| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 01:16 PM
There is a new book out in Kathmandu.
It's called "State of Nepal".
It's published by Himal media.
It's edited by Kanak Mani Dixit and Shastri Ramachandran, an editor at The Kathmandu Post.
It contains a series of essays, written by, as the blurb says, "some of the finest analysts" of contemporary Nepal. The essays touch upon issues such as media,
women's issues, economy, education, literature and so on and on.
The book has been out for more than two months.
So far, though the book has been selling briskly -- at least at Mandala Book Point, a place I make it a point to visit every week -- and NOT a single review of the book
has yet appeared in Kathmandu's papers.
As a reader, I just finished reading the 500-page-plus book this week-end, and am
quite afraid to review it honestly.
Here's why.
Except for four essays, which are brilliant, insightful and thought-provoking,
all other essays are -- to put it bluntly -- crap, khattam and jhoor.
I can back up my "crap, khattam and jhoor" judgments with evidence and arguments, but, like I said, living and working in Nepal, I am quite afraid to go mano-a-mano with these writers in Kathmandu.
Why?
Well, because I know almost all the writers personally, I sense that an uncharitable review, even if it's honest, fair and backed-up with evidence and counter-arguments, will seriously jeoparadize my whatever modicum of friendships with the writers and publishers.
Kathmandu, you see, despite its cosmopolitan, intellectual vaneer, is actually a small village, where you can't really afford to make enemies by being truthful in a smart-alecky way, especially when the people you are likely to piss off are powerful and influential their own ways, and can make life miserable for you in ways unseen.
So my question to you Sajha folks is this:
a) Should I, as a reviewer, bite the bullet, review the book honestly and let the chips
fall where they may and deal with the consequences, even when I just know that I may not be able to eat lunch with some of the writers whose work I will provide a critique
for?
or
b) Should I make the review bland enough so that no one gets offended and the
editors are happy that the book got a review anyway?
or
c) Should I find someone else -- preferably someone living outside of Nepal and has a a distance vis-a-vis the writers -- to do an honest, as the person sees fit, review?
Anyway, these are some thoughts going on in my mind. I am actually confused re: what I should do. Maybe I am exaggerating the effects of bad reviews on friendships.
I'd appreciate hearing some of your comments and suggestions.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| ashu |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 01:18 PM
CORRECTION:
"Shastri Ramachandran, an editor at The Kathmandu Post."
SHOULD HAVE READ as:
"Shastri Ramachandran, an editor at The Times of India."
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| Veracity |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 02:06 PM
Pen name to the rescue!
No need to make bitter enemies and spawn hatred..
Follow your heart and listen to your mind..
I am sure you will come out fine..
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 02:43 PM
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
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| _BP |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 03:36 PM
Ashu, I would suggest option (b).
Most people take positive reinforcement better than negative criticism. Plus people are probably better able to stomach reviews that have both positive and negative crticism. So perhaps you should find something good to say about anything you are reviewing, as well as the bad. People tend to give more leeway to others who they think appreciate their work. I know even I get quite annoyed when a reviewer for one of my papers sends me back just a list of shortcomings...I feel like they should be qualified with a resounding "in my singular opinion..." And moreover, why risk losing some potential friends. A lot of my friends have faults that I routinely ignore...I just try to reinforce their better qualities.
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| Nhuchche |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 03:41 PM
Hi BP,
Long time no see. What have you been upto?? Well, good to see ya. I'm sure your positive enthusiasm would be a big plus factor for sajha if you keep up the appearances and do away with the disappearing act!
Nhuch
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| _BP |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 04:10 PM
Nhuchche:
I was never away really. To me, Sajha is like the radio or newspaper. I listen or read, but I don't really call in or write, necessarily. You guys do a great job with all of your contributions. I am usually busy getting rid of all the spam on my e-mail sites.
In any case, I cannot seem to hold back when the most prolific writers on Sajha start debating and deliberating about personal issues. That is when the words really speak the mind it seems, and things get quite intense. It is interesting to me because people usually don't argue this way in real life...most likely because there just isn't enough reaction time...but this medium allows an unusually elegant form of arguing.
In any case, I came out of this thread having newfound respect for both Paramendra, and interestingly enough, LJ. But not for Ashu.
OK, I always had respect for Ashu, it just wasn't newfound.
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| _BP |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 04:13 PM
Oh hey, I thought I was on the Paramendra vs Ashu thread. Thus the reference to that issue. BTW Paramendra, I must have contributed 500 of the 1500 viewingss on that topic, so you can "phew" again.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 07:24 PM
It is interesting to see Ashu changed over time. The Ashu I first knew wouldn't care
about what people around him say, and speak up his mind.After these two years,
it seems Ashu wants to be comfortable, accepted and be like rest of us. Or may
be Ashu couldn't muster enough courage to criticise those whom he knows, who
he hobnobs with in Kathmandu.
You don't have these choices right now only: you always had these two choices.
To speak up your mind, or to get along. In Sajha, most of the times, you spoke
up your mind, and that is why despite differences, a lot of people think positively
of you. In Kathmandu,if you want you can be just opposite of what you are in
sajha.
And finally, I think it is great if you write courageously and be prepared for the
consequences, it is ok if you don't write anything at all, but it will be disappointing
if you write some laudatory comments on those pieces which you know are
craps, or worse, you attack those people who speak up their mind and write
bluntly what they think about the essays, and you go there to defend the
writers who happen to be your friends.
It feels so good to give Ashu some solicited advice:-)
|
| what ever |
Posted
on 31-Aug-02 09:07 PM
Hey hey
Ashu asking for advice..somthing unusual for someone who is strong by his own.
Ashu usually forwards whole of the message related to Kanak on couple of occasions to Kanak. Does not Ashu think his current can be delivered to Kanak and the concerned authors?
His posting here about that book is "laathi pani nabhachne and sarpa pani marne" kind of strategy.
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| torilaure |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 12:42 AM
Ashutosh ji,
I myself have been waiting for the review of the book since I first finished reading it. I some mixed feelings of the book after I read it and I was even tempted to review the book but I couldn't logically back up my arguments.
Going through your posting, I would request you to review the book as per your true judgement. I'm sure it will lead to a lively debate. As for offending the authors, I'm quite positive that "some of the finest analysts of contemporary Nepal" could digest some critical analysis of their work. If not, tough luck. Anyway, yo sansar ma sabai ko chitta bujhauna pani ta sakidaina ni, ki kaso?
So my answers to your questions are:
a) Go on bite the bullet and let's see how much firepower it can generate.
b) A bland review? Definitely not. Get plenty of those anyway. So not one of those again. And definitely not from you.
c) Not a bad option but that doen't mean you shouldn't do one yourself.
At the end, I'd say go ahead full steam.
Amar Gurung
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 08:26 AM
Ashu ji,
I was just wondering what kind of a reputation you want to keep; of a RUTHLESS reviewer or a FAIR one.
The beauty of language is such that it is very flexible:
A. You can focus on the shortcomings of the essays only and "raise" hell...(lose some friends).
B. You can begin by elaborating on the strengths of the essays first and neutralize it with a critical analysis of the short comings...(keep your friends)
B. This way, you might keep your reputation as a "Fair" reviewer.
Remember the essayists are real people with real identities and egos.....
Here is a Universal Law: Whatever you put out will come back to you!!
:)
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| ashu |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:25 AM
First, another correction: I typed it wrong earlier, saying that the book is a 500-page-plus tome. That 500 should have been 300. My typing error.
************************
So, hello 'whatever',
Believe it or not, in my offline life, I do ask for a lot of advice from a lot of people about a lot of things. A few more heads are always better than one, or so I think. :-)
I have absolutely no problem if Kanak and other writers see this thread. In fact, I hope they see this thread.
In the past, I've had discussions with Kanak and others re: how small a place Kathmandu is, where -- because everyone knows everyone else and everyone is so buddy-buddy wth everyone else -- it's impossible to give and receive honest-to-God criticisms (and I use the word "criticisms" in a positive way) about one's work.
The fear of offending friends and acquaintances or rubbing them the wrong way is
too palpably strong.
Hell hath no fury like a professional in Nepal scorned by [younger] Nepalis!!
[An aside: Last January, I asked Samrat Upadhyay whether he would have been able to produce his story-collection had he stayed in Nepal. His answer? Not at this time. And that was because he said he learnt a lot through his editor who could provide him with blunt, honest and merciless feedbacks so that he could take his stories back and work harder on them.]
Often, over here in Nepal, we are so eager to please one another and get along with one another with what amounts to false praises or couch our comments in bland language that I fear -- despite there being all these (academicaly-oriented) seminars, workshops, conferences here -- one ends up learning very little, especially when
difficult questions are not asked and thought about, let alone answered.
I, for one, am NOT interested in criticisms for criticisms' sake or for critiquing people's ideas for the sake of it or for some malicious entertainment. I have no desire to be the "bad boy", as it were of reviewing. Instead, I am for criticisms that EXPAND,
add to, positively challenge and stretch the scope of learning -- either in relation to my own work and in relation to others' work.
The question is how to do maintain a critical perspective in an honest, consistent way without hopefully turning friends and acquaintances into, well, enemies of sme sorts. I have no answer to that.
Then again, as Nepe says: "Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price?"
Thanks Biswo, Nepe, BP, veracity Sitara and Amar for your advice.
It's quite helpful for me to get your persectives. Many heads are definitely better than one!!
BP, yes, don't run away now -- you are like a call-in listener on a radio show who
hasn't called for a long time, and the hosts are begining to wonder whether you are all right in that corner of California :-)
So, to cut thye long story short: I'll write the review, will try to be as fair as possible to the writers, and as honest as possible, andand will back up my arguments/critcisms/ideas with evidence without adopting a belligerent/truculent tone.
Let's see.
I'd need some time to start and then finish writing the review.
Thank you all.
PS: Biswo: I'd solicit another piece of advice from you. What do I need to do to
improve my Chinese pronunciation? Please start a different thread if you wish, and maybe Tralokya and others would jump in too.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 07:31 PM
Ashu,
I don't know how to advise you on improving your Chinese pronunciation.To repeat
what everybody would tell you: practice more with Chinese people. There definitely
are some Chinese/Taiwanese/even Hongkongese in Kathmandu. Also don't
forget to talk to Chinese shopowners whenever you go to Khasa. Some random
selection of Chinese radio should also help.
Wish you good luck.
|
| well-wisher |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 08:25 PM
hey, i was talking to this chinese friend of mine about Lhasa. She was like there is no place called Lhasa in china or tibet and that lhasa meant garbage. Does anyone know what is the chinese name for this place we call lhasa?
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| SIWALIK |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:19 PM
Is there no place for intellectual honesty in Nepal? If not, there is no future for Nepal other than what it is experiencing at present--the bichalit bartaman will be the bichalit bhabishya. SAD!
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| anepalikt |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:29 PM
Siwalik, so true!
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| Ritu |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:37 PM
Ashu is being a "Putla". He always thinks himself as a superStar in Writing in different topics, not only Economics. One more thing is that he has to know what "Putla" means because he might have forgotten this word roting some names of American Maiyas in Boston for Ten years.
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| arnico |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:46 PM
Hi Ashu.
I would absolutely go ahead and critique the book to the full extent you can, while remaining polite to the writers as persons. One way of possibly doing that for a book with multiple authors is to separate where you mention who the authors of the chapters are from your criticism of the chapters. For example, you could provide a general overview paragraph about the book, listing out who wrote what chapter. And then, when you address individual chapters, refer to "the chapter on this and that subject" rather than "the chapter by so-and-so"... since you ARE taking issue with the ideas rather than with the persons.
I have not seen the book, and don't know any more about it than what you wrote. But the topic sounds like something that should generate maximum discussion and public discourse in Nepal, especially a time like . It sounds like a book that neither can nor should provide a final assessment of something as complicated and multi-faceted as the state of the country (regardless of the sectoral expertise of the hand-picked authors of chapters) ... rather its role should be to provoke the public to think, disagree, argue, and debate... so your role as a very critical reviewer is just one of helping the book begin to fulfill its larger mission, hoina ra?
Good luck, and do share your review with us. I'll be happy to give feedback on drafts or just to read your final submission.
Arnico.
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| arnico |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:51 PM
Ritu: I don't understand your comment.
What is wrong with writing about topics beyond what one majored in? Ashu may have majored in Economics, but he did enthusiastically study and learn about a large number of other subjects in and out of school, and he is not the only one. Are you going to forbid me from discussion Nepali politics because I am currently studying atmospheric chemistry and physics??? Education is not just the acquisition of expertise in the field of one's major... it is also learning clear analytical thinking that can be applied to any number of fields and subjects...
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| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 10:55 PM
Ashu writes:
In the past, I've had discussions with Kanak and others re: how small a place Kathmandu is, where -- because everyone knows everyone else and everyone is so buddy-buddy wth everyone else -- it's impossible to give and receive honest-to-God criticisms (and I use the word "criticisms" in a positive way) about one's work.
The fear of offending friends and acquaintances or rubbing them the wrong way is
too palpably strong.
---
It is the drawback of being good citizen of smaller country. Well, the population of
Nepal is quite bigger than most of the european and middle east countries. But,
our virtually active population "among educated mass" is so small that
you know everyone on "front line". How many Nepalis completed SLC?
Approx. 30 Nepali kids attend school upto grade 10.(or much less)
Annual pass out rate (since I appeared SLC) = 30% (approx mean).
How many go to Intermediate and complete Intermediate: 30% lets say.
How many go to B.A. or equivalent? Lets say 30 % after someone completes
Intermediate. More than 95% girls outside KTM drop after Intermediate.
(4 wards south of Pokhara NP, less than 1 dozen girls borned in those 4 wards have completed Bachelor. I can count them, because I know of most of the household leaders).
Hardly 10% out of Bachelor will have enough resources to involve in private
business, others have to indulge in jobs for daily living. Those who are
in such INDEPENDENT or FRONT LINE BIZ. are almost son/daughter of
elite Nepalis whose parents (father) is/was either govt. 's officer Director,
Upasachib, or Political Leaders, or JAminDars. Less than 1000. Then,
everyone knows each other, even if you try to be honest, like our Sajha.com
writer "RITU", you will face many such RITUs who will defend the wrong
side of their relatives, "KO CHOKHO la bhannus ta? " You will find uneasy,
even if your own parents are really honest, you will surely find someone
in your 5 puste nata, someone is indulging corruption and illegal stuffs, because
you fall in those 1000 elite Nepalis out of 23 million Nepalis. Its really
very hard for you, how far you want dig ditches? Its dilemma of being an
educated Nepali.
As Biswo Nath (Surya nath of Sajha.com) pointed out that Ashu defends
all the peoples irrespective of the cause, if they are known to him
very closely. I wonder how far, Ashu can go, just the way we ask question
how far CIAA can go? My suggestion is : you make honest comments on
peoples outside you know or you are sure that will not create problem to
you, and if you can not make fair comments on some peoples becaue of
risk on your private relation, we ATLEAST expect you should not defend them.
If you can not offend them, don't defend them too, rather NEGLECT THEM.
This is what I guess Biswo wanted to tell and I want to echo his statements.
Don't turn out to be a tool to rescue all those .... peoples.
HG
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| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 11:12 PM
If you can not offend them, don't defend them too, rather NEGLECT THEM.
should have read as:
If you can not offend them (whenever required), don't defend them too,
rather NEGLECT THEM always. Let others OFFEND THEM (whenever
requried), and if you don't defend, then, its fine. Let Surya Nath Upadhya
(said to UML aligned) put corrupt kangressies in Jail, and next time,
when CIAA agent comes from other political alignment, may be from
Sadvawana, will put remaining corrupts affliated to rest of the parties
will find space in Jail and next time.... chain continues.
TotalOffends(when required) = AoffendedPeople U BoffendedPeple U ....
........................... (U for union).
(A lets B to offend (when required) A's closeRelativeFriendsColleague,
and B lets A to offend (when required) B's closeRelativeFriendsColleague)
Our objective will be fullfilled. But, if B interferes on A or vice versa, then,
its unfair.
Hg
|
| Grateful Dead |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 11:18 PM
I wish Ashu writing with a full criticism. Writing what he thinks or sees, rather than what the authors would have liked to see. We may see many other reviews of the same book in other places or papers. But if Ashu writes honestly, his will be a lot different and will be worth to read.
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| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 11:59 PM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 01-Sep-02 11:59 PM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:00 AM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:00 AM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:00 AM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:01 AM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:02 AM
Best Advice, I rank here is Nepe's one. I echo it again because its going to
be hidden from latest 23 list.
Nepe writes:
Don’t resort to a pen name. Don’t hand over the job to somebody else unless you are sure you can not do it better. Don’t compromise with the quality and the purpose of the work. The day you do any of these, you will no longer be the oohi Ashu.
You have talked the talk. You have walked the walk. It’s time you fight the fight.
It’s not about offending them. It’s about offending them and in doing so giving them a chance to learn that it was not about offending or being offended at all.
Yes, there is a price. But is there anything without a price ?
Most of all, you never know, you may be surprised with the reward for the price you willingly paid.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:05 AM
Apolgy for multiple postings. It happend because of the error message
that .cfm showed. Regret for the incovenience.
HG
|
| _BP |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:51 AM
Ashu, I hope you don't give in to this "machismo" mentality that you have to be brutally honest, and that you are not honest if not brutal. Anyone with a good command of the pen (or keyboard for that matter) can dish out austere criticism without seeming belittling. I know what you mean by the omnipresence of complaisance in circles of power in Nepal. But you can be honest and not appear to be a jerk. You can be opinionated as all hell, but still be tolerant. (BTW, this last sentence is how I often describe myself, being a Bill O'Reilly fan...right Biswo?)
And why the heck are you learning Chinese? You already know Hindi, and that's already 1/5 of the world's population...and you already know English? Are you not aware of the Parking Lot theory of the brain?
|
| _BP |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 12:51 AM
Ashu, I hope you don't give in to this "machismo" mentality that you have to be brutally honest, and that you are not honest if not brutal. Anyone with a good command of the pen (or keyboard for that matter) can dish out austere criticism without seeming belittling. I know what you mean by the omnipresence of complaisance in circles of power in Nepal. But you can be honest and not appear to be a jerk. You can be opinionated as all hell, but still be tolerant. (BTW, this last sentence is how I often describe myself, being a Bill O'Reilly fan...right Biswo?)
And why the heck are you learning Chinese? You already know Hindi, and that's already 1/5 of the world's population...and you already know English? Are you not aware of the Parking Lot theory of the brain?
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 02:10 AM
A reviewer is a person who gets information from the both author and readers, throws his interpretation (supply and demand) to protect them (author and reader) from each other.
---- Explanation:
1. Bad Author puts SEXY Title, Preface, Forword, TOC... Innocent Readers are trapped.
The innocent readers when they read half of the book, are still confused whether
to abandon or continue reading. ....... Shout "God, Help Me?" Bad taste.
2. Good Author puts dumb, but, the title ....TOC truely represent the contents, and a frustrated reader, hates less exciting Title to TOC, difficult to judge the contents.
Loyal readers are lost.
A Reviewer should understand the contents (author), targets (readers)? Thats why
there are reviewer's of reviewer? In Amazon.com you can find 5 stars for best
reviewer, and no stars for a worst reviewer. Ashu should think of getting 5 stars,
his reviews should be informative to readers, so that they check you before they
buy next book, and if you get 5 stars, the publisher will put your reivews not
very far from book, mostly on the back cover page, Our book was reviewed by
"Ashu, rush to buy". Ashu protects author and publishers from going the book
to wrong readers, and Ashu makes chunk of money. Party for us .. . hahhaooo
Ooooohi Party.
HG
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 02:21 AM
Ashu, the reviewer protects author and publishers from going the book
to wrong readers (a reason for defame), also serves the readers who would
like the book (a reason for hiring Ashu). ...............Final destination,
money, money ... money .... . . . .. and when money is enough (bottom line)
FAME, FAME FAME, .... again MONEY is not ENOGUH ..... cycle repeats,
costs goes up.... bad publisher also think of hiring Ashu, and if Ashu falls in
trap (money and his fame), and recommends a book to wrong readers because
the publisher has paid him huge chunk, .... because of his fame. Finally,
if Ashu can not SAY "NO" to such publishers-authors- he returns to MANGAL MAN.
.... I wish he does not get trapped into such publishers' trap .....
Remember quote, its easy to reach to top, but, its difficult to remain there.--Anon.
When you are on top, its has a very chances that in Nepal, you turn out to be
a corrupt.... as illustrated above.
HG
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 11:44 AM
Hi _BP,
Are you still watching O'Reilly? :-) (I also do, but not that frequently). What about
Donahue? Btw, O'Reilly now always reiterates he is 'independent',not liberal or
conservative. I think his show is getting better day by day with the better
rating.
And guruji, tapai po brutally honest hunuhudaichha ta;-)
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 03:18 PM
Hahoo Gurudev,
It should be ungrateful on my part not to thank Gurudev for your kind appreciation of my position/views here in Sajha. It is a great honor to be ranked No. 1 in giving advices to the likes of Ashu. I was equally flattered by Gurudev's thermodynamic ranking of my postings as those with error=tolerance in another great thread of Gurudev. If I understood the meaning correctly, I would insist that Paschim and Biswo belong to this category. Even gaali from these Mahodaya.haru does not offend you. In any case, I could not thank you earlier in respective threads, because I was discouraged to exhibit my ego particularly by those sasanikhej postings of Lalupate Joban in one of the most popular thread of these days.
And I am glad to hear from Ashu that he is into the mission. May you follow your heart and mind. I just want to remind you, particularly in view of _BP's over-zealous attempt to soften you, that mediocre will be forgotten. Only those will be remembered who were sharp and, yes, brutally honest.
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| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 07:08 PM
I think I would have made the multiple postings into a short paragraph as follows:
"A book reviewer is an Ambassador of an Author to his Readers and vice versa.
He should have information on both, should condense these information using Bayesian Likelyhood Approach to protect both from each other".
HG
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| paramendra |
Posted
on 02-Sep-02 09:56 PM
Raja Bhoj: (ref P vs A)
Your highness, I can't believe you are even asking this question.
"Well, because I know almost all the writers personally, I sense that an uncharitable review, even if it's honest, fair and backed-up with evidence and counter-arguments, will seriously jeoparadize my whatever modicum of friendships with the writers and publishers."
You give me a distinct impression you have already penned the review. Well, let the Sajhaites have a first taste of it. That way you retain your defense of freedom of expression. But chances are those who might get offended will hear too little too late. Perhaps.
But, regardless, post it here, and let the chips fall where they may, your highness.
:-)
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