Raja Rao (1) (1908–2006)

The Cat and Shakespeare / Raja Rao
1.5 stars

What the *bleep* was that!!!? Is there such a thing as “philosophical fiction”? That may have been this. I don’t think there was any kind of plot. From what I could gather there as a man with a wife and a mistress (one, I’m not sure which, was “woman”… not “a woman”, just “woman”). He has a daughter (“child”, not “a child”, just “child”). He works. A boy child got sick, a cat appeared somewhere along the way, a boss died, the mistress was pregnant (and I think had a baby). I think. The book gets the extra half star for what I think I actually followed in the book (since I was surprised that I managed to follow anything – at least I think I did!). Sorry if any of what I mentioned as a spoiler – my apologies if I’ve ruined the book for anyone!… (meer)

Rather than detail a plot that is entirely beside the point, I would like to emphasize the seamless prose that moves from enigmatic conversations to abstruse philosphy in unyieldingly intellectual yet poetical prose. Apparently Rao intended this to be the first of a trilogy, but I believe age caught up with him. Still it is a remarkable capstone for a career that begin simply with Kanthapura, matured into the metaphysical yet more easily accessible The Serpent and the Rope and led, finally, to this extraordinary book.… (meer)