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Mama Tandoori: Ernest van der Kwast

Mama Tandoori: Ernest van der Kwast

by Laura Vroomen (Translator), Ernest van der Kwast (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2017

    $8.17
Synopsis

'It wasn't uncommon in my childhood for roti to be off the menu because the rolling pin was broken again.' Ernest van der Kwast's childhood is peopled by an array of colourful characters: from his strait-laced Dutch father, to Bollywood star Uncle Sharma, and talented heptathlete Aunt Jasleen. But it is his overbearing yet loving Indian mother who is at the centre of this big-hearted, hilarious family saga. Veena van der Kwast is a woman with an iron will, hilarious directness, and a talent for haggling. When she is armed with her trusty rolling pin, every man she meets is eventually beaten to submission - especially her husband and three sons. Intriguing, surprising, and moving in equal measure, this novel inspired by a very unusual family will make you smile from beginning to end.

$8.17

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 224
 Edition: 01
 Publisher: Scribe UK
Published: 28 Aug 2017
ISBN 10: 1911344358
ISBN 13: 9781911344353

Media Reviews
'The funniest and most moving book I have read this year. Whoever was wondering where the Dutch Salman Rushdie, or even the Dutch Aravind Adiga, was hiding, is given the answer with Mama Tandoori.' -- Herman Koch author of The Dinner 'Mama Tandoori is a poignant, witty, and heart-rending book. There's never a dull moment.' -- Kristien Hemmerechts 'I'm so pleased my mother was just a cashier at the local supermarket. Good book - a really good book.' Kluun 'A great comic writer.' NRC Handelsblad 'Extremely funny, loving, and moving.' Tros Nieuwsshow 'Ernest van der Kwast is a great talent.' Het Financieele Dagblad 'A hilarious portrait of a Dutch-Indian family.' Elsevier 'Ernest's writing style is deceptively simple. Beneath his romanticised account are deep wells of sorrow. It's quite an achievement that he can make us laugh out loud at such meanness!' -- Hugo Borst 'It must be dead-tiring to grow up in such a family and a real pleasure to be in a position - years later and a father by now - to write it all down. That's to say if, like this writer, you're talented enough to turn all the humour into tragedy and make all the tragedy immensely funny.' Sweekly.nl 'A hilarious and moving novel about a mother who's armed with a rolling pin and who lives by the crisis-proof motto free is good .' HP/De Tijd 'Ernest van der Kwast has written an unusual book about unusual people. And most remarkable of all: he does it unusually well.' De Telegraaf 'Hilarious descriptions [...] But Van der Kwast offers plenty of nuance, too. He doesn't stop at the clownish figure. Beneath that skin of humour he has inserted ribs and lungs, muscles and a heart. [...] Comic becomes tragicomic. Even the detours contain the same exhilarating mix of exuberant humour and tragedy imbued with plenty of compassion.' HUMO 'A great humourist, with a perfect sense of timing [...] A very funny book.' De Standaard 'Very witty and well-balanced.' de Volkskrant 'The inventive writing style, dry sense of humour, and poignant observations of the writer's many wondrous family members make this book a real pleasure to read [...] a fine mix of satire and compassion [...] A proper page-turner.' GPD-bladen 'Let's hope there will be more books like this.' TZUM
Author Bio
Ernest van der Kwast is a Dutch author who lives between the Netherlands and Italy. He made his name with the novel Mama Tandoori, which became a bestseller in the Netherlands and Italy and sold more than 100,000 copies. In 2012 he published the novella Giovanni's Navel, which entered the Der Spiegel bestseller list immediately after publication in Germany. In 2016, he won the Dioraphte Literature Prize for The Ice-Cream Makers, which was his first novel to be published in English. Laura Vroomen was born in the Netherlands and now lives and works in London. She was educated at the University of Amsterdam and Warwick University and spent several years teaching English literature and cultural studies before switching to translation.