Briefly...

I have just finished reading Jhumpa Lahiri's award-winning collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth. I read the chunky book on planes, trains and in quiet cafes. To my real surprise, it proved to be a glorious stunner and totally elegant. It's easy to see why she won an international prize from Ireland, recently. Her stories are not set in the present time. They act as mini-novellas, each triumphing over the other and are timeless in mood and era. I'll be looking forward to Lahiri's reading in Cork later this year.

(I will write more about the book next week.)

Have also strengthened the content to my attendance at the South Bank event below, featuring Mohammed Hanif 2 days ago, for A Case of Exploding Mangoes.