- Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (27 July 1989)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140114742
- ISBN-13: 978-0140114744
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 14.7 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 840,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
"Beautifully observed... Recovers a lost slice of history in its portrayal of a wounded survivor." - "Observer
"Hugo Baumgartner, the central character of Anita Desai's dazzling novel, is a wandering Jew all his life. From the agonizing scenes of his childhood in pre-war Berlin, through his spell in business in Calcutta and then Bombay, he
simply does not belong. Too dark for Hitler's society, he is too fair for India; he remains a firanghi, a foreigner, wherever he goes." - "Daily Telegraph
"Cleverly constructed, and full of sharp perceptions about human nature under the skin, whatever the colour." - "The Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Hugo Baumgartner, the central character of Anita Desai's dazzling novel, is a wandering Jew all his life. From the agonizing scenes of his childhood in pre-war Berlin, through his spell in business in Calcutta and then Bombay, he
simply does not belong. Too dark for Hitler's society, he is too fair for India; he remains a firanghi, a foreigner, wherever he goes." - "Daily Telegraph
"Cleverly constructed, and full of sharp perceptions about human nature under the skin, whatever the colour." - "The Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
'A daring and colourful novel.A superb observer of the human race' New York Times Book Review
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First Sentence
Although she had fled the blood-spattered scene and fled the collected crowd of identical individuals - one-legged, nose-picking, vigilant-eyed - and hurried down the street at a speed uncommon for her, a speed no one would have thought possible on those high red heels that were no longer firm but wobbled drunkenly under the weight of her thick, purple-veined legs, Lotte slowed as she neared her door. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Although she had fled the blood-spattered scene and fled the collected crowd of identical individuals - one-legged, nose-picking, vigilant-eyed - and hurried down the street at a speed uncommon for her, a speed no one would have thought possible on those high red heels that were no longer firm but wobbled drunkenly under the weight of her thick, purple-veined legs, Lotte slowed as she neared her door. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
. . .
I was struggling with the flu this week - an ideal time to finish reading a novel, and what a read it turned out to be :-)
I was struggling with the flu this week - an ideal time to finish reading a novel, and what a read it turned out to be :-)
I had to persevere for the first half - I like books to cheer me up and Baumgartner's Bombay is not exactly a cheery little tale. It plots the life of Baumgartner, a Jew growing up in pre-war Germany, his flight as a young man to India via Venice, his incarceration in an Allies' prisoner of war camp, and his continued existence as India struggles with Independence and
Partition.
Suddenly the insight into his endurance came and transformed the reading of the rest of the novel. I hypothesised that a certain strength can result from continually having one's spirit broken, again and again and again. We rely so much for our 'identity' and peace of mind on being able to control things, to say who we are, to make choices. It's a way of 'defining' or 'knowing' ourselves almost by seeing ourselves as a reflection of the
choices we make. When choice is taken away, we have to reach very deep within ourselves to have the confidence to continue, which Baumgartner, without relying on religion, manages to do.
In a way this is a 'spiritual' issue without being (necessarily) connected to mainstream religion, and many might feel (as I do) that this is something strangely reflected by India as a country. Many people who go to India are deeply affected by the country, but what is it about India? Like Baumgartner's character, one could say that, above all else, India endures.
I recall putting my hands on a wall in Delhi and feeling transported in time - Indian civilisation had stood for longer than most history books can recall, and compared to many societies, stood relatively unchanged for thousands of years. There are wars, religious conquerors, political upheavals, yet that unwashed looking peanut seller at the side of the road
could be oblivious to what century he's in. This unchanging face of India (without making any comment on whether it is good or bad) has a very powerful force and the timelessness is almost woven into the national character ("Hurry up" is not a phrase that makes much practical sense anywhere in India)!
As soon as I thought of this, I felt strongly for the main character, for the devotion of his stinking cats, his acceptance of everything that life threw at him, and the (remarkable yet believable) changelessness of his character through both riches and poverty. Then I could smell the air in Bombay (have you ever noticed how the smell, the air, in hot countries, is so distinctive? Does the heat bring out the unique social smells and imprint them on our consciousness the way the rain imprints itself on our consciousness in Northern climes?), how you could feel the sea in the late afternoon, how the foods, the squalor and the splendour constantly assault the senses, how the relentless and teeming mass of humanity is still made up of individual people.
Baumgartner's Bombay is not a 'happy' read but I can forgive it that in the same way that Shakespeare's grandeur lets him get away with tragedy as well as comedy. And because it moved me.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This does not conform to what one expects of either the Jewish Holocaust or Indian text. Set mainly in Bombay, it broadly follows the life of Baumgartner, its anti-hero: fairly poor, not very attractive, for the most part of the novel quite old, yet thoughtful, and believeable for all of this. It begins and ends with a death, and explains what led up to it in the intervening chapters, with a trip from Germany, through Venice and into India. What is most ironic and unexpected, though, is that Baumgartner, escaping the holocaust in Germany by fleeing to India, soon finds himself labelled German despite his Jewishness, and is interned in a prisoner-of-war camp for the duration of the war run by the British, and containing Nazis and Jews together. The following chapters introduce questions about nationality and human nature and culminate in an unexpected ending. But the most important aspect is Desai's style. It is easy to read, flowing naturally, and easy to identify with in a way one might not had it been written differently. It is particularly effective and observant in describing different places, atmospheres and human emotions and thought processes. Not a cheerful read exactly, not something to take on holiday, but not a difficult read nevertheless, and well worth the effort.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Anita Desai at her best
29 Mar 2004
Format:Hardcover
Mrs Desai's novel opens with a lady called Lotte fleeing the scene of a murder. She's just lost a close friend, Hugo Baumgartner. When she gets back home, all that is left of Baumgartner's life are a few postcards sent by his mother during the Second World War. The German text on these postcards is always cryptic: "Meine kleine Maus," "Mein Haschen" "Liebchen..." "Do not worry, my rabbit, I am well. Are you well?" "Keep well, my mouse, and do not worry" "I am well..." and they're signed "Mama", "Mutti" or "M".
And so the reader begins to follow Hugo Baumgartner's life, starting with his childhood in Berlin. At the age of about eight, his father, a Jewish furniture retailer, soon loses his business, his store is ransacked by the Nazis and he is taken to a concentration camp. Baumgartner and his mother are forced to leave their beautifully furnished apartment and hide in the former office of the shop. At school, Baumgartner's situation becomes unbearable: his classmates chant to him: "Baumgartner, Baum, hat eine Nase wie ein Daum" (Baumgartner's dumb, has a nose like a thumb.) Eventually, his survival in Germany becoming a matter of days, his mother agrees to Herr Pfuehl's idea to send his son to India, since he has a few connections there in the furniture production business.
There are many moving scenes as the reader discovers, along with Hugo, the sights, sounds and smells of Calcutta and Bombay. And moving too, the life of this pathetic and insignificant man Baumgartner who simply does not belong. Neither to Hitler's Germany nor to India's society, where he is a perpetual "firanghi", foreigner, a wounded survivor.
This novel is the achievement of a superior writer with a sharp perception about human nature, loss, solitude.
And so the reader begins to follow Hugo Baumgartner's life, starting with his childhood in Berlin. At the age of about eight, his father, a Jewish furniture retailer, soon loses his business, his store is ransacked by the Nazis and he is taken to a concentration camp. Baumgartner and his mother are forced to leave their beautifully furnished apartment and hide in the former office of the shop. At school, Baumgartner's situation becomes unbearable: his classmates chant to him: "Baumgartner, Baum, hat eine Nase wie ein Daum" (Baumgartner's dumb, has a nose like a thumb.) Eventually, his survival in Germany becoming a matter of days, his mother agrees to Herr Pfuehl's idea to send his son to India, since he has a few connections there in the furniture production business.
There are many moving scenes as the reader discovers, along with Hugo, the sights, sounds and smells of Calcutta and Bombay. And moving too, the life of this pathetic and insignificant man Baumgartner who simply does not belong. Neither to Hitler's Germany nor to India's society, where he is a perpetual "firanghi", foreigner, a wounded survivor.
This novel is the achievement of a superior writer with a sharp perception about human nature, loss, solitude.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
That's what happens, when two worlds collide.....
19 Jun 2001
Format:Paperback
This is the first book I have read by Anita Desai. It was memorable and thoroughly satisfying. One could not say that it was enjoyable as that would betray the emotions experienced on reading the book. I came away enthralled, though disenchanted with the world and its occupants, to say nothing of being more than a little depressed.
The eponymous character is a kindly, benevolent old man, a foreigner in India, who is totally out of kilter with the world in which he lives. His fondness for cats betrays his need for relationships, given the evident absence of personal contact in his everyday experiences. In many ways, the only satisfying aspect of his life is the past, where he spends much of his time reflecting. His sole relationship with any meaning is with another extremely unhappy, demoralised expatiate who hates everyting about the circumstances in which she now finds herself.
Together, they make a sorry pair. He is kind, mild-mannered, gentle, unassuming and much put upon. She is much more aggressive, though an anchronism, living very much in the better days of yesteryear. The world in which they now live is extremely unfogiving and unkind to them. The past they left behind, however, was equally unattractive.
The ending was in many ways a blessing. The misery of the surroundings and the leading characters will live in my mind for a long time, as will the conduct of the self-absorbed young foreigner who brought this tale to a climax. In many ways, he is the epitome of all that is unacceptable today. The small kindnesses he experienced are disregarded and his selfish demands take precedence over anyone else's needs.
If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller full of action, you have come to the wrong place. If, however, you want to enjoy a real story which challenges all of the emotions as well as having a beginning, a middle and an end then this book will deeply move you.
All in all, a very sad story, made all the sadder by some of the most beautiful, compact writing you will ever encounter.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
An okay read
21 Dec 2006
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book on a long plane ride. Well, it was okay...not special, though intermittently interesting. I guess my main problem was that I could not quite empathize with the main character Hugo Baumgartner. As another review says - he is a passive character caught up in terrible events. Yeah, it sucks to be him - but he didn't seem to put in much effort into making his life more worth living! The parts involving his interaction with the cafeteria owner Farookh are amusing. The parts describing his childhood back in Germany are cute. The other parts (the camp, Calcutta etc.) are just okay.
Another problem I had was that India has been potrayed by the author in excessively poor light. I know that over population, poverty, squalor etc. are major problems all Indian cities are faced with - but seriously, is that all Anita Desai knows about India? Being an Indian, it is a shame that she has nothing positive to say about a diverse and fascinating country with a rich culture.
Well I guess 3/5 sounds about right for this book.
Another problem I had was that India has been potrayed by the author in excessively poor light. I know that over population, poverty, squalor etc. are major problems all Indian cities are faced with - but seriously, is that all Anita Desai knows about India? Being an Indian, it is a shame that she has nothing positive to say about a diverse and fascinating country with a rich culture.
Well I guess 3/5 sounds about right for this book.
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