My Writings

This small book about Aristotle’s Poetics is a treasure trove of knowledge about western aesthetics. Poetics today refers to the general theory of literature. This book has four chapters: 1) Aristotle’s Life and Works, 2) Aristotle’s Poetics: the Text, 3) Aristotle’s Poetics: An Interpretation and 4) The History of  Reception. The book ends with biographical notes and a select bibliography. I believe that people will enjoy reading this book for higher aesthetics in literature. Indeed, R. A. Scott-James observes, “In turning to the Poetics, after reading Plato or any earlier writer, we find ourselves transported suddenly to a familiar world- it might be that of our own time.”

This book is about the immortal poet William Shakespeare.
            Shakespeare was born in 1563 in Stratford. He had  little education and left for London in 1585. Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy and Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus inspired Shakespeare. By 1592 Shakespeare was the author of the tragedies, Titus Andronicus and Romeo and Juliet, the comedies The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labour’s Lost and A Midsummer Night’s Dream  and the history plays, Henry VI (Parts 1, 2 and 3), Richard III and King John. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (est 1594) was Shakespeare’s new company. He wrote two poems and 154 sonnets. Mere mentions that since the formation of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare had written five more plays The Comedy of Errors (1593-4), Richard II (1595), Henry IV Parts One (1596) and Part Two (1597) and the Merchant of Venice (1597). By this time Shakespeare’s Globe began functioning in 1599. Dominic Shellard tells by joining the new breed of theatre entrepreneurs, Shakespeare, as writer, player and shareholder, had become a total man of the theatre.
           

The book has several chapters devoted to the chronological happenings in American literature. The first chapter is about the colonial days and then the subsequent chapters treat such seminal topics as American dream, Transcendentalism, Civil War writings, frontier literature, realism, Harlem renaissance, American criticism, American English, African American literature as much as Jewish/Asian American literatures, and finally two chapters dealing with such important writers-in-isolation as Faulkner, Hemingway and Frost. This book is primarily meant for students and I shall be happy if they make use of it.

The Creative Writings of Basavaraj Naikar, Rajendra Chenni and Mallikarjun Patil is a brilliant study of three South Indian writers in English. They are all from North Karnataka. Prof. Basavaraj Naikar is a novelist, short story writer, translator and critic. His two novels Light in the House and The Queen of Kittur are eminently readable even by Anglo-Americans. Rajendra Chenni's only novel Mud Town reads like a post-modern narrative. Finally that young and forthcoming writer Mallikarjun Patil is equally ambitious as a writer with his three novels A Don in the Jungle, When the Ground Shakes Beneath and Under the Mango Tree. He is also known for his various travel accounts. This book is a fine study in Naikar, Chenni and Patil's creative writings.

The present book is an introduction to the religions of the world. The book begins with an account of how Judaism, as the most ancient religion began and gave birth to Christianity and Islam. Hinduism, another important ancient religion gave birth to Jainism, Buddhism, Lingayatism and Sikism. Buddhism, in turn, nourished the spirit of other religions like Confucianism, Taoism and Shintosim. Zoroastrianism is, of course, another important ancient religion. The author feels that these religions have nourished the world civilizations from time immemorial. The book is to be read by all those who profess their faith both in Man and God.

The subject of culture studies is gaining new heights day by day. People are studying the subject as if they would study literature earlier. Maybe they are more interested in culture today than ever before. The evolution in terms of civilisation is one of the reasons for this. A study of culture and civilization need to go together.
The present book has twenty essays, most of them on serious aspects of art, literature and other higher things. They deal with culture, literature, drama and cinema in their various ways, creative writing, language and style, travel, translation, feminism, sex and myth, diaspora and Dalit studies.
This book will be of immense help for the students and scholars of English literature in India.

The present critical monograph on Conrad is like an Indian writers's revisiting of Conrad. The book has four chapters. Chapter I is about Conrad's life and works. Chapter II deals with a critical analysis of Conrad's entire corps of novels. Chapter II analyses his short stories; and chapter IV is about his world-view.

The present festschrift for Prof. Walikarhas four parts. Part-I is about Prof. H. B. Walikar's life. Prof. Walikar has written in this part 'words from within' about his life, which is more than a struggle for existence for establishing his identity in the society and Nation. Besides Madame Anasuya Walikar has written about the family, and their son Sudhindra has written too. Prof. B. V. Yakkundimath, co-ordinator, Kanaka Adhyayana Peetha, K.U.D. helped to make this section more informative.

The present monograph Shivayogi Siddharama is very well brought out by Basava Samiti, Bangalore.

The present book Mallikarjun Patil: A Critical Heritage has certain sections which speaks of Patil's corpus of critical writings. In fact, Dr. Ramesh Karki has written an article on Patil's academic writings. The book lias a section called Reviews. These reviews cover all of the writings done by Patil. Others' prefaces, and the author's Notes and Introductions are also included. Bibliographical information is provided too. Patil's reviews for others' books forms a section, followed by Patil's forewords for others' works, edited or otherwise.

The book is a critical biography of Dr. S.R. Gunjal, one of the best and well-known library scientists in India; aims at introducing Dr. Gunjal for the national and international audience; likely to educate the people in the field of Library Science.

The Travels in the Himalayas is a fine travel account by Mallikarjun Patil, an English writer. Mr Patil has traveled in the Himalayas many times and has written this account vividly. Part I consists chapters on his stay and visit to places like Shimla, Manali-Rohtang-Pass, Manikaran,   Dharamshala,   McLeodganj,   Recong-Peo, Kalpa and Sangla, the last a village on Indo-China border. Of course, other experiences like his participation in an international seminar on Asia-Pacific Writings are there. Once he stayed with a tribal family and the same is depicted in the chapter, "Far from the Madding Crowd." The chapter title is taken from Hardy's novel of that name and interestingly Patil has visited Hardy's Wessex. The last chapter is on Rudyard Kipling. Part II is about his trips to various places in the states of New Delhi, Hariyana,   Punjab,   Uttarakhand   and   Jammu   and Kashmir.