tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95354662012-02-16T16:25:11.080+05:30Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-37235082419774665862009-10-09T15:31:00.004+05:302011-08-31T21:25:12.823+05:30

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-56026160746525712512009-09-29T13:17:00.001+05:302009-09-29T13:29:38.891+05:30

This man is my writing god. ♥

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-67554892133563353332009-03-17T17:01:00.001+05:302009-03-17T17:15:50.765+05:30

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of Anthony Minghella's death. I really don't know how such a day should be commemorated. I did very much like hearing about the film festival on the Isle of Wight, hosted by Mr Minghella’s family and attended by Alan Rickman, Jude Law and Martin Freeman among others. I very much hope it will become an annual event, if only for the selfish reason that I might be

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-7304413422988953682008-12-29T16:35:00.004+05:302009-11-18T21:12:08.416+05:30

Our feisty little feline, all of five months old, died today. It was around two a.m. last night that C noticed her sitting in the bathroom, and we brought her out and laid her on C’s bed. She was cold and at first we thought it was just because the bathroom floor had been wet. But as it increasingly became clear that that was not the cause of the drop in temperature, C warmed a cloth repeatedly

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-30103219543438074362008-12-25T21:02:00.002+05:302008-12-25T21:24:40.212+05:30

It will be said that it was only to be expected, but Harold Pinter's death is an occasion for mourning no matter what is said. Having studied The Birthday Party when I was all of eighteen years old, I remember Pinter as being one of the very few writers who made an impression on me at the time. There is something to be said about a writer who can touch you when you are down. I'm reminded of

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-60896782949059163082008-10-22T10:57:00.003+05:302008-10-22T11:43:32.501+05:30

I haven't mentioned The Book on this page so far, although I've been working on it for three months now. Maybe it's because I've been living the process that I haven't been able to write about it. (I don't want to think about what the implications of my finally writing about it may be.) My first contributor sent me his piece on September 12th. Actually, it was September 12th where I was and

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-67127004681898268772008-09-18T12:25:00.006+05:302008-09-18T12:44:05.287+05:30

Minghella says: 'I want to make a beautiful film.' I think: you will. And then I think: you understand what this means to these people. The world has been unkind to Africa, and here is a chance, through you, to show the positive side of the continent, its capacity for goodness and laughter and sheer human decency. -- Alexander McCall SmithThe No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (2008)Screenplay by

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-48305128093322990012008-09-04T14:17:00.009+05:302008-09-04T14:42:59.190+05:30

The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant (2005)Screenplay by Peter BerryDirected by Peter AndrikidisMusic by Iva DaviesCinematography by Joseph PickeringStarring: Romola Garai Mary BryantJack Davenport Lieutenant Ralph Clarke Alex O’Loughlin Will BryantSam Neill Governor Arthur Phillip“I am no hero, and I have no ambition to be made into one. There are some in this court today who have tried to make

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-14473760940385143432008-08-29T07:45:00.008+05:302008-08-29T08:04:27.463+05:30

The Unbearable Lightness of BeingWarner Brothers, 1988Screenplay by Jean-Claude Carrière and Philip KaufmanBased on the novel by Milan KunderaDirected by Philip KaufmanStarring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Derek de Lint"When Oedipus realized that he had killed his father -- unknowingly, unknowingly killed his father -- and was sleeping with his mother, and that because of his

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-48594682348156142122008-08-21T08:53:00.007+05:302008-08-21T09:16:25.360+05:30

"He always said he wanted his ashes scattered on Brokeback Mountain, but I wasn't sure where that was. I thought Brokeback Mountain might be around where he grew up. Knowing Jack, it was probably some pretend place, where bluebirds sing and there's a whiskey spring." -- Lureen Newsome, Brokeback Mountain Every scene in this beautiful, sensitive and honest film is so well-crafted that one is at a

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-91266523352523944402008-08-14T03:58:00.001+05:302008-09-18T13:06:01.306+05:30

I never wrote an obituary for Anthony Minghella, and wasn’t meaning to. I thought recording his death here would be enough, but it isn’t. When he died I was working on my first screenplay, and I didn’t think I would write another. While writing this, I’m working on my second screenplay and there is nothing more I want to do than make movies, and live them; make them a profession like I’ve never

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-5968979866707312192008-07-26T09:47:00.017+05:302008-08-01T16:32:55.467+05:30

Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Anthony Minghella film The Talented Mr Ripley (1999). “Officially, there are no Italian homosexuals. It makes Michelangelo and Leonardo very inconvenient.” – Peter Smith-Kingsley, The Talented Mr RipleyDespite the wholly involved performance by Matt Damon (Tom Ripley), the detached glamour of Jude Law (Dickie Greenleaf), and the elegant

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-43151541403792164562008-07-23T15:07:00.000+05:302008-07-23T15:10:55.377+05:30

… be polyamorous. No, really. All the people I know who have chosen to be poly seem much happier than the monogamous sort, who hang themselves by the neck plagued by the social stereotype of finding that perfect partner (same gender or opposite) and setting up that perfect little house with the perfect little dog and the perfect little study with lots and lots of perfect little bookshelves and a

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-27272195449828827292008-07-23T00:27:00.001+05:302008-07-23T00:32:00.434+05:30

Didn’t figure myself as one for rants, although this one may count as one. Well, not exactly a rant, more like a not-so-focused list of things that are currently pissing me off.1. Piss-off number one has to be the fact that I was just taking an online test which I was enjoying until I found an option in it that went, ‘Eww! India’s dirty!’ I’m probably the last person on Earth who’d identify as a

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-30322730913427413122008-04-21T15:27:00.002+05:302008-04-21T15:28:50.941+05:30

What LoTR Character Are You?You are most like Gandalf. You are very smart for your age, but don't get too proud. With that great brain of yours, you have a tendency to over-analyze stuff. Life isn't as difficult as you think it is. You have a great sense of responsibility to care for others, and that's good! Just make sure you don't neglect yourself in the process.

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-86814454441942974022008-03-19T21:10:00.002+05:302008-03-19T21:23:55.615+05:30

"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.""It may be that the old astrologers had the truth exactly reversed, when they believed that the stars controlled the destinies of men. The time may come when men control the destinies of stars.""If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run - and

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-12502601518848388152008-03-19T20:42:00.003+05:302008-03-19T21:17:42.462+05:30

6 January 1954 - 18 March 2008“The feeling of not belonging, of not being entirely worthy, of being sometimes hostage to your own sensibilities. Those things speak to me very personally.”“The only lesson to extract from any civil war is that it's pointless and futile and ugly, and that there is nothing glamorous or heroic about it. There are heroes, but the causes are never heroic.”“I

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-11453100797937285232008-03-17T12:17:00.000+05:302008-03-17T12:19:03.050+05:30

Dear GodReceived your letter last Saturday.What a pityThey are no longer servingOnion soup at dinner.Although I must say it's good to hearYou can now pee without a catheter.How's your roommate Stan?Does his god-daughter still bring himGeraniums that make you sneeze?Are you still in the wheelchairOr can you now unbend your knees?And pray tell meHow is the missus?Still carrying on withThat tailor

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-79022104214733458322008-03-01T00:25:00.002+05:302008-03-01T00:59:05.763+05:30

Statutory Warning: These can get dangerously addictive! Which Buffy The Vampire Slayer Character Are You Most Like!?created with QuizFarm.com You scored as Willow RosenbergYou are a very smart individual. Though, like everyone else, you've made mistakes. You've changed over the last few years, so have a lot of things in your life, but you've got great friends who love you and are there for

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-35705496140000684372007-08-07T23:50:00.000+05:302007-08-08T00:14:38.207+05:30

"The Attempted Assassination of Salman Rushdie" and "Killing Time". Two plays written 'especially' for the Metropus (nope, not a typo) fest. One 'based on' Beckett, the other on Sartre. Mediocre acting, worse direction, indescribably inane scripts. The only one who came off with a hint of dignity was Iswar Srikumar, and one suspects that this was due to his natural energy rather than any

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-27642238513596487082007-08-06T16:14:00.001+05:302007-08-06T16:46:14.815+05:30

...has pretty much sucked until now. Yesterday's 'experimental' plays by Sri Lanka's Stages Theatre were mediocre, and that's being generous. True, no one's probably asked Madras City's astute audience to voice its own opinions before, but the actors were just not up to the task of improvising.As for Farah Bala the other day. Hmmm. Definitely a man's view of what women are like. Do sisters really

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-1132412243991284442005-11-19T20:08:00.000+05:302005-11-19T20:31:37.996+05:30

Michael Ondaatje interview by Gary Kamiya on Salon.com, November 1996:Those who marvel at the luxurious energy of Michael Ondaatje's imagination, the muscular exuberance of his storytelling, the gem-like intelligence of his language, may not be surprised to learn that his own family history has been as fantastic as his prose. As he relates in his marvelous memoir, "Running in the Family,"

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-1131967391564270122005-11-14T16:49:00.000+05:302005-11-16T13:58:57.216+05:30

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan StroudThe trilogy is done. Stroud impressed me with this volume, reaching almost Philip Pullman-like levels of the metaphysical. He tells a good story. Bartimaeus is spectacular, Kitty is herself, and Nathaniel redeems himself. 'Nuff said. Here's what The Independent had to say.The day the demons took over London by Suzi FeayWith the publication of the final volume in

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-1131702081647709562005-11-11T14:57:00.000+05:302005-11-11T22:04:16.560+05:30

Exceptional reviews of books I like are almost as much of a delight to read as the books themselves. Here's a lovely comment on J K Rowling's style from a review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by Alan Jacobs, author of The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis:Rowling's imaginative universe takes every dusty old piece of furniture from the common stock of tales about

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-1131684532593474432005-11-11T10:09:00.000+05:302005-11-11T21:58:46.266+05:30

Please read the new Márquez. Review from Complete Review:The unnamed narrator of Memories of My Melancholy Whores begins his tale with a gift he gives himself for his ninetieth birthday: a night with a virgin. Longevity is one of his few really impressive attributes: he was never married (chickening out of the one real opportunity he had), and though he still has a weekly newspaper column, his

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-1111826505695668152005-03-26T14:09:00.000+05:302005-03-26T14:47:51.060+05:30

A crisp winter's day. Place: Ambala, Punjab. Time: 1944. Betty's a teacher in a British Mission school. She's in class on this particular morning, teaching English to kids who don't know a word of the language. She's doing her B Ed, which is basically something everyone who aspires to be a school teacher needs to go through, so she can't afford to screw up. Adding to the challenge is the strategy

Berquisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14054908762960156212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9535466.post-1102600764192053952004-12-09T19:26:00.000+05:302005-03-26T16:31:41.496+05:30

Postcard From KashmirBy Agha Shahid AliKashmir shrinks into my mailbox, my home a neat four by six inches. I always loved neatness. Now I hold the half-inch Himalayas in my hand. This is home. And this the closest I'll ever be to home. When I return, the colours won't be so brilliant, the Jhelum's waters so clean, so ultramarine. My love so overexposed. And my memory will be a little out of focus

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