Monsignor Quixote - Graham Greene

Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene is one of the most beautiful books I have read in recent times. It is a book on friendship, beliefs and doubts. Father Quixote and his friend the Mayor are the most endearing protagonists and you keep down the book at the end wishing their adventures had never ended. I remember thinking I would like to take up a journey like that myself across India.

Father Quixote and his friend are passionate people, both believing in divergent ideologies riddled by doubts held firmly in check. Sancho the Mayor is a communist and an atheist. They are an unlikely pair but no more unlikely than Don Quixote and his staid Sancho of Cervantes. Their friendship starts at a low point in both their lives when the mayor looses his Mayorship at the elections and the Father gets promoted to a Monsignor with prospects of ejection from his beloved El Tobaso which is too small a parish for a Monsignor. They decide then to travel across Spain in the Fathers old car named Rocinante. Don Quixote’s horse too is named Rocinante and the parallel that starts here is interestingly drawn through the book which traces the adventures of Father Quixote and his Mayor in the Rocinante.

The book is liberally interspersed with conversations about the church, the holy trinity and communism. It had me going to the Wiki to look up on Trotsky, the Spanish Inquisition and Generalissimo Franco and taking part in their debates. The mayor’s cynicism is treated with sympathy and opens our mind to a lot of questions that we take for granted. The most touching part of the book is the way Father Quixote is able to talk unreservedly in the Mayor’s presence, even to think with a freedom he doesn’t allow himself when alone. It is however Father Quixote’s innocence that gives the book its touch of humor.

Like Father Leopoldo says in the book, ‘Fact and fiction …. So difficult to distinguish’ by the end of the book you actually start wondering if Don Quixote and Sancho Panza were real people who had real adventures. It is a recurring theme of two unlikely people who connect, not because of their beliefs but because of something deeper than that. It is perhaps doubts and the questioning that bring people together. Many of the beautiful things in life seem to be a product of not accepting things as they are said to be. Father Quixote in one of his conversations with the Mayor rightly says that he reads all the books he does because he needs them to strengthen his beliefs. If he, like the Baker from El Tobaso had complete unquestioning faith he would not keep going back to St. Francis De Sales.

Note: The book has also been made into a movie starring Alec Guiness as Father Quixote

Blossom Book House

Located on Church Street, right across the bowling destination Amoeba, Blossom’s is one of my favorite bookstores. Whether you are looking for a seconds at a good price or if you are looking for new books, they have it all. This is one bookstore that seems to divine what the customer is looking for. For example there was a time when I was hunting for Herman Hesse. I was basically stocking up on every Herman Hesse I could lay my hands on, as I was completely blown by Steppenwolf and Damien. I walk into Blossom’s one Saturday afternoon, and there’s this whole stack of Hesses… the complete collection! I picked them all up.

A typical Saturday afternoon at Blossom, you’ll find people crowding every aisle between the huge rows of books. You would definitely come across men toppling over books stacked precariously in the corners and women taking their pick of romances in a cozy corner of the 1st floor. Go to Blossom after reading the Hindu Literary Supplement and you will find those books there.

The store is spread over 3 floors – Ground floor with the billing counter and display of popular and recently published books, 1st floor is the fiction and children’s section, the 3rd floor is the non fiction section. The entire place is crammed full of books, stacks of them from floor to ceiling. The 1st and the 3rd floor books are appropriately categorized, though you may find it a little confusing at first. The first floor of fiction is categorized into Classics, Fantasy, Crime, Indian writers, Plays/Poetry, Literature, Romance, Erotica, Fiction, Wild West etc. At the children’s section you get to see your childhood favorites like Enid Blyton or Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys. The 1st floor also contains a very good collection of Comics – Phantom, Superman, issues of MAD, Archie’s, Tin Tin, Asterix etc.-all at bargain prices. The 3rd floor contains books on Language, History, Management, Computers, Psychology and a lot of assorted others.

My favorite section is the one at the extreme right corner on the 1st floor. It’s got an excellent collection of all my favorite writers – Doris Lessing, Hesse, Daphne Du Maurier, Camus. This is not a specially categorized section but it could possibly be fit into Modern Classics. At times the sections are a little mixed up. For instance, the Indian writing section ranges from Pakistani writers to Naom Chomsky or you would find Erica Jong and Jodi Picault jostling among the Georgette Heyers. But the place grows on you. The owner, Mare Gowda is well read and can advise you on books. Some of the attendants too know exactly where to find a particular book or author. Or if you just want to browse, there are stools placed in every narrow aisle.

The best part about this store is the bargain prices. Most of the seconds would cost between 80/- to 100/-. If the book is tough to come by it may be costlier. The new books are always offered at a discount of at least 20%. Recently I went to the Strand Book exhibition and picked up a couple of books. One book in particular, cost me Rs290 there. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that the same book cost Rs200 at Blossom. It is a year round exhibition for Blossom. One could experiment with writers here; explore new genres and authors at little cost. You could come back sell it all to Blossoms at 50% of the amount you paid for it.

Recently they have taken to displaying books down the steps leading to the entrance of the building. This started during the launch of the latest Harry Potter mid 2007 and the trend continues with children’s books. So that’s another landmark for you, though I have laid out a map here to guide you to this place. Believe me, it’ll soon become your favorite hangout! :)