The Killing of an Author (The Freedom Trilogy) [Kindle Edition]

Richard Crasta (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crasta's 1993 comic novel The Revised Kama Sutra eventually received favorable reviews and was sold around the world, but its birth was a tortuous process that took a severe toll on its author. Crasta now runs his own press, Invisible Man, and in this memoir-cum exposé, he rails against both a perceived Indian elite and a seemingly politically correct but ultimately racist white Western publishing clique. Crasta recounts that after agent Lynn Nesbit and Knopf honcho Sonny Mehta ignored his absurdly offensive entreaties hawking his novel, he was finally published by Penguin India. However, his editor, pressured by his good friend Mehta, insisted he excise references to Jackie Kennedy. When Crasta refused, the publisher lost interest in publicizing or reprinting the book. Crasta also has other claims: that literary agent Scott Meredith scammed wannabe authors by charging them for evaluations; that Columbia MFA writing workshops attacked his self-esteem by degrading his subject matter; and that his psychiatrist ex-wife addicted him to Librium and Valium. Although similarly disgruntled writers may find validation, Crasta's unfocused, bitter, and ultimately self-indulgent rant tries for wit and parody but misses its mark, merely serving to prove that the author is his own worst enemy.
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Review

"Funny and delightful . . . and nowhere too heavy to carry. I've never read anyone like you. I laugh, I ache, I smile, I cry - but never close the book without that smile surfacing." --Sheelagh Grenon, Quebec City, Canada

'Killing of an Author' by Richard Crasta is a book full of exuberance. It is mesmerizing and bubbles with/exudes a great spirit that you hardly find inside any one book. It brings out heartache and tears, laughter and wanting. It showcases a part of you. To sum up it is a rare gem in a city of rocks. --mangalorean.com

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 399 KB
• Publisher: Invisible Man Press, New York; 2012 Edition edition (July 20, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003WQAX4M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,961 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Richard Crasta was born in Bangalore, India, the son of a former World War II Prisoner of War who miraculously survived near-starvation and constant bombing thanks to a combination of quick reflexes and a diet of stealthily obtained coconuts.

Growing up Catholic in conservative Mangalore, Richard was attracted by the freedom and vitality of writers such as Saul Bellow and later, Henry Miller, and decided to become a writer. After a few years in the Indian Administrative Service, he moved to America, studied at Columbia University, and has published 9 books in 10 countries, and a few other titles only as e-books.

Richard's novel "The Revised Kama Sutra" was a sensation in India, and was published in 10 countries in 7 languages. Though technically a resident of New York, he spends most of his time in Asia. He is the father of 3 boys and of one kicking and screaming Inner Child.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gift of Words, August 7, 2010

By 

Mayflower - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Killing of an Author (The Freedom Trilogy) (Kindle Edition)

"I am still reading your book and doing so in installments as I want to absorb it. Besides, I'm enjoying it in such a way that I want my joy to stick to me. You are funny and delightful . . . and nowhere are you too heavy to carry. I've never read anyone like you. I laugh, I ache, I smile, I cry - but never close the book without that smile surfacing."

Sheelagh Grenon

Quebec City, Canada

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read; a courageous book - a new literary genre of autobiographical thriller, August 29, 2011

By 

Aashish - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Killing of an Author (The Freedom Trilogy) (Kindle Edition)

Its a book that touches your innermost soul - with all its raw emotions, desires, pain, anguish and a feeling of injustice that any Indian author can experience at the world's publishing capital - New York. Its not a book - its an act of bravery, its a kick in the pants of the publishing lords and its an eye-opener for anyone who is awed by the glitter of the modern day institutions of the world, be it publishing world or another. Reading this book was a very different experience for me since I laughed, I cried, I was pained, I felt angry, I was shocked... but I smiled nevertheless and thanked the author many times in my heart for such an open and honest writing, for such a courageous book and ofcourse for such a gift of words that he has. Richard knows how to weave a magic with his words and always maintains a wonderful sense of humour in his books.

Its a book that is not to be missed and its not a surprise that it had to be self-published by the noted author. Who else would dare publish such a courageous book after all?