the comparison:<br /><br />---------<br />These stood out as sections that read positive in the review and arent in the web post. <br /><br />0. Head: Brave Passage and the summary "there's more to Pakistan..."<br /><br />1. The lead-in is a lot different. With mentions of Mohsin Hamid, Daniyal Mueenuddin and their fresh nuanced fiction, but non-fiction guys write Kashmir/India focused etc. <br /><br />The fresh nuance hung around in my mind and associated with Schmidle a bit :-)<br /> <br />2. "there is more to the pakistan story...this book fills the gap"<br /><br />3. "it needed a non-subcontinental writer to pull this off"<br /><br />4. direct quote from Schmidle " humble attempt to explain many histories and identities"<br /><br />5. Further down, the authoritative policeman who concedes that Schmidle may know more abt Pakistan than he himself.<br /><br />6. Schmidle's writing is described as functional and quietly efficient, good reporting; this lukewarm positive leads in to the "tiresome analogies" section.<br /><br />--------<br />Missing negative references:<br /><br />7. The Mister Jones is missing in the print review.<br /><br />8. "not sure it holds up as a flowing narrative"<br /><br />--------<br />A 'positive' reference in the webpost that's missing in print: <br /><br />9. His personal eqn and sadness at Ghazi's death came across as +ve to me.<br /><br />--------<br />Neutral, or no particular effect:<br /> <br />10. Poignant mullahs wondering at WWE cheerleaders matrimonial status.<br /><br />11. 'volatile' pakistan is replaced by 'dangerous to itself and the world'.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Jai_CAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-45007289179737471922009-09-07T19:06:24.154+05:302009-09-07T19:06:24.154+05:30oh welcome... the attention was actually due to th...oh welcome... the attention was actually due to the different reax I had. To me, your review in the paper came across as largely positive, and this post as overall a bit negative.<br /><br />Interesting effect, mostly from placement... of what I read *first* and I dont guard for it at all when I read stuff :-)<br /><br />Couldnt find a link online. will reread the hardcopy paper to try and figure it out.<br /><br />rgds,<br />JaiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-690841695387505912009-09-07T17:09:27.211+05:302009-09-07T17:09:27.211+05:30Anon: yes, I wrote this post as an informal set of...Anon: yes, I wrote this post as an informal set of reflections on the book as I'd just finished reading it, and the Hindu review was written in a slightly more structured way. (Those subheads aren't mine btw, it's just something the paper does for every review.) But thanks for the close attention!Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-89830382583146452592009-09-07T15:56:29.173+05:302009-09-07T15:56:29.173+05:30Read (I think) this same review in the Hindu over ...Read (I think) this same review in the Hindu over the weekend... the paras are shuffled around and all the minus points are hauled over to the end, plus the female golfer and some other bits completely chopped off.<br /><br />The positive references are placed up ahead, and I think the bit abt being "a collection of essays" isnt quite there.<br /><br />All in all, a very different read of mostly the same words from the same person... :-) an illuminating experience. Searching for the link will post it here if I can get it.<br /><br />regards,<br />JaiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-17482367227948587182009-09-04T16:22:52.787+05:302009-09-04T16:22:52.787+05:30Nice Jones reference, dude. All these books and bo...Nice Jones reference, dude. All these books and books and books on our testy neighbour makes one wonder about that wise ass line in that "New York" forerunner "Khuda key Liye" : "Pakistan is at the centre of everything (or some such), its got India, China, Afghanistan and Iran on four sides! Imagine that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-39535383417893883822009-08-24T01:09:10.419+05:302009-08-24T01:09:10.419+05:30Hello!
I really like your blog and your insights. ...Hello!<br />I really like your blog and your insights. You make me ashamed of my "I liked it-I didn't like it" reviews. :-) <br />You have reviewed many of the books that I have read recently or that I want to read in the near future.<br /><br />This book about Pakistan sounds interesting, in spite of all the "shuffling awkwardly around an unfamiliar culture". I wonder if I would make the same "homely analogies", as you call them, if I ever went to Pakistan or any other Asian country (I'm from Italy). For sure I would misunderstand a lot of things, as it often happens when you are in another country, especially one so profoundly different from yours. Making sense of what happens around you is one of the big challenges that you have to tackle when you are in a foreign country!Stefania - The Italian Backpackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02208023950547260256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-49218240492051357312009-08-21T16:38:34.665+05:302009-08-21T16:38:34.665+05:30Despite there being creditable evidence to support...Despite there being creditable evidence to support the contrary, most Westerners come across as barely subtle proponents of superiority of the West, who meander intrusively into matters pertaining to subcontinental issues with a rather condenscing approach.. Though my comment isin't exactly a reflection on Nicholas Schmidle, his frequent use of such analogies, as the author pointed out, betrays a lot of the inward thought process, and inherent conception, that of course, went a long way into the compilation of the book.. I believe it is a classic case of a lack of "similar footing", wherein the author tries to draw parallels with incidents that strike closer home! I daresay such occurances are serious drawbacks to the overall potent narration... <br /><br />I'd say, another significant shortcoming is the exterior, and often faulty, "prism" through which people view countries like Pakistan and India, borne of decades (and even centuries) of prejudice and heresay.. Obviously, this clouds the vision unnecessarily, adding or substracting hues where they are often improper.. This yields quite a lopsided picture, that far deviates from the actual scenario!The Dark Lordhttp://darklordreturns.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-32220141767360872612009-08-20T14:04:44.614+05:302009-08-20T14:04:44.614+05:30Yet another book on Pakistan !
Read in The Hindu...Yet another book on Pakistan ! <br /><br />Read in The Hindu today that a new book The Al Qaeda Connection (Viking/Penguin), by senior Pakistani journalist Imitiaz Gul, will be releasing this Friday (Aug 21st). It is about troubled FATA region in Pakistan.Krishnanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06642369297736205420noreply@blogger.com