Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music is one of my favorite novel of all time. The book was published in 1999, it is a story of love and emotions intricately woven with music, art and humour. The backcover of my Penguine edition says this book is
“about music and about how the love of music can run like a passionate theme through a life. Above all, it is a book to savour and re-read.”
An Equal Music – Front Cover
The front cover of the book I have, shows a detail from J.M. Turner’s The Month of the Grand Canal from Far Away, 1840. The cello imagery on the cover refers to the musical instrument of choice in this story.
The author was born in Calcutta, now known as Kolkata, he later studied at Oxford, Stanford, and Nanjing University. Before this novel, Seth had published books of poems and one of his more popular novel The Suitable Boy.
Today’s quote is from An Equal Music.
“Music, such music, is a sufficient gift. Why ask for happiness; why hope not to grieve? It is enough, it is to be blessed enough, to live from day to day and to hear such music – not too much, or the soul could not sustain it- from time to time.”
The author ends the novel with the above quote. This statement always makes me think of happiness, the one other thing that is perhaps good only in small doses.
Do you have anything that you feel is also good in moderate doses? Please leave me your thoughts in the comment section.
THE END.
100daysofscribbling 
its one of my favourite novels too..glad that you wrote about it in your blog 🙂
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Ishita, it’s one my favorite too, will write more on it soon.
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