Monday 12 July 2010

Moby Dick by Herman Melville, July 9, 2010


This was the much-awaited reading of Moby Dick.  The book is large, and the enchantment it holds for readers is deep. It takes time to traverse the voyage of Ishamel, which is as much mental as physical, through the 135 chapters; even a cheat sheet to reduce the words to half by judicious skipping did not enable everyone to finish the novel.

 Zakia reads about Stubb killing a whale as Soma & KumKum listen

Indira managed to persuade the British TV actor, Madhav Sharma, who was visiting for a family occasion, to come and read for us from Chapter 36, The Quarter-Deck; in a fiery conversation Ahab overmasters his crew and swears them to the maniacal objective of killing the White Whale. 


Amita, Thomo, Indira, and Madhav Sharma at the reading


 
Indira reading about the pacific whale nursery of thousands of congregating mother whales

The next novel will be chosen by Soma and Zakia and they will notify the others at the next reading on Aug 13, 2010.


Madhav Sharma, British TV actor, reads Chapter 36 of Moby Dick where Ahab beguiles the crew of The Pequod to pursue his personal vengeance on the White Whale

Forthcoming sessions are as follows:
Aug 13, 2010    Poetry
Sept 24,2010    John Irving, The World According to Garp
Here is a link to the full account and record of the session on July 9, 2010.



Madhav Sharma seated - KumKum, Thommo, Indira, Bobby, Amita, Zakia, Soma