Adiga has been gutsy in tackling a complex and urgent subject. If you were expecting social commentary, it’s disappointing, although as a novel it’s good fun.

Adiga’s plot is somewhat predictable — the murder that is committed is the one that readers will expect throughout, but The White Tiger suffers little for this fault. Caught up in Balram’s world — and his wonderful turn of phrase, the pages turn themselves. Brimming with idiosyncrasy, sarcastic, cunning, and often hilarious, Balram is reminiscent of the endless talkers that populate the novels of the great Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal.”

And lastly, Adiga’s message isn’t subtle or novel, but Balram’s appealingly sardonic voice and acute observations of the social order are both winning and unsettling.

For many of the above, he won the booker prize.

Seeing as you make personal attacks mixed in with moronic hysterical and immature arguments, I just want to say that your ad hominem idiocy probably reflects your bitter and very small mind. Get a life.

And on Slumdog Millionaire, I too thought it was amazing, and realized at one point that I had forgotten while watching it that it had been made by a non-desi, and also totally forgotten until the credits ran that it had come from Swarup’s Q&A, which I had passed on reading, based on the many iffy reviews it got.

There is one more, more prestigious committee known by the name of Nobel, has given a “peace prize” to Henry Kisssinger and Yasir Arafat!!! So dont give me the BS of “group of literary experts”

sure, even george bush, joe the plumber, maria carey and mayawati can do so.

but heck, amardeep, and most of you literay geniuses here.. will probably never win the booker, even if you tried. so kudos to adiga..

even salman rushdie had to face the zealots of islamo facism in iran.. when he won the booker

An appreciation of literature is all about opinion. The good thing about Amardeep’s posts on Adiga’s book is that they are informed and qualified opinion; qualified by a reasonable and mature literary sensibility. I agree more or less agree with his view on the novel. Although I don’t agree with his placement of it in relation to the value of Naipaul’s writings. But that’s OK, I respect him enough to accept a different perspective on that issue. Others have different views about Adiga’s work too and back up their claims, and that’s how literary appreciation progresses. Your posts reek of small-time and bitter personal vindictiveness, but they have some amusement value in that respect.

If you read my post I actually never said I was challenging their judgment or casting aspersions on the Booker Prize. I respect the Prize — it is a big deal, and a real honor for anyone who wins it.

All I am saying is that I disagree with it. Wow, how presumptuous of me!

Also, just to be clear, I have tenure at a research university that is ranked in the top 40 on U.S. News & World Report (I think Lehigh was #33 this year).

(Thanks for getting my back, Seahawks Fan

It is possible this is what appeals to the Booker folks.

The school may be no-name but Amardeep certainly isn’t no-name. He’s big-name compared to some of the no-name profs at big-name schools. Not that it really matters.