Robert Fulghum
I recently picked up a book called "What on Earth did I do?" by Robert Fulghum. I have read all his other books, the most notable being "All i really wanted to know i learned in Kindergarten"
All the books are simply small essays, almost never more than 4 pages long. He has a very wry wit, and a plethora of experiences of people of all sorts and places of all types... and he takes great pleasure in sharing it with us... Some of his stories are very funny, some extremely thought provoking and poignant... almost all without exception very interesting...
Here is an author for people to explore, who dont want to read "fat" books... though the book is fat... every little story in it is very thin, very enjoyable and hugely re readable...
It would be interesting to make Mr. Fulghum do an Art of Living course, take him to bangalore ashram and make him meet Guruji, and see what he writes about it...
Meanwhile, he has written maybe 7-8 books, and every one of them is quite superlative... i am about half way thru this latest one and though none of the essays in this one are laugh out loud funny, i am enjoying them and taking my time over them...
The trouble with books, especially good books, is that they take so long to write and just a few hours to read...
Happy Reading!
All the books are simply small essays, almost never more than 4 pages long. He has a very wry wit, and a plethora of experiences of people of all sorts and places of all types... and he takes great pleasure in sharing it with us... Some of his stories are very funny, some extremely thought provoking and poignant... almost all without exception very interesting...
Here is an author for people to explore, who dont want to read "fat" books... though the book is fat... every little story in it is very thin, very enjoyable and hugely re readable...
It would be interesting to make Mr. Fulghum do an Art of Living course, take him to bangalore ashram and make him meet Guruji, and see what he writes about it...
Meanwhile, he has written maybe 7-8 books, and every one of them is quite superlative... i am about half way thru this latest one and though none of the essays in this one are laugh out loud funny, i am enjoying them and taking my time over them...
The trouble with books, especially good books, is that they take so long to write and just a few hours to read...
Happy Reading!
4 comments:
well said bau...
it really amazes me too....sometimes we do not appreciate the effort gone into writing something...the hours of toil...and we read it and pass judgement in a matter of hours...
hey bau ,
i finally went and picked up the book today and will start in the evening post office...will give u my feedback later...not that u care but still ..ha ha
There's a new (15th Anniv) edition of "All I ever wanted to know .."! with the author revisiting his old stories. i'm savouring it .. "Puddles" was great .. can't help feeling both that and "Hide and Seek" were just for me! Thanks a lot for introducing me to Mister Fulgham! can't think how i managed to miss out on him all these years!
Incidentally, i hear there's a set of wonderful and sensitive Iranian films in town (Bangalore, Bombay etc) .. Persepolis2 (also available in comic book form), Hamaoun, Close Up, Children of Heaven ..
the sequels to his original stories are also really wonderful ! (the truth about Larry Walters - I guess the depth of his despair matched the height of his imagination) .(Haiho Lama - Angels ..)..
And we really must get Mr Fulgham to visit the Ashram and Guruji! (and do the Yes!+) (if only the scientific experts could come up with something to get it - the dirt - out of our minds .. soften our hardness .. make us sweet and good ..)!
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