Tarun J. Tejpal

Set against the brilliantly drawn backdrop of India at the turn of the millennium, The Alchemy of Desire tells the story of a young couple, penniless but gloriously in love. Obsessed with each other, they move from a small town to the big city, where the man, who dreams of being a writer, works feverishly on a novel, stopping only to feed his ceaseless desire for his beautiful wife. A chance occurrence allows the lovers to abandon the city for a mist-shrouded spur of the lower Himalayas and move into a sprawling old house, which they hope will embody their love. At first they pursue their deep physical need with a reckless intensity. But during renovations of the house, a set of diaries written by the original inhabitant—a glamorous American adventuress—is unearthed, and the narrator finds himself irresistibly drawn away from his wife and thrust into another world and time, into the hole of history. As his life and love fall apart, he slowly begins to uncover the dark secrets at the heart of her story, until the shocking truth is laid bare and all certainties are overturned. Inventive, playful, heartbreaking, brimming with ideas and memorable characters, The Alchemy of Desire celebrates the chaotic spirit of a country during a time of great change. It also offers, in searing, lucid prose, a deeply sensual and moving meditation on the nature of desire, history, truth, and art. This is a major novel by one of the most significant new voices of his generation.

The Alchemy of Desire

I Could Sense That In That Swirling Mad Room,Every Eye Had Slowly Come To Rest On Him.I Saw Even Yoronour In All His Pasty Majestysneak A Look Or Two. Sethiji Said,'They Say He Is The Future King Of Western Up. His Name Is Hathoda Tyagi.Before He Was Nineteen He'D Killed His First Five Men By Caving Their Skulls In With A Hammer.Full Brain Curry. Now, Of Course, He Shoots People Through Their Ears, In Their Mouths, Up Their Assholes. Today He Kills You, Tomorrow Your Enemy. Like Sethiji Gets Up And Comes To Patiala House Courts Every Morning, He Goes Out Every Day And Dispatches A Few Sorry Souls To Yamraj Directly. He Works Only For The Big Mafia Dons Now. When They Want A Big Job Done, They Send For Hathoda Tyagi. You Should Be Proud. Not Just Sethiji, Even The Mafia Thinks You Are A Big Man!' Sara Said, 'They Are Being Framed.' I Looked At Her. She Said, 'Can'T You See They Are Being Framed!' I Said, 'How Can You Tell?' A Muscular, Incisive, And Deeply Sardonic Comment On Twenty-First Century India, The Story Of My Assassins Is A Multilayered Novel That Skilfully Slashes Through The Subcontinent'S Dubious Spiritual Serenity To Lay Bare Every Crippling Divide Of Language, Wealth And Class. Trawling Life And Death In The Dark Underside, It Inquires Into The Inexorable Codes Of Power And Wealth That Propel Societies. A Triumph Of Disparate Voices, Unbearable Realities, And Impossible Conundrums, This Is A Book That Will Forever Change The Way We Look At Theworld Around Us.

The Story of My Assassins

L'histoire, à la fin du XXe siècle, d'un jeune couple désargenté mais passionnément amoureux. Le narrateur et sa femme, Fizz, vivent entre Chandigarh et Delhi. Leur vie bascule quand ils découvrent le journal de Catherine, intrépide aventurière américaine. Le narrateur, entraîné par cette lecture dans l'histoire de l'Inde au début du XXe siècle, s'éloigne peu à peu de Fizz. Premier roman.

Loin de Chandigarh

roman

Alchemia pożądania

Aux confins de l'Himalaya, une communauté recluse dans une vallée inaccessible, sous la coupe d'un gourou légendaire : Aum, le pur des purs. Lutter contre l'ego, renoncer à toute possession, ne jamais s'attacher à quiconque... Dans un souci d'égalité absolue, les hommes n'ont pas de nom mais un matricule, pas de visage mais un masque, identique pour tous. Le narrateur, ancien disciple, raconte comment il a peu à peu découvert les perversions de cette utopie, sa cruauté envers ceux qui dévient du droit chemin, et les compromissions de ceux qui, au nom de la pureté, n'hésitent pas à éliminer chaque grain de sable. Fuyant vers le monde extérieur, il découvrira la musique, la lecture, le rire, l'amour et la beauté du doute.

La vallée des masques

"Les hommes jugent les autres pour s’absoudre. Aucune drogue au monde n’est aussi grisante que la moralité. Le plaisir est fleur de cytise – il s’évanouit en un éclair fulgurant. En revanche, la vertu est d’une indomptable énergie, pareille à celle du banian en constante régénération. Elle déploie de nouvelles branches. Elle engendre sa propre forêt." Dans une prison indienne qui nous rappelle l’Enfer de Dante, les espoirs, les bassesses, les trahisons et les victoires des détenus prennent vie en un chœur foisonnant. Les hiérarchies qui ont cours dans ce royaume d’airain sont nombreuses et subtiles : les allégeances religieuses, l’appartenance de classe et de caste et même la nature du crime définissent le rang. Chaque cellule a ses habitants et ses lois propres : dans le Cloaque s’entasse le sous-prolétariat ; le Pakistan abrite les musulmans ; la Maison d’hôtes est réservée aux prisonniers VIP et à leurs larbins ; le Bhoutan est la cellule des paisibles. Avec une langue lyrique et crue, Tarun J Tejpal donne à entendre les chants des vaincus, ceux qui n’ont plus foi en rien mais survivent par l’énergie du désespoir. L’auteur du best-seller international Loin de Chandigarh signe une fresque éblouissante, mêlant épopée indienne traditionnelle et roman contemporain pour explorer la grande question de la justice des hommes.

Le chant des vaincus

È notte. Chiuso in una stanza, un uomo vuole raccontare la sua storia. Nel silenzio solo i pensieri fanno rumore. Al di là delle finestre, New Delhi fa sentire la sua voce. Per le strade gruppi di uomini ridono e cantano dando vita alla città. Un treno sfreccia veloce in lontananza. Seduto alla scrivania, l’uomo aspetta il suo destino: la sua vita è in pericolo, per questo le parole, come i ricordi, devono scorrere veloci. Quando loro arriveranno non ci sarà più tempo. Conosce i suoi nemici, vengono dal suo passato. Il passato che vuole rivelare: quella valle isolata dove tutto ha avuto inizio. Lì l’individuo è annullato dalla forza del gruppo e le emozioni sono bandite. La fede cieca è l’unica possibilità. Ma gli occhi non hanno potuto mentire. Quegli occhi di donna, bella come la pioggia prima della neve, hanno liberato il suo spirito, in un attimo hanno cambiato la sua intera esistenza. L’amore ha tolto il velo dal suo sguardo. Ha insinuato in lui il dubbio che l’ha fatto fuggire. Adesso, con lei accanto, conosce finalmente il gusto del tempo che scorre lento, il sapore del tè e il piacere di una tazza calda tra le mani. Tutto questo potrebbe durare per sempre. Invece, lui sa che ora ogni cosa sta per cambiare. Tarun J Tejpal, dopo lo straordinario successo dell’Alchimia del desiderio, torna con un nuovo romanzo che è stato finalista del Man Asian Literary Prize: la storia di un uomo che con le parole segue le fila del suo passato con la certezza di una minaccia imminente. Motore e riscatto di questo destino, la forza di un amore capace di salvare la sua anima.

Il sospiro lieve dei sensi

Alchemy of Desire

The Valley of Masks

Set against the brilliantly drawn backdrop of India at the turn of the millennium, The Alchemy of Desire tells the story of a young couple, penniless but gloriously in love. Obsessed with each other, they move from a small town to the big city, where the man, who dreams of being a writer, works feverishly on a novel, stopping only to feed his ceaseless desire for his beautiful wife. After receiving a small inheritance, the lovers abandon the city for a mist-shrouded spur of the lower Himalayas, and move into a sprawling old house which they hope will embody their love. At first they pursue their deep physical need with a reckless intensity. But during renovations of the house, a set of diaries written by the previous inhabitant -- a glamorous American adventuress -- is unearthed, and the narrator finds himself irresistibly drawn away from his wife, and thrust into another world and time, into the hole of history. Increasingly infatuated with the other woman, he slowly begins to uncover the dark secrets at the heart of her story, until the shocking truth is laid bare, and all certainties are overturned. Quick-paced and inventive, brimming with ideas and memorable characters, The Alchemy of Desire celebrates the chaotic spirit of a country during a time of great change. It also offers, in searing, lucid prose, a deeply sensual and moving account of the complex chemistry between sex, ambition and love. This is a major novel by one of the most significant new voices of his generation.

Tarun J. Tejpal

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