Tales from Firozsha Baag

Gail L. Cox was Librarian, Audio Visual Services, Metro Toronto Reference Library.

Although most of these short stories have been published separately, this collection seems to be woven of a seamless cloth: atmosphere, tone, character, all mingle to produce a vibrant, varied whole, from the first story, set in Bombay, to the surprise of the satisfying final Canadian chapter. The tone is audacious, basic, and earthy, containing astutely observed detail of behaviour, dialogue, setting.

Firozsha Baag is an apartment complex in Bombay. We are given marvelous detail in the description of human incident and response: a situation of a malfunctioning toilet which effects a long-awaited ceremony, the robbery of an old woman who lives alone, an apartment sublet with tragic results, a first love, pilgrimages to various holy, learned men, and even a swimming lesson in Canada. Indeed, this final chapter is a gem, unifying the familiar daily routine of Canada and India. A fine read.

Rohinton Mistry was born in Bombay in 1952. He emigrated to Canada in 1975 and began working in a bank. While at the University of Toronto he won two Hart House literary prizes for two chapters of this book, “One Sunday” and “Auspicious Occasion.” In 1985 he won a Canadian Fiction Contributor’s Prize. Since 1985 he has devoted himself to full-time writing.