We all have our literary heroes. Sometimes in the form of characters, which we have loved reading about and idolizing while reading or sometimes in the form of writers themselves, who bring stories and characters to life. For me, there are so many writers who have changed my life and the way I see things and the world around me and then there are those who stay on irrespective of time.
Pico Iyer's new book, 'The Man within my Head' is homage to Graham Greene, and at the same time, it is a travelogue, a memoir and a literary biography of sorts. It is everything rolled into one, taking pieces from Graham's books and his life and that is what makes the book an interesting read.
The book opens during a visit to La Paz, Bolivia and the imagery that Iyer leaves you with is fascinating. A lot but of course has to do with the fact that he can describe a regular scene with great intensity, and make it appear magical to the reader. I picture Iyer on his journeys, sinking in what he sees, settling in his hotel room and writing for his readers, writing about Graham Greene " his writing style, his books and his life. He does all of this and at the same time, gives us a sense of his (Iyer's) life, juxtaposing the two, which makes for great reading.
Graham Greene was always an outsider and that sentiment was forever
02:06 PM, Apr 18, 2012
'If I were to choose a secret companion, an unofficial alter ego, I would most likely fasten on someone more dashing, more decisive, less unsettled than Greene.' But Greene 'took residence' inside the author's head, to the point where he had an eerie feeling that his life was playing out on the lines of the plots Greene had constructed decades ago. And so, as if instructed by an inner voice,...
06:37 PM, Mar 29, 2012
