behenji's jaithji (husband's older brother for those unfamiliar with northern india familial titles) brought up paul theroux yesterday, i.e., how his latest book, blinding light, is about writer's block, etc. now theroux is one of those authors behenji has wanted to to read...but like all bibliophiles who read more and then feel so infinitely puny on realization that books are multiplying faster than india's population, behenji has added theroux to her longer than santa clause's list of books to read before the final chapter...behenji's final chapter. ok, bad joke.i apologize.
anyway, on visiting theroux's website (cannot provide links folks. alas, apple and blogger have not decided to be friends yet. hence, no hyperlinks. behenji will have to defect to another browser soon), and reading an interview in salon.com (http://www.salon.com/weekly/interview960902.html) behenji became very intrigued with how theroux weaves autobiography with fiction, even keeping the names of people the same. i think it's like dali or escher, where the real meets the unreal, to create some sort of hyperreality. behenji thinks the concept is beautiful and has, out of the kindness of her heart and curiousity of her mind, moved up theroux on the must read list to summer 2005.
although theroux has been doing this for awhile, behenji wonders if this might push magical realism into the corner. is this the literary wave that south asian writers could/should/would/ride? or is this another form of magical realism? and while we are at it, where does the magic come in? come from?
let it be known the behenji has spoken-under the influence of ginger tea.
