what do i begin with ?! if u quote a book/author, please
give me the location where i can find it too. our libraries
telugu books' collection is something i'd rather not talk about.
am looking forward to this (ad)venture ....
kamala
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several people have responded to ms. anupindi's enquiry but in a
different vein than she expected. here is my attempt at answering her.
what is good for a beginner? almost anything as long as it is
INTERESTING to the reader and makes her WANT TO READ MORE. obviously, what
interests one is largely a function of her general (read extra-literary)
interests. for example, i am a lover of humor - especially the type that
involves clever use of language. and for that reason i really enjoy muLLapooDi.
parenthetically, i can't say if my sense of humor developed from reading
muLLapooDi from a young age or i like muLLapooDi because of my s of h.
most likely, one who is past adolescence has developed interests in some
direction or the other - due to various experiences of life. in my opinion, it
is better to pick literature that suits our interests rather than change our
interests just to be able to enjoy a particular type of literature. in summary,
it may not be possible to prescribe "good" books to somebody without knowing
that person well - just as a doctor cannot prescribe medicine without seeing
the patient :-)
comparisons with how one procedes with a foreign literature may
not be relevant. for example, if i want to pick up hindi literature, my
knowledge of hindi will be a major determinant of what i can enjoy and what i
can not - and not my interests.
many times, youngsters are advised on what would make a good reading
for them. such advice often refers to the maturity of the theme. again a
personal example: when i was a pre-teenager i used to read whatever my mother
used to read and my mother used to get upset. she felt one shouldn't be exposed
to chalam's ideas so early in life. but if one is an adult every theme is fair
game and one should try every type of literature to truly discover oneself.
here is the executive summary:-) if you don't want to read something
that might not be enjoyable, ask a more specific question defining your broad
interests. on the other hand, if you are willing to "discover yourself" (TM),
just read every thing that you can lay your hands on and soon you will be able
to pick for yourself.
hope this is at least remotely helpful. this is all i can come up with while
planning my trip to new orleans.
regards,
- rao