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Published: Feb. 20, 2011
Words: 54962 (approximate)
Language: English
Short description
An author having a conversation with his fictional character, or losing control of his character, mind numbing points leading one twists and turns spinning the mind of the reader with hallucinogenic colors, concepts, and eurekas.Extended description
An author having a conversation with his fictional character, or losing control of his character, mind numbing points leading one twists and turns spinning the mind of the reader with hallucinogenic colors, concepts, and eurekas.The short stories begin simplified, and walks together with the author as he takes a personal journey deep within the universe of his own consciousness, dwelling, prodding, dissecting, and creating...
This book is a play on different writing styles uniquely conjured by the writer from random inspiration and experimentation with poetry as prior experience. This is a chronological anthology spanning the imagination and sanity of the writer.
This book is a collection of humour, satire, and philosophy, with the most unique writing style and twists. This books evolves as one reads, from basic and simple stories of humor, to deeper and more profound satire best savored twice.
Tags
humor, short stories, philosophy, dark humor, shaivism, literary experimentationAvailable ebook reading formats
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Review by:
Terry Crawford Palardy
on March 10, 2012 :
I found this book very interesting, but also very hard to stay attentive to. The style is not typical of readings I have done, and while that intrigued me, it made it difficult to hold on to the thread of what the author was conveying. Perhaps a more erudite reader with sophisticated skills would gain more from this book.
I thank the author for making it available to me.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
John Hansen
on Sep. 02, 2011 :
I would just like to say that it was very difficult to choose between 4 and 5 stars for this review.
Brilliant! Guided by this author's clever, sarcastic voice that has no problem altering into something serious, this book is extremely captivating and well written. It is a conglomeration of various extremely short stories that will have you begging for more. Not only is this book very funny - my favorite stories were "The Parable of the Stock Market" and "Best Sellers" - but serious and insightful as well. This author effortlessly weaves his philosophical opinions and standpoints and his innovative new ideas and theories into such a comical book but at times, insightful. Well done. This author has a unique writing style and he creates not only believable, but intriguing characters which is quite a feat given the conciseness of the stories. However, I noticed a surprising large volume of trivial grammatical errors such as incorrect capitalization and lack of punctuation and even misspellings - elementary mistakes like that - as I read (I believe that some are deliberate, but many aren't). This gave me an impression of amateurishness of the author, because he did not take the time to give this book a thorough editing. This is quite disappointing because the story is so well written. Also, I found that some of these stories had nothing to do with the topic of insanity, and this irked me because it seemed as if the author forced some stories into the book that did not belong, which I personally found rather boring. Regardless, this is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh or someone perplexing views on and intriguing metaphors for life and love. It perfectly describes the insanity of us authors. :) Keep it up, Haresh!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Alex MacLean
on Aug. 14, 2011 :
Evolution of Insanity is a unique collection of short stories that range from intellectual, philosophical, humorous, dark, insightful and poetic. All of them are told from a very interesting and creative viewpoint.
A must read.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Katina Ferguson
on June 15, 2011 :
Evolution of Insanity is a collection of short stories that reveals (in a very creative way) the author's interesting perspective on human nature, the nature of inspiration and the art of crafting a story. My personal favorites from the collection are Sand, The Story of Ernest and Cosmic Violet. I absolutely love the author's style of storytelling and the way he uses humor to convey complex observations. I also see where the book is a platform to share some philosophical information, but not in a preachy manner…it is classy and very well done. Overall this book gets two thumbs up from me and I would certainly recommend it to my friends (in fact I have already)
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Lucien Black
on June 14, 2011 :
"True curiosity comes forth in further pursuit of understanding and knowledge. Go ahead, take the first sip."
The above line, written by Daswani himself from the short story Kripaal, offers a great teaser to the consciously written prose, Evolution of Insanity. In his book, Daswani offers a compilation of short stories, though more essay format, writings and, often times, ramblings of a writer that took painstaking care to use his words to interpret, rather sculpt, an intricate description of struggle, life, God, and many other concepts. This is definitely not light reading, and one can find themselves, and they should, contemplating the meaning behind, motivation behind and thought process behind each tale.
There is very little material that offers up what this book delivers. From a writer's lament to philosophical conversations, Evolution of Insanity is brimming with thought provoking ideas, philosophical insights and strong prose. Go ahead, take the first sip and read this book.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Jonas Samuelle
on June 05, 2011 :
What Mr. Daswani has written isn't a collection of short stories, so much as essays, meditations on the miniscule and the mighty, the sacred and the mundane.
His words are a rolling litany of the kinds of thoughts that we have sometimes, when the courage to be quiet comes over us and the moment to moment perception of our experiences coaleces into a harmony.
This isn't a book to be read straight through. Its Bukowski-esque ravings are best taken one at a time, then digested slowly.
It's a work that challenges the reader, dizzies them, and makes no apologies.
His essence of True Spirituality was especially engrossing, even for an atheist like me.
If you're up to the challenge, if you're not afraid of losing your mind a bit, then you don't want to miss this book.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Triquetra Press Publications
on June 01, 2011 :
This author has a wonderful way of making you think about, and observe, your world around you. I felt like I was in Chicago, and though I have only spent a few months there, I have watched a lot of thses types of antics go on around me. If we could slow our world down, and really pay attention, what would we see?
And would the seeing bring us closer to understanding? Or would it bring us closer to our own insanity--and there is where you find, The Evolution of Insanity.
I have not enjoyed reading something so much in my life. I believe we'll be listening to Heresh Daswani on great talk shows, like Chicago on NPR, showing his delightful insights, for many years to come.
I easily gave this book 5 stars
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Shaeeza Haniff
on May 26, 2011 :
(no rating)
The Evolution of Insanity is a collection of tales, stories, and fables about a variety of beings. Imagine for a moment you are able to stop and listen, see, witness and understand a segment of the lives of a collection of beings - Gods, godlike, god hating and god wannabes, the dead, the living, the fictional, the alien, male, female, the young and the old.
Stories that would have you believe that Santa was killed, "tongue in cheek" stories, stories intermingled with intellectual descriptions of body functions, of the human despair and condition. Stories like the one about a long suffering psychiatrist finding his "emotional wastebasket", Adam and Eve personas, Herman of whom we all know one of, the passing of the torch of thoughts and observation as depicted in "London in the Mind". Stories that enlighten us about the complexities of the interrelationships between the opposite sexes.
Haresh Daswani is a complex writer who writes with intellectual wit and philosophy interlaced with humor.
“We are all insane who hide in rooms further making us insane”.
A great read!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Aurora Press
on May 26, 2011 :
Evolution of Insanity is a book consisting of a great number of short stories, which, on a first look, don't seem to have much in common. Some are darker than others, some are funny and some are sad, like my favourite one, the protagonist who commits suicide because they cannot live up to their own expectations and would rather sink into their own despair than allow themselves to be as they are. As the reader progresses through the book, they'll start to realise the stories are all interlinked, giving the impression of moving from one book character to the next, from one life experience to another.
This is a book that hasn't been done before, a remarkable book with surprising depth, beautiful writing, and certainly no dumbed down language to allow it to fit into a genre. When it comes to the language, I'd call it literary; the voice, however, is sharp and educated with plenty of humorous layers to it. The stories are connected in their depth and ability to link reality with fiction, dreams and mysticism with satire and belief, lifestyle and choice with art, and many, many more.
It is a philosophical read, and while I'm into all that is philosophical, I often find philosophical books bordering on the boring side. Evolution of Insanity kept me reading from one tale to the other, wondering what would come next. I particularly liked the observational nature of the tales and how they brought to light all that is dark, hidden and twisted in human nature, giving insight into the various facets of humanity in a unique way. I was astounded at the immense creativity and diversity of this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bit of dark fiction with plenty of humour and excellent writing.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Nicholas Denmon
on May 22, 2011 :
Haresh Daswani has put together a very intimate novel about the struggle of creativity. For those of us who have ever stared at a door hinge, or out a window, trying to come up with original thought, this book is for you.
Daswani took a risk in the undertaking of this novel. To delve so completely into the psyche of a character is a task that is not undertaken much in today’s literary scene. However, Daswani does this ably. Through a collection of short stories, the reader is able to come to terms with window-shopping into various characters and moments in their lives.
Daswani doesn’t sugar coat the intellectual depravity consistent in human nature, but instead seems to celebrate the individual nuances that make us uniquely human.
Overall, I am impressed by this novel, the format, and the depth of exploration. For a taste of a different kind of fiction, I believe this to be a must read.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Bernard Schaffer
on May 18, 2011 :
Haresh Daswani is not your usual author, and it is no surprise he’s written a pretty unusual book. The title “Evolution of Insanity” is an exercise in truthful advertising. Either Daswani is nuts or he’s operating on a level way up there in the stratosphere.
The book is a collection of short chapters that contain virtually no dialogue. The descriptions of simple things take on a kind of poetic oscillation that are always moving and impossible to pin down.
This book abandons standard narrative structure and embraces a James Joyce type stream-of-consciousness that will make you sometimes smile and sometimes scratch your head. I liked it. It felt fresh and different from the norm, even if I don’t feel smart enough to understand all of it.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
yzobelle
on May 09, 2011 :
Kaleidoscope.
A kaleidoscope is made up of small colored pieces. And when they are turned and given a different angle, they jell into one beautiful scene.
That is what I would associate Haresh’s book with.
Like a kaleidoscope, Evolution of Insanity is made up of different pieces, each a unique reflection of the author’s wild imagination. Each story piece has an exceptional storyline that would simply leave the reader in questioning awe, wondering where in this world could Haresh have possibly picked up that twist.
The variety of themes of the short stories also makes up the pieces of the kaleidoscope. The themes run a wide range – from spirituality to philosophy to life to beauty … of girls. All with profundity wrapped in wit and dry humor.
These short stories put together in one book reveal the beauty of a kaleidoscope.
P.S.
Caution: Read at your own risk.
This book is not for the faint-hearted. You must have your mind so open, your heart so universal, your humor so flexible, and your imagination so border-free to take utmost pleasure from reading this book.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Maureen Mullis
on April 27, 2011 :
Haresh Daswani’s EVOLUTION OF INSANITY is an interesting collection of short stories giving you a peek into the mind of a writer and his struggles to be creative. As the title of this collection implies, you can sense the writer’s gradual slide into madness. He spends his times staring at a door hinge, reflects upon the state of sand at a beach, and has conversations with some of the characters he has created.
None of the stories are very long, which allows you to either read through them rather quickly, or spread them out as treats for yourself when you need to take a quick break.
Daswani has a gift for creating believable situations in his stories, and giving them a twist so that you aren’t quite sure how the story is going to turn out. His plots move along well and some of them reminded me of episodes from Twilight Zone where you know something is off but don’t know what until the story is complete.
Even if you are not a fan of the short story format, you might like this book. The stories are unusual and varied. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from this author!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Razorback
on March 13, 2011 :
Haresh Daswani has a fascinating story-telling style that engages the reader from the very first page. He shows quite a gift for creating rather ordinary people in somewhat odd situations. It's that twist of just a bit odd that brings a unique, life-like quality to each story. His descriptions of both the character and the environment are impeccable. You don't just read the story, you experience the story. That takes talent. I'd love to have his talent for description.
Most fascinating of all is how Daswani weaves extraordinary philosophical ideas into these ordinary --- almost unassuming --- characters and settings. You're not expecting it to be as profound as it turns out to be. That's a big plus in my book.
If that weren't enough, Daswani's sense of brevity is uncanny. The story is not so long that it interest is lost, yet short enough to leave the reader wanting more and pondering what happens next.
This collection of short stories is highly entertaining, thought-provoking, insightful and funny. Best of all, they are stories very well told.
I would read more of his stories any time.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)