- Paperback: 390 pages
- Publisher: University of Chicago Press; New edition edition (30 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0226756998
- ISBN-13: 978-0226756998
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,508,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
This is a love story, a translation of an Indian sex manual, an erotic farce, and a murder mystery. The hero of this protean comedy, Leopold Roth, complains, "I am a tenured full professor of Indian studies and a Sanskrit scholar, and yet never, never in my life, have I made love to an Indian woman." Imagining that such an intimacy would provide a deeper and truer understanding of what he has spent his academic life mastering, a happily married Roth becomes obsessed with Lalita Gupta, nubile student and avatar of his fantasies of a sexually idyllic ancient realm. Although this California-born Indian girl has no interest in India, the past, or him, Roth sets out to seduce her and, at the same time, to teach her who she is in terms of the history of Indian culture. To that end he begins to translate the "Kamasutr" for her, interspersing that translation with a confessional commentary. By inventing a bogus summer study abroad program, the professor is able to abduct Lalita to the land of her ancestors.
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First Sentence
During this painful period in his life, a time in which he felt threatened by what he called his "Oriental distractions," Lee, drinking even more gin than usual, was trying to use writing as a method of dealing with the failure of his erotic impulses, as a way of understanding, if not overcoming, his inability to forge a strong and rational, peaceful and permanent love relationship. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
During this painful period in his life, a time in which he felt threatened by what he called his "Oriental distractions," Lee, drinking even more gin than usual, was trying to use writing as a method of dealing with the failure of his erotic impulses, as a way of understanding, if not overcoming, his inability to forge a strong and rational, peaceful and permanent love relationship. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I came to this book knowing something, but not a lot, about literary theory; and something, but not a lot, about India. To enjoy this book you need at least a bit of background in each. Those who complain about the tepid plot and wooden characters, I think, miss the point; the story is not much more than a device Siegel uses for his very clever, and often hilarious, commentary on orientalism, on academia, and especially on the relationship between author, character, and reader. I found the book slow going at first but once I understood this I had a great time!
Format:Hardcover
There have been enough summaries of this text in other reviews so I won't venture my summary here. Perhaps it's enough just for me to say I experienced the book as a journey, an interloping & interlooping series of stories that may (or may not) involve the author with the narrator(s) & the narrators appearing to come to life & enter into the (presumed) real life of the author, Lee Siegel. Just who is who in this moebius strip of self revelation? The chief narrator, Roth, is a creation of the author, Siegel, but Roth is translating the KamaSutra & in doing so has so fallen for the narrative that he is possessed by the desire to act it out, regardless of reality, his (fictional) position & truly wonderful wife. He loses touch with his (fictional) reality to create his text within a text reality of India & romantico-erotic love with his alluring but bland student. Not only is nothing real in their relationship, it soon becomes clear that Roth (who is fictional) is imposing his vision of ancient, classical & wondrous India upon the current run-down state of the Indian cities & temples.
All this writing seems to wear out our author (Siegel) who seems himself to feel the text of the KamaSutra & Roth's infidelities wearing on him so he must enter the (fictional) text in person to intervene. The whole thing is a wonderful phantasmagoria, with stories within stories within stories. Is it comedy? Sure, if you like. Is it tragedy? Undoubtedly, if you read it as such. Is it love story? Well, I found it to be one, partially, sometimes. Is it erotic literature about erotic literature within erotic literature? Absolutely, whatever that means.
I agree with others who say the book is not for everyone, as some very disgruntled reviews show. But that makes it all the more special. It is for readers with acumen, some willingness to suspend expectations, to follow narratives back into themselves instead of steadily progressing to a satisfyingly expected conclusion, & to ask questions about writing, about loving, about textuality & reality that perhaps can never really be answered. *...Dead Language* could be labelled as postmodern, but the truly postmodern resists such labels. It just is what it is and what it is to me is a book that breaks open barriers in writing, self, characters, authors, narrators, & events in a way that feels ultimately unspeakably enlightening. In short, I feel this wondrous, sometimes befuddling, book is a masterpiece.
Format:Hardcover
Clever and profound; intellectual fun for adults. As I don't know how to take the Kama Sutra in this day and age, this pseudo-scholarly treatment enlivened by fiction/fantasy was perfect. I will miss some of the well-drawn characters. I especially liked the Hollywood thread, the beautiful book design, and terrific jacket artwork. Bravo, University of Chicago Press!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
DEFINITELY NOT FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS A GOOD STORY
Since this book's publisher (University of Chicago Press)calls this "A Romance," I had started the book with the expectations that it would be a good story. No. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 1999
Unfu-kin' Unbelievable Says Lalita!!
I just finished Love in a Dead Language and pulled up the reviews to see the superlatives used to describe it. I was blown away at the poor reviews! Read more
Published on 6 Aug 1999
An "Anatomy" rather than a novel. See "Anatomy of...
Siegel's book can be navigated, if you're a member of his family or a grad student influenced by Northrup Frye's "Anatomy of Fiction". Read more
Published on 31 July 1999
A literary and inventive "good read."
This book is a party to which Nabakov has been invited; he, Siegel and the reader have a terrifically good time. Read more
Published on 22 Jun 1999
Fantastic.
Witty, erudite and great fun though clearly not for everyone. Helps to have some familiarity with India, Nabokov and the rest of Siegel's loves - if you miss the context you... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 1999
Kama Sutra Sanscrit translator stalks female Indian student
A professor of Indian studies desires to make love to an Indian woman to complete his understanding of India and the Kama Sutra. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 1999
Don't listen to the New York Times
I bought this book because NYT included it in its list. What a disappointment. I read 10 pages, lost interest. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 1999
HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT
People who like this book have to be the author's friends. This so called novel is all about the stream of consciousness, sub-consciousness, unconsciousness of a very boring man. Read more
Published on 5 May 1999
Obviously a book to love or hate
I loved it and would like applaud: 'Author, author,' but where IS the author in the text? In fact, this is one of Siegel's chief questions in this tale of erotic love and... Read more
Published on 28 April 1999
Lee Siegel is not telling a story is right!
So those of us who wants to read a good story should NOT buy his book.
Published on 9 April 1999
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