'Here, finally is an English novel by an Indian writer that can be easily said to be one of a class.' — Free Press Journal
'Its timbre seems an aural image of the times and conveys its sickness remarkably effectively.' — Sunday World
'There is certainly an impassioned quality in the writing.' — Financial Express
'One of the very few Indo-Anglian writers who seem to be conscious of technique and technical experimentation...' — Books Abroad, USA
'Arun Joshi's is a peculiar talent and connoisseurs of style will have many things to say about The Apprentice... there is the promise of a new and vigorous personality in Indian fiction.' — Tribune
The Apprentice is a novel totally different in tone from all other novels and writings of Arun Joshi. The protagonist, Ratan Rathor, represents the quintessence everyman — a contrast to other protagonists in so far as his intellectual level is much lower. An unsophisticated youth, jobless, he comes to the city in search of a career; unscrupulous and ready to prostitute himself for professional advancement. Seduced by materialistic values, he takes a bribe to clear a large lot of defective weapons. As a consequence, a brigadier, who is also his friend, has to desert his post and, to escape ignominy, commits suicide. A penitent Rathor, avoids confessing his guilt, but, tries to achieve redemption by cleaning the shoes of devotees, every morning, at a temple. The Apprentice attacks materialistic values but with a different strategy. Ratan Rathor wades through corruption to arrive at an understanding of life and its affirmations. According to World Literature Today, "the novel is cast in a series of Browning-like monologues, to a boy to whom the protagonist, burdened with sorrow of 'a wasted life', lays bare the motives, aspirations, dilemmas and frustrations of his past."
Author
Arun Joshi (1939-1993) was educated in India and USA. He got his Master Degree in Management from M.I.T. His five novels and a collection of short stories won him critical acclaim and a recognition as an author of rate sensitivity and exceptional talent. The Last Labyrinth was selected for a prestigious Sahitya Akademy Award, India's highest literary honour.
Ebook
Book Details
- Extent: 144 pp
- Language: English
- Format: Paperback
- BISAC: FIC000000
- Trim Size: 5.5" x 8.5"