There is a simplicity to Mirage, this story of impoverished lovers whose brief happiness is cut short in the harshest of ways, which belies the skill of the telling. Set in a closed desert kingdom in our own times, it tells how Sayeed, a good but unexceptional man, finds love with a woman who would have been beyond his reach had not poverty and widowhood brought her low. It is a classic tale, in the style of D.H. Lawrence and Thomas Hardy, and set to become a kind of modern classic. The scene is set with unpretending tenderness: the hospital where Sayeed works, the kindness of his friends, the struggle to make a decent home for his new wife Latifa and her child, the bustle of his brother¿s home, the simple wedding. Heat, dirt and squalor are the backdrop to the tragedy, Latifa, confused and far from home, the terrified victim. Petty jealousy, sexual desire and religious fervour combine to bring her down and to leave the reader stunned. As the book ends, there is a sense of an unfinished story ¿ what will become of Latifa¿s child? How will she survive in the oppressive world her mother has left her in?
Mirage emerged from 1999¿s Booker judging as the unexpected favourite of the chairman, Gerald Kaufman, and other judges, just missing the final shortlist. It was later chosen by two of the judges, Boyd Tonkin and Shena Mackay as one of their books of that year. What made this championing of a first novel all the more surprising was the fact that it had been published by the author himself. Chandraratna plans to take up the story of Sayeed through the eyes of Latifa¿s little daughter Leila in the second volume of a proposed trilogy.
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Boyd Tonkin, The Literary Editor of the Independent
Mirage by Bandula Chandraratna (Serendip Publishers, £6.75)
THIS YEAR, as invariably happens, most of the media palaver generated by the Booker Prize has focused on a few well-known names. Yet one of the joys of the judging process lies – as I discovered – in the sudden revelation of fresh talent from a quite unexpected source. In his speech at the Booker dinner on Monday, Gerald Kaufman spoke of his special affection for Mirage – a first, self-published novel from a Northamptonshire-based writer. Other judges admired it deeply, and it came close to gaining a place on the shortlist. ...
Most people in the West will read little about a society such as that of Saudi Arabia beyond the stereotypes, laced with scandal, that the media deliver from time to time. And that hi-tech tyranny itself has no interest in exposing to outsiders the cost of its forced march to a sort of feudal postmodernity. For that, we need novels as lucid, moving and compassionate as this one. I would urge you to read it.
For the complete review of Mirage by Mr Boyd Tonkin, visit: www.independent.co.uk Go to entertainment, books and search Mirage.
Also, read the Books of the Year and the comments by Sheena Mackay and Boyd Tonkin.
Private eye wrote about Mirage on 12 Nov. 1999.
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Book Description PAPERBACK. Condition: New. 1574231952 British edition. Phoenix Publishing. 2001. Seller Inventory # 0753812533NH
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. No Jacket. 1st Edition. SIGNED COPY : Published In 2003 : 1st. American Paperback Edition : Jack Sparrow Publishing New Hampshire USA : This Is A Special Copy As It's SIGNED By The Author : Dedicated Best Wishes , ' Chandra ' : Quite A Rare Copy : Overall , A Great Story : Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 21 - 7853
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. There is a simplicity to "Mirage, this story of star-crossed lovers whose brief happiness is cut short, that belies the skill of its telling. Set in a closed Arab kingdom in our own time, it has the timeless appeal and delicacy of a fairy tale, yet also the moral weight—and all the human sadness—of a novel by Thomas Hardy. It tells how Sayeed, a good but unexceptional Muslim, finds happiness with Lalifa, a girl who might have been beyond his reach had widowhood and misfortune not brought her within it. The scene for Sayeed's marriage is set with unpretending tenderness and in unerring detail: the city hospital where he works, the shanty town where he lives, his brother's desert home, the pleasant wedding, the struggle to make a decent life for his new wife and her child. Heat, dirt, and squalor form the backdrop of tragedy, one fueled by pretty jealousy, sexual desire, and religious fervor, with Latifa, a village girl unused to the ways of the city, its ultimate victim. "Mirage was published in England in 1999 at the author's own expense. It emerged from that year's Booker Prize deliberations the unexpected favorite of a number of the judges, just missing the final short-list. Boyd Tonkin, literary editor of the "London Independent, chose it as his Book of the Year, saying "we need novels as lucid, moving, and compassionate as this one." Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781574231953
Book Description Condition: New. Über den AutorrnrnBandula Chandraratna was born in Sri Lanka. His work in hospitals led him to places such as Saudi Arabia, where he set his first novel, and London, where he published it. He currently lives in Northamptonshire, E. Seller Inventory # 904350903