Tales From Firozsha Baag [Paperback]

Rohinton Mistry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1993

A collection of stories from the author of 'Such a Long Journey'.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A writer of formidable strength and imagination…these stories are like little bits of life glistening on the page.”
–Toronto Star

“A fine collection…informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.”
–New York Times

“The crowded, throbbing life of India is brilliantly captured in this series of stories.…”
–Sunday Times, London (U.K.)

“Rohinton Mistry explores quicksand territory with intelligence, compassion, wit, and memorable flair.”
–Los Angeles Times Book Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

In these eleven stories, Rohinton Mistry opens our eyes and our hearts to the rich, complex patterns of life inside Firozsha Baag, an apartment building in Bombay. Here are Jaakaylee, the ghost-seer, and Najamai, the only owner of a refrigerator in Firozsha Baag; Rustomji the Curmudgeon and Kersi, the young boy whose life threads through the book and who narrates the final story as an adult in Toronto. We see their passions, their worst fears, their betrayals, and their humorous acts of revenge. Witty and poignant, in turns, these intersecting stories create a finely textured mosaic of lives and illuminate a world poised between the old ways and the new. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: South Asia Books; 1 edition (May 1, 1993)
• ISBN-10: 0836458958
• ISBN-13: 978-0836458954
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,027,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rohinton Mistry was born in 1952 and grew up in Bombay, India, where he also attended university. In 1975 he emigrated to Canada, where he began a course in English and Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He is the author of three novels and one collection of short stories. His debut novel, Such a Long Journey (1991), won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book and the Governor General's Award, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It was made into an acclaimed feature film in 1998. His second novel, A Fine Balance (1995), won many prestigious awards, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction and the Giller Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. His collection of short stories, Tales from Firozsha Baag, was published in 1987. In 2002 Faber published Mistry's third novel, Family Matters, which was longlisted for the 2002 Man Booker Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tales from Firozsha Baag is Swimming Lessons, December 28, 2002

By 

Paul Brians (Pullman, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales from Firozsha Baag (Paperback)

This is a fine collection of early short stories, but note that it was reprinted in the U.S. as Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag; so if you have one book, you don't need the other.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Interesting, January 4, 2003

By 

"tanaz_sa" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales from Firozsha Baag (Paperback)

Of all the books by Rohinton Mistry, I liked this one the best because, it isn't as depressing as the others. Its a tale about the people of a Parsi Colony in Bombay, called Firozsha Baag; their experiences, triumphs and misfortunes. Characters such as Rustomji-the-cur, Nariman Hansotia and Jaykaylee the Aya (maid) are amusing and bring about a pleasant sense of deja-vu.
Being a Parsi myself, I couldn't stop laughing when Mistry depicted our "normal", rather idiotic behaviour. Strangely, a lot of old Parsi women (like Najamai in the book)complain about their cataracts!!
Mistry is a good author who dwells too deeply in the depressing aspects of life at times. But, then again, this is my personal opinion. If you would like to read about the reality of Parsis in Bombay...pick up Tales from Firozsha Baag.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tales from Firozsha Baag, April 5, 2001

By 

Carmelo Tropiano (Unionville, Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales From Firozsha Baag (Paperback)

This book is an excellent discussion on the human condition and its universal relevance. Rohinton Mistry weaves together the struggles of everyday life of an apartment complex in Bombay. As the book progresses, the universal problems of life becomes very clear...death, sorrow, poverty, superstition, and love. It describes the pertinence of existentialism in a quasi religious district. An excellent read for all those who wish to understand how human life progresses, and how it matters little where you live it. Touching and compassionate, and as historical fiction, a very compelling read!