Celestial Bodies - Jokha al-Harthi ( Translated by Marilyn Booth )

Oman: a country which had under gone a considerable change since the 1960s - when she emerged as an Oil rich country. The transformation from an  era,  when schooling for girl children was restricted, to a time  where subsequent generations saw their girls become medical doctors, and could decide on whom to marry -  From an  era when patriarchs controlled their families, made concubines of their slave women ( yes, slavery was a fact! ),  to a time when a woman was able to be true to her inner thoughts and tolerance and call for divorce - From an era when the children lived in mortal fear of their father's wrath, whose punishments troubled their dreams throughout life, to a time when their more sensitive, broad minded  sons, learned  to love and  respect their families' wishes, even while knowing that their "chosen" spouse truly never reciprocated their love -  From a time when fear of djinns was part of the belief of the daily life to an era of iPhones and global citizenry. Oman has seen a lot of changes - from slaves in your house and slavery as a trade to a more refined, modern time, as she opened up to the rest of the world - in a relatively short time. This transition is the  authoress' main focal area, via a  familiar Omani rural landscape, as she zig-zags between the two verticals of the past and the present. Most parts of the world has taken drastic steps towards modernization in the said period - and this is Oman's story, a story presented vividly, which we haven't had the opportunity to glimpse to before.

This is a busy book - a busy narration. In one chapter, one reads about the possible  supernatural causes for the death of a young mother, and the next one, where a  lady doctor has her way in choosing her life partner, going against her parents, as we travel  a period of fifty years across two chapters, only to zig zag back to an earlier time. My guess is that the authoress used this zig-zag method of narration, bordering on chaos, to portray the short duration over which socio-cultural landscape changed - and it is a powerful ploy.

We are given a look into the life style of the new Bedouin - Bedouin by heart, but only milder in actual  life style.

"The Bedouin – despite all appearances of permanence, having settled in one locale and replaced their camelhair tents with cement block dwellings – scorned, even despised, the very idea of putting down roots. They relied first and foremost on pasturing camels and sheep. They held fast to their traditional loose garments and their free, untethered natures, preserving the impermeable boundaries that separated them from what was called ‘the life of the settled’."

One of my most cherished reading experience with respect to Bedouins  comes from The English Patient - where "the patient" describes in fine detail how he is treated and kept alive in the native style. I cannot deny that I had hopes of a romanticized version  of Bedouin life - but al-Harthi presents us with a realistic modern picture of their life style here, which is line with the overall direction of the novel.


While the changes that the country had been through  forms the background, Abdallah - the only character that speaks here in the first person, presents himself with all his doubts, and his good nature ( All other characters are presented with an omnipotent eye ). Haunted by the nightmares of his childhood thanks to his strict father, he is the symbol of a modern man - a reasonable man who suits the modern times - the best kind of men for the times we're in.  Otherwise, the range of characters is diverse, and adds up to the overall mood of a long history, but focused over a period of 50 to 60 years. Culture, presents a  colourful background, while  the overall mood of tolerance makes the reader draw parallels across their own background. [ Going on a tangent I tried to think of how my local landscape would've changed in the said period. I had a chat with an elderly  mason from Matara ( that's  Southern, Sri Lanka for those who don't know ) that I associate with, and he opened up about the skilled exorcists who lived back then, but how the skills are hardly existent now - leading to disbelief among the current generation. What we lacked was the slavery, but he gave a fine detail of how caste trod upon a generation of drum beaters etc., which ensured that their children didn't continue their father's trade. What we lacked was the oil for us to take the bend. Education has certainly helped, but its taking its time ]

It is an enjoyable read, no doubt. However I think that the main reason that this book would've won the Man Booker International award was the hint of readiness to accept change, that the book suggests. While a stance of accepting and accommodating change needs to be recognized and appreciated, one wonders if that message by itself in a garb of literature, is worthy of a recognition for such an award. However it is an important book that warrants reading, to appreciate the change another region has faced, as the world rolled towards the modern times. Especially given the usual dark brush that this region receives in telling their story (usually by outsiders )
, this is a considerable effort of story telling and culture, that can sit side by side with the rest of the world as Oman's story in modern humanity.

The Eternal Husband and other stories - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

( Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky )

This brings together five short works from the Russian Master, including the short novel "The Eternal Husband" in to one volume
. Running to a total of 343 pages for the stories itself (excluding the notes ), these five are more appropriate to be identified as novellas than short stories. While the five scope on different areas of The Human Condition as it were, but then  all his books are about the internal conflict of man. Upon completing his major works - The Brothers Karamazov, Demons, Crime and Punishment and The Idiot, I opted to read his shorter works before venturing into Notes from Underground. And yet again, I am convinced that Dostoevsky is possibly the single author, with whose work I wouldn't mind  being marooned in an Island, as his work can be read and reread with more insight. 

The five works that are included here are:
1- A Nasty Anecdote: The only early work here, is on the subject of reconciliation at a time of reform in Russia. A wealthy official visits his poor subordinate's wedding, which in itself was an arrangement of convenience. For all the pretense of putting on a facade of good will and fellowship, the official is hellbent on trying to prove that he is superior, and out of his superior nature that he "favours" the subordinate by his visit. But things go terribly wrong for the official, as he disgraces himself in an unfamiliar setting. But the crux of the matter is, it is the subordinate who pays the higher price - from the loss of his marital bed to his subsequent loss of position.

The story has one of the best quotes I have seen in sometime:
"He was also honest, that is, he had never happened to do anything particularly dishonest"

2- The Eternal Husband, is the longest story here, and is the tale of a man for whom a life without a wife, that is while being cuckolded, is unbearable. He attaches himself, repeatedly to a girl or woman whom he cannot retain, but who he can win with the influence of his wealth. It is a tale of a buffoon, who the reader cannot sympathise with for all the wrong that befalls him. Dostoevsky presents the poor tale of the repeatedly victimised husband, in a subtle style. Velchaninov, "the other man" who is the main character here defines "the eternal husband", thus:
"Such a man is born and develops solely in order to get married, and having married, to turn immediately into an appendage of his wife, even if it so happens that he happens to have his own indisputable character. The main feature of such a husband is—a well-known adornment. It is as impossible for him not to wear horns as it is for the sun not to shine; but he not only never knows it, but even can never find it out by the very laws of nature."  
A work which is a study of the complex nature of man, sensuality, sensuality and  victimization. Yet the story is written in such a manner that the author doesn't judge, nor does the style encourage to pass any judgement on any of the characters. 

3. Bobok - Possibly the closest reason for me read this book as early as this, is this novel. There is a  reference to this story in Zizek's "How to Read Lacan", and I was eager to read Bobok from that day. The single most important position that Zizek refers to here is thus:
"It's impossible to live on earth and not lie, for life and lie are synonymous; but here, just for the fun of it, we won't lie. Devil take it, the grave does mean something after all! We'll all tell our stories aloud and not be ashamed of anything now. "

Some of the conversations between the dead in this novella are pure gold, and speaks so much of the true nature of us.
"Avdotya Ignatievna, remember how you corrupted me fifteen years ago, when I was just a fourteen-year-old page? ..." 
"Ah, it's you, you blackguard! Well, at least God sent you, otherwise here it's...”
"You shouldn't have suspected your negotiant neighbor of smelling bad ... I just kept quiet and laughed. It's from me; they even buried me in a nailed coffin." 
"Ah, nasty man! Only I'm glad even so; you wouldn't believe, Klinevich, you wouldn't believe what a dearth of life and wit there is here." 
"Yes, yes, but I intend to start something original here."

4- The Meek One: How much pressure can the Love  weight you down with ? Especially if the one who loves you has saved you  from certain misery and destitute.  How can one accept to live under the care and love of a person, who is ready shower your feet with his kisses of love, but  to whom you can't return your love however much you try ? 


"She was weeping. 
'And I thought you'd just let me stay like that,' suddenly escaped her involuntarily, so involuntarily that she perhaps didn't notice at all how she had said it, and yet—oh, this was her most important, her most fatal phrase, the clearest for me that evening, and it was as if my heart was slashed by this phrase as by a knife! It explained everything to me, everything, but as long as she was near, before my eyes, I hoped irresistibly and was terribly happy. Oh, I made her terribly weary that evening, and I understood that, but I was constantly thinking I was going to remake it all right then" 

Is death a better choice than being under the compassion and love of a person, for whom you have no feelings - yet, you can't leave because the wolf of destitute was at the door when you were saved ? One of the most moving love stories that I've read ( but I haven't read much ). I am told that this influenced the recent movie "ඔබ නැතුව ඔබ එන්න" by Prasanna Vithanage, and I look forward to watching it in the coming days.

 5- The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, is one of the those tales with very deep and profound philosophical questionings, even by Dostoyevsky's usual high standard.  What is purity ? What is Sin? Can the "once-sinned" ever go back, or even crave for virginal purity  ? 

"They learned to lie and began to love the lie and knew the beauty of the lie. Oh, maybe it started

innocently,with a joke, with coquetry, with amorous play, maybe, indeed, with an atom, but this atom of lie penetrated their hearts, and they liked it. Then sensuality was quickly born, sensuality generated jealousy, and jealousy - cruelty. . . Oh, I don’t know, I don’t remember, but soon, very soon, the first blood was shed; they were astonished and horrified, and began to part, to separate. Alliances appeared, but against each other now. Rebukes, reproaches began. They knew shame, and shame

was made into a virtue"

The philosophical content is all encompassing that I think I caught it capturing Buddhism as well:

"Religions appeared with a cult of nonbeing and self-destruction for the sake of eternal peace in nothingness."

The story concludes, with a question that will leave the reader to spend several moments to ponder over the so called achievements of the modern era.

“The consciousness of life is higher than life, the knowledge of the laws of happiness is higher than happiness” - that is what must be fought! And I will. If only everyone wants it, everything can be set up at once"

There are authors who instill a sense of wonder at the use of their language ( Julian Barnes ); there are those who use their imagination to say more than the pure sum of words ( Salman Rushdie ); there are those use the brevity and dryness of their style to make the reader go on a solitary journey upon the roads shown "only-just" by them ( Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, Coetzee), and there are those who represent a period of their county's contemporary culture ( Fitzgerald, Saul Bellow, Salinger ) - yet for me there is no author as him who has explored the human nature to the deep level the Dostoevsky did.  His characters were riddled with the primary questions of the human condition - jealousy, depravity, fear, insecurity, the feeling towards death. Let me just say again, if am ever to be marooned in an island with just half a dozen books - let them be volumes by Dostoevsky. At least I'll die a wiser man.