English, August
by Upamanyu Chatterjee · first published 1988
50% recommend50% neutral
Agastya Sen, known to friends by the English name August, is a child of the Indian elite. His friends go to Yale and Harvard. August himself has just landed a prize government job. The job takes him to Madna, “the hottest town in India,” deep in the sticks. There he finds himself surrounded by incompetents and cranks, time wasters, bureaucrats, and crazies. What to do? Get stoned, shirk work, collapse in the heat, stare at the ceiling. Dealing with the locals turns out to be a lot easier for August than living with himself. English, August is a comic masterpiece from contemporary India. Like A
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2010–2016Do more faster
Brad Feld
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 2414 recommend · 24 mention14 recommend · 2414 recommend
2007–2026Built to Last
Collins, James C., Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras, James C. Collins
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 2114 recommend · 21 mention14 recommend · 2114 recommend
2007–2026The Four Steps to the Epiphany
Steven Gary Blank
Recommended by 116 · mentioned by 177116 recommend · 177 mention116 recommend · 177116 recommend
Sometimes it pays to take a break from the monotonic techno mumble contained in books quoted by others here. I suggest you read "English August" by Upamanyu Chatterjee.
on “Ask HN: Must Read Books” ↗…slugging it out at your startup, it's important to read something fun at night: Catcher in the Rye Three Men in a Boat Cold Comfort Farm In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash And my personal favorite: English August
on “Ask HN: must read books for startup founders” ↗Actually the bureaucrats are quite open. A (real life) movie was once made on the IAS (English, August) which poked a lot of fun at them. It was later shown as part of the IAS training (perhaps still is). The writer of the book, still is in the IAS and continues to write as he works.
on “Getting things done in the Capital of India” ↗