Customer Reviews

East, West

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

East, West contains a wide variety of short story forms - from the classic story telling of Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies to the post-modern Yorick. All are well written with plots that have interesting twists and reflect a deep understanding of human relationships.

Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies is of a charleton giving free advice to a woman seeking a visa to England to join her fiance. His advice turns out to be valuable.

The Free Radio depicts both a cultural clash (old/new) on birth control as a way to view dreams - of a free radio, of being a movie star.

The Prophet's Hair tells of the theft/loss/theft/loss of the relic of the Prophet ... and the misfortunes accompanying the relic.

Yorick is an exploration of Hamlet's motivations based on his childhood relationship with Yorick and his wife.

At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers is a fascinating look at society and dreams. Kansas will never be the same.

Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain Consummate Their Relationship depicts Christopher gaining the financial backing for his voyage and Isabella's unquechable thirst.

The Harmony of the Spheres follows a friendship through the occult, madness, suicide, and truth - the last being, perhaps, the most difficult.

Chekov and Zulu - names based on Star Trek - follows two childhood friends through the Indian diplomatic corp, the assasination of Indira Gandhi, and their choices of separate directions.

The Courter shows the family and servant relationships of "outsiders" - voluntarily or otherwise - living in London.

The Courter is the most poignant of the stories; The Prophet's Hair the most traditional; Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain Consummate Their Relationship the most original.

This is an excellent collection of short stories. Enjoy.

The stories in this collection present lighter reading than Rushdie's mammoth novels such as Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses but they display just as many of his lavish, elegant and rich prose writing talents. The stories focus on various cultural aspects of Western and Eastern societies - the lifestyles, events, stereotypes and prejudices that affect people in these areas, especially those who, like Rushdie, migrate from one to the other.

The stories are vastly diverse - those in the 'East' section document important cultural events that are particular to Indian society - the woman seeking a Visa to travel West, the man who undergoes a vasectomy to get a free radio. Those in the 'West' section include a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead esque reworking of Hamlet from the perspective of the minor characters and a whimsical portrayal of Christopher Columbus as beholden to the dominant whims of Queen Isabella rather than the pioneering bold explorer of legend.
The final stories 'East, West' tackle issues of East, West cultural commingling. 'The Harmony of the Spheres' is the story of an Indian undergraduate at Cambridge University who encounters a paranoid schizophrenic, obsessed with the occult. Chekov and Zulu, the code names of two diplomats, is a story set in the historical context of Indian politics and mixes Western popular culture images in the unfamiliar context of Asian political circles. The final story 'The Courter' highlights perhaps the dominant theme we associate with East, West migration, the difficulties faced by poor immigrant families in London and the prejudices they suffer. The final page deftly highlights the sensation felt, perhaps by Rushdie himself, and many other people who have crossed frontiers: 'I...have ropes around my neck, I have them to this day, pulling me this way and that, East and West, the nooses tightening, commanding, choose, choose. I buck, I snort, I whinny, I rear, I kick. Ropes, I do not choose between you. Lassoes, lariats, I choose neither of you, and both. Do you hear? I refuse to choose'. The stubborn proudness of the cross cultural traveller. East, West highlights these virtues superbly.

I really enjoyed this collection of stories, and think that the book is a good introduction to Rushdie. I think my favorites in the collection were "The Prophet's Hair," and "The Courter." In fact, I think "The Prophet's Hair," was the story which truly reminded me that Rushdie knows how to turn a phrase. While at times there is a certain ambivalence in some stories, I think that is understandable in point of view of Rushdie's own background. It is an attitude that comes from being a product of two cultures and wanting to have claims to both, not just one or the other, as Rushdie so elegantly proclaims at the end of "The Courter."

In the constant furor over Rushdie's novels, some may doubt that a great writer lies behind the cause celebre. This book of stories should set those doubts to rest. As the title suggests, the stories draw from India, the West, and the confluence of the two. They also reflect Rushdie's characteristic interests in high and low culture, from Shakespeare to Star Trek. When I want to introduce friends to Rushdie the writer, this is the book I give them.

Those of the western world who are intrigued with the far east are greatly encouraged to seek out this title. In it, we find 9 examples filled with characters and scenes that feel at times as if from a fairy tale; at other moments like a shot of realism. Rushdie understands the people of India and Pakistan as Joyce understood Dubliners and Faulkner the people of Mississipi. You feel after a time as though you know them personally. And no, the book is not one focused vision, (like "Shame" or the infamous "Satanic Verses") but rather like Joyce's aforementioned journey into the heart of Dublin. It's a wide cast of characters and an interesting chain of events. Perfect for a fast, invigorating read

I loved this book by Rushdie. I was first introduced to it as a selection in a seminar course, and have found myself going back to a number of the stories to re-read them - something I almost never do. The first three stories take place in India and play greatly with Western readers perceptions of Indians and Indian culture. The second selection of three stories takes place in the West. Some are contemporary while one is actually futuristic, bordering on sci-fi. The last three are a fussion of these two worlds. The stories are rich in their imagery, and definitely multi-layered. They prove to be an entertaining read for the casual reader, as well as an extremely intriguing read for those who are involved in a book club or academic enviornment. While some stories are difficult because of the Indian dialect or else due to the point at which the reader is dropped into the story, I would encourage one to keep reading. It will untangle into perhaps one of the best short stories you will encounter, and they are written this way for a reason. With Rushdie, nothing is left to chance, and there is a reason for everything in these stories whether it be the starting point, the dialect, the time frame, a character's name, etc. Definitely get this book. It is worth every penny.

Rushdie succeeds where he produces scenes with minimum description: the sparely constructed conclusion of "Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies" brought tears to my eyes. Where he is overly verbose, as in "Yorick," he still has fun with language (though *his* fun may be tedious for *us* sometimes).

Rushdie's writing contains the joyous confusions of being claimed by two cultures. I love when Rushdie digresses a bit and lets loose a curious flood of details, such as when describing a case of noxious bad breath, or, delivering a feast of images as he does in "At The Auction of the Ruby Slippers." The stories are rewardingly short--you can enjoy an 11-minute vacation and come back with something to think about.

East, West is most readily accessible work of Rushdie. The stories are high entertaining, and each of the nine stories manages to create well-defined character sketches, as well as plots with interesting twists, myths and humor. The story about Columbus and Isabella is full of laughs, about Courter is full of sentimental exuberance, one about Chekov and Zulu delves into Indra Gandhi's assination and its effect on the friendship of a Sikh and a Hindu (very poignant for us who witnessed the tradegy), and there are others that deal with the charade of charlatan, the obsession of occult of some Cambridge students and so on. These stories reflect how well Rushdie captures both the Eastern and Western personalities and history and how he manages to combine them to make stories worth relishing.

Salman Rushdie is an excellent writer in general. He likes to write fantastical stories based on common everyday things. This book brings together stories from the East and stories from the West. My personal favorite is "the Prophet's Hair" about a family that sets out to find a professional theif to steal the latest addition to their father's collection and, hopefully, restore the family back to normal. There's only one story that seems to not fit and tends to be confusing: it's a rewriting of Shakespeare's Hamlet. I think you'll enjoy all the rest, though.