Saturday, July 12, 2008

thousand splendid suns



I only give credit when its due so I own up:
Actually every Khaled Hosseini's book in the house belonged to Yah and I happen to have the privilege of her "forgetfulness" that I managed to get hold of them =P

Since the Kite Runner's, a runaway bestseller, everyone is eager for the next novel by the Afghan writer, and every anticipation is paid handsomely because (imho) Thousand Splendid Suns is way better.

Again the stories in Thousand Splendid Suns revolve around the Soviet-Taliban war, but the similarities of social tendencies of brotherhood this time is indirectly shown by the wives in a polygamous marriage sharing a "spiteful and embarrassing" blood. I like novels that describe history with the personal view of non-historic individuals, and Khaled had done beautifully on the modern history of Afghanistan, from 1964 to 2003. I'm tempted to compare with the novel by Edward Rutherford, Russka: The Novel of Russia.
No spoilers here, I suggest you read it on your own.
Its beautiful.

About the title of the story, it's actually loosely translated by the poem Kabul by Sayb-e Tabrizee. Thank God for google.

Ah! How beautiful is Kabul encircled by her arid mountains
And Rose, of the trails of thorns she envies
Her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes
But I love her, for knowing and loving are born of this same dust

My song exhalts her dazzling tulips
And at the beauty of her trees, I blush
How sparkling the water flows from Pul-I Bastaan!
May Allah protect such beauty from the evil eye of man!

Khizr chose the path to Kabul in order to reach Paradise
For her mountains brought him close to the delights of heaven
From the fort with sprawling walls, A Dragon of protection
Each stone is there more precious than the treasure of Shayagan

Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls

Her laughter of mornings has the gaiety of flowers
Her nights of darkness, the reflections of lustrous hair
Her melodious nightingales, with passion sing their songs
Ardent tunes, as leaves enflamed, cascading from their throats

And I, I sing in the gardens of Jahanara, of Sharbara
And even the trumpets of heaven envy their green pastures

12 comments:

mr K 12 July 2008 at 01:55:00 GMT+8  

sedap poem tu.. nama Khaled Hosseini pon sedap!

adina 12 July 2008 at 21:48:00 GMT+8  

i think the kite runner is still the better one. after kite runner, i had really really high expectations for this one but it didnt quite turn out to be that way. the kite runner to me lagi byk intense emotions.

and what disappoints me the most is when a writer has predictable way of writing, like john grisham (his stories suck btw) and the guy who made da vinci's code tu. perhaps khaled hosseini should explore more than just revolving his stories from the same background and stigmas - extremists, illegitimate kids, etc.

i like stories with historical backgrounds and fictional characters too. maybe you shud read milan kundera, if u havent. i like him.

Anonymous,  13 July 2008 at 20:15:00 GMT+8  

biarlah.everyone's got a different individual taste and nadia here is like conveying as if hers is the only ultimate taste.get a life.

a passerby 13 July 2008 at 20:31:00 GMT+8  

agree with fraulein nadia.(yg pasal writer writes the same pattern in their novels.) dan brown's da vinci code and angles & demons sangat serupa! and we can almost guess whos the bad guy by reading his prev novels. nvrtheless, i stil luv reading them anyway. haha

Shahnon 13 July 2008 at 21:37:00 GMT+8  

I havent read the novel yet but I've watched the film. you should watch it too. highly recommended! :)

adina 14 July 2008 at 10:07:00 GMT+8  

Eh, conveying opinions and exchanging views across on books are what people who read do. That's normal. Apa masalahnya sekarang?

amicus curiae 14 July 2008 at 16:04:00 GMT+8  

mr K: anything that rymes with your name,is beautiful =P

nadia:i just read his book few weeks ago..thing about khaled its important for him to maintain his perspective but he is on a dangerous ground at the risk of sounding repetitious.but imho kite runner is a drag,if there's anything to chip.

you know i know (what and who?): oh really?its ok,nadia is also entitled to giver her opinions too.

alak:hmm ive got friends who like dan's work,but i see ur point (and theirs too).try sheldon.hah.where women are always at men's mercy.

shahnon:i usually avoid watching movies that are based on books.hate the glamorizing effect,as i usually have the "actors" in my head n would not dare to infringe my imagination..

adina 14 July 2008 at 16:39:00 GMT+8  

oh, i watched the movie as well Af. Halfway thru I fell asleep and only woke up when the boy is in the States already.

If the book (which I think is brilliant) is already a drag to you, I think u shudn't watch the movie la. The editing sucked.

But that's just my opinion. Feel free to do otherwise.

ps: Read Kundera! Kundera! Kundera! Told Abu abt it, he never read his work. What's wrong with u guys?? Hehehehe...kidding. Give it a shot. See whether u like his work or not. He's philosophical and sometimes hard to digest jugak la. But I like la.

I think Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie, 5 People U Meet In Heaven, etc) is a drag. Buku nipis pun I'm taking a dog's year to finish.

For poetries, I go for Rumi. The ultimatum. He kills Bill Shakespeare big time ;-)

amicus curiae 14 July 2008 at 17:06:00 GMT+8  

la kan i said i did read milan few weeks ago.a

nyway its not fair to compare the bard and rumi,who is a philosopher.rumi and ibn arabi,at least they're at the same wavelength.tahafut alfalasifat.

i read albom too,and i appreciate emotions of honesty.

yesterday,my sister and i were discussing samad said's salina,and to her disappointment,is such a distaste.oh well,for me,i read for the language even the storyline is almost vacant.

my point is,i love languages,not just the stories.my miserable reasons for taking up law.should've opted for literature (like u,dear hazwani and fara......

Anonymous,  14 July 2008 at 21:52:00 GMT+8  

now i sound so commendable ha ha.
tell me,since you tie-in the books u read with music,so who sings for this book?

f.e

amicus curiae 15 July 2008 at 10:35:00 GMT+8  

hehe.there's one arab singer (can't remember his name tho) but the song is al-rayyah,or atleast the long prelude of the song.

Zackyun 8 August 2008 at 19:15:00 GMT+8  

(izinkan saya berbahasa melayu..kerana inglish aku mcm hampagas)

i dont think kite runner and thousand splendid suns write in similar way.

because his second novel made me cried like hell.tersedu sedan.plot cerita bertukar dgn pantas. the words are more beautiful written.kite runner tu okaylaaa...cuma tak sebest 1000splendid tersebut..plot agak lambat..(kata aku yang mninggalkan buku tersebut di atas kaunter digi kat the mall-nanti aku pergi beli balik kite runner kalau ada duit)..but for 1000splendid tu,for sure i'll buy instantly if happend kalau hilang atau misplace anyway..suka giller...

i really love thousand splendid sun

yg benar
gadis emos.

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