Rating: 
Summary: The Emasculated Intellectual
Review: The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra is a simple story told with great elegance. Samar is a Brahmin, a young intellectual who meets a group of westerners while studying in Benaras. He is too western (he reads Flaubert and Wilson, listens to Schubert and Sibelius) to mingle with other Indians, and too Indian to mingle with Westerners. He meets a French girl, falls in love, and although they have an affair, it is unsatisfactory. All the chief characters are unhappy doomed people either searching for romance or pursuing doomed relationships. All of them live in their heads, and lack any kind of vitality. Rajesh, Samar's friend, another Brahmin, is a poorly realized character who reads Urdu poetry but cavorts with criminals, and is doomed in his own way. It is telling that this book is written in English. Indeed, it could not have been written in any other Indian language. English, an outside imposition, makes foreigners of Indians within India, and all those who talk/write in English (me included) are cut off from the real India. It is this loss of rootedness which creates the regret and the nostalgia. The story is told in a limpid over-refined style which oozes nostalgia and regret. All through the reading of this book I was reminded of Kazuo Ishiguro. The same style and tempo, the same over-refined characters in an over-refined culture expressing nostalgia and regret and always lacking in vitality and afraid to commit. Pankaj Mishra has given voice to this Indian dilemma in beautiful style. He is the Indian answer to Kazuo Ishiguro.
Rating:
Summary: Very well written...
Review: The Romantics is a tale of a young Indian man who goes to live in the holy city of Benares, and the journey of self discovery that he embarks on there. Throughout the story, we follow him through the violent purliue of the city's university all the way to Kalpi, a town at the foothills of the Himilayas. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, but the reason why I gave it four stars as opposed to five is that I'm somewhat at a loss as to why I liked it so much. You see, if I were a writer and came up with this plot, I doubt that I would write a novel about it. The strength of the book lies not in a compelling, action packed plot, but rather in Mishra's poetic prose. The book is a joy to read, and the characters are quite memorable, but, again, the plot is, well, odd, I supose. The story is basically a chronicle of an Indian man's life for several years, without any momentous climax or intrigue at all. Yet despite this, I repeat that I really liked reading it. I've now decided to read some similar literature, as The Romantics is the first novel of this genre that I have read before, as I tend to gravitate to books like Atlas Shrugged or adventurous things, like Clancy books. On the whole, though, I recomend this book heartily.
Rating:
Summary: Mishra would make a better poet.
Review: There are four things to know about "The Romantics" if you're planning on reading the 300-odd pages: First, if you don't like the first 50, stop right there. The story is one of a young Brahmin studying in the holy city of Benares, India. He encounters Europeans who are on journeys of discovery themselves, and the majority of the novel is made up of his experiences amongst them, his inner conflicts as their cultures collide. But do not expect outrageous differences, complex characters or even a real plot. The book is simply the mental journey of this Brahmin student; introverted, intelligent, young and on the whole, pretty passive. The second thing to know is about Mishra's style -- which is so beautiful, it keeps you reading despite the lack of any major events. Mishra articulates thoughts, travels and confusion simply and sincerely, which makes the main character very realistic. If you don't like his writing, put the book down right away. The plot certainly won't change your mind about the novel! All four stars are on the basis on Mishra's prose and eye for psychological detail in his protagonist. Third, don't expect epiphany, but stay tuned for closure. The last part of the book seems like a frail attempt at tying up loose ends, almost like an epilogue that ran too long. And finally, don't read it on vacation. Mishra's novel left me wondering what happens to people whose lives are not directed by some great force, some eternal longing or blessed talent. They appear to wander aimlessly and alone. Not one of the relationships--romantic or not--is stable or fulfilling. Each one of us is an island, surrounded by uncertainties, absorbed in our domestic, internal affairs, trying to figure out our relations to the world outside. Perhaps that is true. But is certainly is not romantic.
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