HT Picks; New Reads

Of identity, nationality and belonging

Born in England to an Irish mother and an Indian father, Aubrey Menen — a brilliant yet underrated writer far ahead of his time — navigates the contradictions of identity, nationality and belonging with his trademark irony and insight in his two classic autobiographical books.

The essays in Dead Man in the Silver Market, first published in 1953, dissect jingoism, class and the absurdities of national pride, blending personal anecdotes with incisive social commentary. Written not long after the Second World War, his irreverent observations on English society, colonial history and human nature remain strikingly relevant today.

The Space Within the Heart, written in 1970, is a more intimate, philosophical meditation on life, love and self-discovery. Woven with humour and gentle satire, reflecting on the nature of the soul, the Upanishads and European literature, Menen’s deceptively simple yet profoundly moving prose urges us to look beyond rigid identities and embrace the fluidity of the human experience.

At once a memoir, a critique of empire, and an exploration of the self, this omnibus edition is a literary treasure — insightful, entertaining and endlessly thought-provoking.*

On the Readymoney century

Ala Ardeshir Readymoney is facing the toughest challenge of her long life as she nears her hundredth birthday. The Moment of the Banyan is the story of her family beginning in 1895 and set over the next hundred years. Woven into the fictional narrative are the special stories of the minuscule community of Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians. It provides glimpses into their way of life in the coastal villages of Gujarat, in towns like Udvada and Navsari, in what was once Bombay, and among the diaspora abroad. The characters beguile the reader with their loves, hates, betrayals, sacrifices, tribulations and triumphs. The novel presents the ceremonial aspects, its rites and rituals, the piquant language and eccentricities of community members and of course, their delicious cuisine. These stories within stories will resonate not only with Parsis but with everyone who enjoys fiction.*

Redefining success

From the author of Humankind and Utopia for Realists comes a bold manifesto daring us to harness our talents and transform our idealism into action, all with the goal of making the world a wildly better place. A career consists of 2,000 workweeks, and how you spend that time is one of the most important decisions of your life. Still, millions of people are stuck in mind-numbing, pointless, or just plain harmful jobs. There’s an antidote to this waste of talent, and it’s called moral ambition. Moral ambition is the will to be among the best, but with different measures of success. Not a fancy title, fat salary, or corner office, but a career dedicated to the best solutions to the world’s biggest problems — whether that means tackling climate change, making pandemics history or fighting Big Tobacco.In Moral Ambition, author Rutger Bregman reveals how our conventional definitions of success are harming us and the planet, and shows how we can shift the focus from personal gain to societal benefit. In the process, he explains, we will join a growing movement of pioneers who are already living out this ethos. They’re the builders, the problem-solvers, the doers who have chosen a path less travelled. A guidebook to finding that path for ourselves, Moral Ambition reminds us that the real measure of success lies not in what we accumulate, but in what we contribute, and shows how we, too, can build a legacy that truly matters.*

*All copy from book flap.