The Montalbano Confusion

 I picked up the detective novel The Wings of the Sphinx by the Italian writer Andrea Camilleri due to a misunderstanding. Some time back, I happened to read a delightful Spanish novel called Murder in the Central Committee by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. Featuring the gastronome-detective Pepe Carvalho, it also was a strong political commentary of the times. Carvalho used to be a Communist in his youth and also a CIA agent. This gave his character the unique perspective of an insider who is also an outsider at the same time. Then there are a lot of culinary descriptions, as he enjoyed food and was also an expert cook.

After reading it, I wanted to read more books in the series. But as I failed to find one, I never had the opportunity to read another entry from it. Once, when I was browsing a stack of used books in a store, I found The Wings of the Sphinx with the subtitle An Inspector Montalbano Mystery. When I read the name Montalbano, I thought I had finally been able to find a book in the series. After purchasing the book, I came to know that Andrea Camilleri, the writer, was influenced by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. So he kept his detective's name as Montalbano.

There are some similarities between two characters—Pepe Carvalho and Inspector Montalbano—that I could feel after reading one novel each of both protagonists. I am not sure how all these observations pan out when every book in both series is considered. The most obvious is their love for food. A lot of pages are dedicated to descriptions of food—of eating and preparing it. Both characters have an inherent sense of humour that is wicked at times. Both are loose cannons who are not afraid to offend someone to get their way.

But, while Carvalho has a certain assuredness about him, Montalbano seems to bumble sometimes and provides enough opportunities to laugh at him. While The Murder at the Central Committee is a sharp political satire about investigating a dead comrade while a Communist party meeting progresses, The Wings of the Sphinx is more of a social satire that exposes rampant corruption in the bureaucracy, class differences, and the overall rotten tendencies of society. It is about the murder of an unidentified young girl with the tattoo of a butterfly on her shoulders. The former has its pulse firmly on history, while the latter is more of a comedic ride with a pretty good puzzle to solve and a lot of colourful characters inhabiting it to make it more palatable.

Now I have to hunt down the books in two series!

Book Review: Turning Pages by John Sargent

 Lessons learned:  Books matter, but only if everyone is free to speak through them. Good intent matters; that is where kindness starts.  It is messy.

 

The book reader in me generally considers publishers to be the middlemen who spoil my reading experience by tampering with the direct connection with the writer. At the same time, I realised that it is impossible for an individual writer to connect with the reader without the support of a publisher. So for me, publishers were the necessary evil, exploiting their status as the bridge that connects me with the writer and manipulating my reading experience in a way that is beneficial for them, all the while considering creative writers as just money spinning equipment.

I am sure that it still works that way in many parts of the world. But reading a book from the former publisher John Sargent, titled Turning Pages, has made me cut some slack. John Sargent, the ex-CEO of Macmillan, is not a familiar name to me, though I have read books from their publishing group for years. The book, subtitled The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher, never tries to deep dive into the intricacies of the creative, logistical, or economic sides of book publishing.

The book consists of a series of anecdotes from the writer's professional and personal life, and mostly recounts his associations with personalities, establishments, and historic events. The narration is rather sober, refusing to overplay or sensationalise the events, and possesses an overall warmth and a humorous inclination. I have noted that the author tries to be fair and empathetic to all, and always looks at things from differing viewpoints. I could also detect a person who always ensured the best for his authors on these pages (though this observation is solely based on what I read on these pages, and I have no inkling about what actually transpired).

The only moments where the book sheds this tone and offers passionate story telling are when he finds himself in a legal tussle against the US Government and Amazon and when Trump tried to cease and desist the publication of Fire and Fury, a book about the first days of the Trump government. It is in these two incidents that we realise the fighting spirit of a man who wants to do the right thing. He refused to hold back, even when all other publishers settled with Amazon, and fought the battle alone, due to the realisation that Amazon's model of pricing ebooks would severely hamper the prospects of writers along with those of his corporation. We find the same striving for fairness when he refuses to let go of employees during COVID time, even when it results in his being shown the way out of Macmillan.

Other interesting instances in the book are his hobnobbing with British aristocracy, getting abused by Sir Jeffrey Archer, his childhood spent in Wyoming, candid photos being shot by paparazzi while he was teaching Britney Spears to operate an iPod inside a gym, his office space in the legendary though cramped Flatiron building, and Jimmy Carter catching him red handed while trying to loot wood. I admire the self-deprecating humour and the immense respect for others that he exhibits throughout the book, even when he is bumbling, like when he high fived Obama and did a 'Hey man!'

I also happened to watch a TedX talk that he gave in which he explained decision making by giving the example of surfing, an activity that he took up when he was forty seven. While researching him online, I came across certain controversies about him that he never mentioned in the book. Once, Macmillan refused to provide digital copies of new books to libraries until a certain period. Libraries had cried foul, and Sargent was made to look like a corporate tyrant bent on destroying public institutions. But as per him, libraries were eating 60% of his firm's revenue from ebook sales. I believe he only had the best interests of his authors and his employees in mind.

Book Review: The Universal Time Keepers by David J. Helfand

 I read this incredibly interesting and insightful book about dating. No, no, no, it's not about the romantic kind of dating, but the carbon dating kind. This book is about the methods that can put a precise date on past events. I would absolutely love to try it with some ancient artefacts in my refrigerator. Now, that's one way to put technology to a practically useful and potentially lifesaving purpose.

The Universal Time Keepers is an upcoming popular science book by David J. Helfand that describes how atoms, who are witnesses and even participants in every event played out in every place and time of our universe, can be put to use for tracking these events and finding out when and how they happened. I received this ebook from Netgalley and its publisher, Columbia University Press, in exchange for honest feedback.

Carbon dating is a popular concept that is pushed through movies, books, media, and social media so much that a layman's concept of it is that of something magical. You take a piece of stone, keep it in front of a chunk of carbon, like a piece of charcoal or something, chant abracadabra, and the antiquity of the stone magically gets written on it. Pseudoarcheologists and pseudohistorians have played a good part in abusing carbon dating by making wrong and misrepresented attributions to the technology, just like they do with genome mapping.

This book describes the workings of several dating technologies, like carbon dating, that utilise the atomic properties of materials to decipher the age and other details of an event. Though the subject matter is very technical and requires a basic understanding of chemistry, physics, and a bit of biology to fully comprehend its nitty-gritty, Helfand makes sure that the layman reader is not too confused or bogged down while reading the book. His description is elementary enough to sustain the reader's interest, though he never succumbs to the temptation to dump it down to a level that trivialises its implications.

Atoms are infinitesimally minute particles that constitute matter, just next to nothingness as far as our ability to detect them is concerned. They are made up of even smaller subatomic particles like protons, electrons, neutrons, and a lot more of them. Each element in the universe possesses an atom that is unique to it, though there are different flavours available among the atoms of a single element, called isotopes. Many of these isotopes tend to be unstable, with lifespans ranging from fractions of a second to billions of years.

Their instability is due to a phenomenon called radioactivity, which is essentially a tendency to achieve stability by transforming itself into other elements by ejecting subatomic particles and energy. This radioactive decay of atoms is measured in half lives—half the measure of a radioactive material decays into its daughter in a prescribed, exact amount of time. It is this property that is used for dating an event as recent as the last day to minutes before the Big Bang, the event that started our universe.

The first six chapters of the book explain the chemistry of the procedures. These chapters take you to your high school classrooms and make you relive the horrors of the periodic table, atomic numbers, and chemical reactions. The difference is that this time the explanations are more intelligible and crystal clear. Once this formality is over, the remaining chapters discuss the practical implementation of using isotopes of different elements like Carbon, Uranium, and lead for the determination of age.

The first one is about detecting art forgeries by ionising the atoms inside a painting and determining if the components used in it are consistent with the ones that the artist used in his time. The subsequent chapters progressively deliberate the procedures used to determine several events in history after and before humanity managed to civilise. It starts with the inspections done on a parchment of the Quran and ends in a moment one microsecond after the formation of the universe. It elucidates how comparing the numbers of radioactive father and daughter elements in a sample of rock, a dead body, or a piece of ice can solve perplexing puzzles and provide unique insights into the workings of the world that we live in.

Reading Inside Trains

There used to be a time when everyone read something after entering a train. Persons who literally hate to find some words joined together to form anything meaningful also boarded trains with a magazine in their hands. One magazine or newspaper that entered the compartment ended up grazing the hands of everyone in it. I used to board trains with a book or two or three literary magazines. I remember adding books to my TBR list after finding someone reading them on trains. Those were the best of times.

Then came the era when everyone ditched book/magazines/newspapers and started staring at screens. People dreamed while hearing songs on headphones, gazed while watching movies/series/YouTube or just scrolled and scrolled for the entire journey. I cannot forget all the shocked looks and stares that I received and still receive when I open an actual book, a physical entity with actual weight, a thick cover, and a lot of pages that could be flipped physically.

One of the co-passengers invariably plays songs or a movie loudly. The entire world called them assholes. But they prevailed. Probably because of their sheer numbers. In the usual seating arrangement of a general compartment, on average, there will be ten people sitting together. Out of ten, one will play something loudly. Mathematically, on average, that makes one out of ten passengers in a train an asshole. If you try to superimpose this statistic on the entire humanity, of which train passengers are a very minor subset, purely based on my experience, the data holds pretty well.

Coming back into the train compartment, from where we took a detour, hearing loud sounds is evidently a major deterrent to reading. I even believe the train compartments of the Indian Railways are specially manufactured and tested for incredible acoustic abilities that facilitate the penetration of sound into all the ears present in them, even if pretty lousy speaker systems are used.

But nothing could prevent a persistent reader like me. Whatever song, movie/series/YouTube soundbite, or friendly banter of office-going colleagues, which, believe me, is as pervasive as the others listed before it, I managed to read. After a while, I was able to relegate these nuisances to the attic of my mind and steer ahead with my book.

Not the last day. Not with Instagram reels. Not with two people playing them continuously, sitting on my left and right. Not with the highly statistical impossibility of two gentlemen of the kind mentioned above sitting on either side and watching reels with blaring sounds.

To my credit, I tried. I tried hard to push it out of my mind. To pack it and shove it into the basement. But I realised the impossibility of the situation. I realised that this was a different beast. The cacophony of diverse sound clips, songs, and commentary, which abruptly changes into something completely different in seconds, makes it impossible to concentrate. I laid my arms down and completely surrendered, accepting my defeat.

I had almost stopped recounting this anecdote. But then, like the team that failed miserably in the semifinal, pulling up all the weapons in its arsenal to fight a loser's final match with another loser, I had a chance during the return journey to save a small part of my lost face.

On the return journey, I was determined to catch up on my missed reading. I sat near a family of three—parents and a kid. The kid did everything that kids usually do and then some more. He howled, cried, shouted, shrieked, jumped, ran around, and made himself an overall nuisance.

In normal times, I could tolerate all these and then some more and go ahead with my reading. But probably because of the taste of defeat and the resultant pressure, I was unable. I closed the book and looked at the parents, who were pretty satisfied with the performance of their little devil and the general wretchedness it caused for all.

"Did you know", I started, making sure that the rug rat picked up every word, "about the new scheme of the Indian Railways? You could send your kids through their parcel service. Just put a stamp of twenty rupees on their forehead, apply a bandage to their lips, and hand them over to the parcel department. They will put them in the parcel compartment of the train, and you can collect them at your destination. If there is no space in it, they will ship the kids on the next goods train, and they assure delivery in twenty-four hours. You can collect them the next day."

Such peace, such calm, such serenity! I read my book and heard the sound of good old times returning.

അസുരവിത്ത്: എംടിയുടെ ദേവാസുരം

 എംടിയുടെ ഇതുവരെ വായിക്കാൻ സാധിക്കാത്ത പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ വായിക്കാനായി ശ്രമിച്ചപ്പോൾ, കാലം എന്ന കൃതിക്ക് ശേഷം കൈയിൽ കിട്ടിയത് അസുരവിത്ത് ആണ്. 1962ൽ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച നോവൽ ഇന്നും എംടിയുടെ മികച്ച കൃതിയായിട്ടാണ് വിലയിരുത്തപ്പെടുന്നത്. സാഹിത്യ നിരൂപകയായ എം. ലീലാവതി, അവരുടെ ലേഖനത്തിൽ അഭിപ്രായപ്പെടുന്നത് മലയാള സാഹിത്യത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും മികച്ച നോവലായി അവർ ഈ നോവലിനെയാണ് തെരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക എന്നാണ്. അങ്ങനെ ഒരു അഭിപ്രായം എനിക്കില്ലെങ്കിലും, ഞാൻ വായിച്ച എംടിയുടെ നോവലുകളിൽ എനിക്ക് ഏറ്റവും ഇഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടത് അസുരവിത്ത് തന്നെയാണ്. 

എഴുത്തുകാരൻ നാലുകെട്ടിൽ സൃഷ്ടിച്ച്, കാലത്തിൽ പരിപാലിച്ച പ്രപഞ്ചത്തിന്റെ പൂർണ്ണതയാണ് അസുരവിത്ത് എന്നാണ് എനിക്ക് തോന്നിയത്. നായർ തറവാടുകളുടെ ജീർണ്ണിച്ച ചിത്രം നാലുകെട്ടിൽ ആവിഷ്കരിച്ച എംടി, കാലത്തിൽ അതിന്റെ ഫലമായി വ്യക്തിത്വം നശിച്ച ഒരു നായകനെ വരച്ചുകാട്ടുന്നു. അസുരവിത്തിൽ ആകട്ടെ, നാം കാണുന്ന നായകൻ തന്റെ തകർച്ചക്ക് ശേഷം സ്വയം പുനഃസൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്നവനാണ്. എന്നെ സംബന്ധിച്ചിടത്തോളം, നാലുകെട്ടിന്റെയും കാലത്തിന്റെയും ശുഭകരമായ പര്യവസാനമാണ് അസുരവിത്ത്. 

ഇങ്ങനെയാണെങ്കിലും, സമയക്രമത്തിൽ പരിഗണിക്കുകയാണെങ്കിൽ കാലത്തിന് മുന്നെയാണ് അസുരവിത്ത് എഴുതപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ളത്. നാലുകെട്ടിന് മുന്നെയാണ് അസുരവിത്തിൽ പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുള്ള സംഭവങ്ങൾ നടക്കുന്നതും. അതിനാൽ എഴുത്തുകാരൻ ബോധപൂർവം ഇങ്ങനെ ഒരു ആഖ്യാനം രൂപപ്പെടുത്തിയതാവില്ല എന്നു തോന്നുന്നു. അസുരവിത്തിന്റെ ചരിത്ര പശ്ചാത്തലം, കേരളത്തിൽ ആയിരത്തി തൊള്ളായിരത്തി നാൽപ്പതുകളിൽ പടർന്നു പിടിച്ച കോളറക്കാലമാണ്. പകർച്ചവ്യാധികൾ ദേവതകൾ മനുഷ്യരെ ശിക്ഷിക്കാനായി എറിയുന്ന വിത്തുകളാണ് എന്ന വിശ്വാസവുമായി ചേർത്തു വായിക്കുമ്പോൾ അസുരവിത്ത് എന്ന പേരിന്റെ സാംഗത്യം കൂടൂതൽ മറ നീക്കുന്നു.

 എംടിയുടെ രചനകൾ കൂടുതലും വളരെ വ്യക്തിനിഷ്ഠമായ കഥാഖ്യാനങ്ങളാണ്. ഒരു മുഖ്യ കഥാപാത്രത്തിന്റെ മാനസിക വ്യാപാരത്തിലൂടെയായിരിക്കും വായനക്കാരന്റെ സഞ്ചാരം. സമൂഹം എന്നും അയാൾക്ക് ഗതി മാറ്റാൻ ഉതകുന്ന പ്ലോട്ട് ഡിവൈസ് മാത്രം. അസുരവിത്ത് ഈ രീതി മാറ്റിപ്പിടിക്കുന്നു. സമൂഹവും, അയാൾക്ക് സമൂഹവുമായുള്ള ബന്ധവും, അങ്ങനെ ഉണ്ടാകുന്ന നന്മതിന്മകളുടെ തുടർച്ചയായ ആദാനപ്രദാനവും ഈ നോവലിനെ മറ്റ് എംടിയുടെ കൃതികളിൽ നിന്നും വേർതിരിച്ചു നിർത്തുന്നു. 

നാലുകെട്ടിന്റെ ജീർണ്ണതയിൽ നിന്നും പുറന്തള്ളപ്പെടുന്ന ഗോവിന്ദൻ കുട്ടി വന്നെത്തുന്നത് സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ ദൂഷിതവലയത്തിലേക്ക്. തങ്ങളുടെ ആവശ്യത്തിനു മാത്രം അയാളെ കൂടെ നിർത്തി, അതിനു ശേഷം വഞ്ചിക്കുന്ന സമൂഹത്തിനോട് അയാൾ പ്രതികാരം ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഇവിടെയാണ് അയാൾ എല്ലാം ഒതുക്കിൽ കഴിക്കുന്ന, പ്രതികാരം പോലും ഒച്ചയുണ്ടാക്കാതെ നടത്തുന്ന, തന്റെ മനസ്സിനുള്ളിൽ മാത്രം വാഴുന്ന മറ്റ് എംടി നായകരിൽ നിന്ന് വ്യത്യസ്തനാകുന്നത്. എന്നാൽ പ്രതികാരം പോലും അയാളെ ദുഷിച്ച സംസ്കൃതിയുടെ അടിത്തട്ടിലേക്ക് ആഴ്ത്തുകയാണെന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവാണ് അയാളെ ഒടുക്കം മാറ്റിമറിക്കുന്നത്. 

അസുരവിത്ത് മനുഷ്യമനസ്സിൽ നടക്കുന്ന ദേവാസുരയുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ കഥയായി വായിക്കാം. ഉള്ളിലെ ദേവാംശത്തെ നിർദ്ദാക്ഷിണ്യം തല്ലിക്കെടുത്തുന്ന ബാഹ്യ ലോകം, ആസുരവീര്യത്തിന്റെ ബഹിർഗമനത്തോടെ, അയാളെ ആരവങ്ങളോടെ അസുരരാജാവാക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ മനസ്സിലെ അവസാനത്തെ നന്മയുടെ കണം, അയാളിലെ ദേവനെ തന്റെ സാമ്രാജ്യം തിരിച്ചു പിടിക്കാൻ പ്രാപ്തനാക്കുന്നു. ഇതാണ് എന്റെ വായന. 

Book Review: Dragon Palace by Hiromi Kawakami

As I watched him lie there, that familiar desolation hit me again—the feeling that I was a lonely blade of hoarfrost poised to break through the surface.

To all my friends who think Haruki Murakami is weird, wait till you read Hiromi Kawakami (Not to be confused with Mieko Kawakami). I read this upcoming collection of eight bizarre and offbeat short stories from the Japanese writer, titled Dragon Palace. Netgalley and the publisher were gracious enough to send me an advanced eBook copy, which is translated by Ted Goossen, in exchange for honest feedback. I have read an excellent short story of hers in the anthology, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories, edited by Jay Rubin and Murakami. Thus, even though I can claim that I am no stranger to the works of the writer, I was totally blown away by the stories in this collection.

Dragon Palace has eight stories that compete with each other in a contest of surrealism. All the stories have heavy doses of fantasy with elements of magical realism. I also found the stories to have an ambiguity and texture that is usually found in folktales—not the ironed-out versions that cater to the moralistic needs of modern sensibilities, but the real dark and brooding tales that old grandmothers used to tell during pitch-black nights decades ago.

Though the stories offer enough scope for the reader to interpret them as per their taste, perception, and understanding, I believe there are certain elements common to all or most of these stories that stand out. Every story in this book features transformation as an important motif. The change from one form to another is difficult and often resisted, and this resistance ends up being the backbone of most of them. From the wild to domesticated is the most recurring mode of transformation that I could identify. Men, women, children, and even different animals are tempted or sometimes forced to conform and become different from what they are. Sometimes people transform into different species or different sizes to accommodate the needs of a dominant figure.

In most of the stories, the characters are seemingly in a constant search for satisfaction—through sex, love, or possessions. On some occasions, they receive it, and sometimes they fail. But even after attaining their needs, satisfaction seems to elude them, making them want to explore more in a different place, at a different time, or with a different species. The stories seem to be in constant strife with modern ideas of individuality and free will and, at the same time, with traditional ones like domesticity and conformance.

These stories are magical and unreal in the sense that we interpret them in accordance with our normal existence. But Kawakami juxtaposes the dreariness and desolation of the customary life with her magical backgrounds, thereby creating a unique melancholic narrative that mirrors life and muddles the reflection simultaneously.

Humans are so filled with loathing, yet so lacking in ways to let it out.

Book Review: The Deceived Womb by Deepak Kaul

 Sometime back, I reviewed a short novel by Deepak Kaul that was based on the Mahabharata titled Fate Eclipsed, which was essentially a character study of Karna, the eldest Pandava, who was dumped by his mother and grew up alongside their enemies. When he wrote his next book, titled The Deceived Womb, which is based on the character Abhimanyu, Writer's Melon was gracious enough to provide me with an eBook for my feedback.

The Deceived Womb is also a novelette written in the same style as his previous book. It contains four chapters and tries to decipher the character of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and Subhadra, nephew of Krishna, husband of Uttara, and father of Parikshit. Compared to Karna, on whom the previous book was based, Abhimanyu is a minor, though immensely tragic, character in the Mahabharata. It works in favour of the writer, as there is enough space and potential to explore him.

The book has four chapters, and the first one begins with Abhimanyu inside the womb of his mother, overhearing his parents talking to each other. One of the legends is that he heard Arjuna describe how to break into the chakravyuha style of military formation to his mother, but as Arjuna didn't describe how to exit, he got stuck in the vyuha and was killed during the war. The writer, though, follows Valmiki's version of Mahabharat, where Arjuna teaches him the skill to break into the vyuha but refuses to instruct on the exit strategy due to his overconfidence. But the legend of the womb is also given a nod, as is evident from the title.

The title, The Deceived Womb, is very relevant to the plot of the novel as it starts with Abhimanyu inside the womb, hearing the martial exploits of his father, and believing that war is like an adventurous reality show to show off skills. When he plunges into the carnage of war, ultimately, he realises the deceit and is overwhelmed by the violence and disregard for every rule and fair play. The novel ends in a full circle when Abhimanyu deceives another soul inside the womb by breaking his promise of a triumphant return to his wife Uttara and his unborn child in her womb.

The writer chooses to use a simple language that can be appealing for the latest generation, who are interested in reading about the basics of Indian epics. His characters speak and think like the present crop of professionals and students. Compared to Fate Eclipsed, there is considerable improvement in plotting and narration. I hope that he comes up with a longer novel that is based on the epic.

Oppenheimer: A Triumph of Movie Making

 

कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः ।

ऋतेऽपि त्वा न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येऽवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः ॥
"I am Death in the form of Time, the destroyer of worlds; I have grown now. I am engaged in the dissolution of the worlds. Even without you, these people assembled on the battlefield would not continue to exist."

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is the movie that makes you feel what you see on screen, through visuals, sounds, acting, or even darkness. Visuals of vibrating atoms, a black hole, or the test explosion of the bomb are so majestic to watch on a big screen, creating intrigue, fascination, and panic, respectively. The movie turned out to be a symphony of countless elements blending into each other and producing an effect that is as close to a mystical experience as possible.

Nolan uses several techniques used in his previous movies, but in this one, none are used as gimmicks. It is not his desire to awe the viewer. He seems invested in making us relive the life of a man who did something grand, realised the consequences, and mentally prepared to grin and bear what came his way within three hours. It is not easy to tell a man's story in that little time, with all his rise and fall, his loves and hatreds, his virtues and evils, his bravery and fears, his friends and foes, his loyalties and betrayals, especially when that man is someone who achieved a lot and lost all of it in one lifetime.

So we see Nolan in a breakneck race against time, collecting and displaying every facets of his complex protagonist and then removing them as quickly as possible to show the next one to his viewer. Historical characters, each of whom deserving their own movie, flit in and out of the screen so fast that, if you blink once, you have a high chance of missing someone important. Some of them are just mentioned in passing, like John F. Kennedy. The characters of the movie are also in a race against time, like its director. First, they have to develop the bomb before the Nazis, and then they have to test it before a meeting between the Allied leaders. To add the 'Nolanic' element, we watch the whole story of the preparation of the Bomb in flashbacks recounted during two hearings, one told in colour, named fission, and the other in black and white, named fusion.

When the whole movie—both the maker and his plot—is busy competing against time, his protagonist alone stays unwavering and unhurried in the middle of it all, always giving the audience the right amount of joy, grief, anger, and frustration as is precisely required. It is a joy to watch Cillian Murphy enact, or, for lack of a better word, imbibe, Oppenheimer in all his complexity and brevity. In the role of a lifetime, he makes us feel like the pompous, arrogant scientist who acknowledges all the ways he has hurt the world and tries his best to stop any further damage.

Oppenheimer is an awe-inspiring cinematic experience that takes you deep inside the scientific and historic features of its plot and its protagonist. It is a triumph for Nolan as well as for the cinema.

 

Book Review: Promise by Christi Nogle

Promise is an upcoming collection of twenty-one stories written by Christi Nogle, a writer of science fiction, of which some are already published in periodicals and a few are originals. The publisher was gracious enough to provide me with an advance copy of the book through Netgalley for my honest feedback. I am not a sci-fi enthusiast, though occasionally I read a story or two, the last one being a collection of stories that plot the evolution of robots in fiction. While popular science books mark out the latest in science for me, science fiction helps me comprehend the extent of the impact of science in our personal lives and on human society as a whole. I approach science fiction with this perspective in mind, with the story and literature being an added bonus.

I took more time to read the two hundred pages of Promise than most of the books of the same length, and for the first time, I made notes while reading a book. There are two reasons for this, the first being the relevance of the stories of Christi Nogle to the era of rapidly advancing technological advances that we presently live in. The second reason is their complexity, though they appear deceptively simple when read for the first time. I had to re-read a few stories after reading the climax of them, and I had to revisit some of them again after reading another story to understand the features tying them together.

The stories of Promise don't possess the intricate world-building or earth-shattering stakes that we normally associate with typical science fiction. Most of the stories concern the private lives of common protagonists impacted by a new technology or gadget. To assess the large-scale repercussions for the world, the reader has to do an exercise in scaling them. This is one reason I call them deceptively simple. The stories also do a great job of tying up the psychology and pasts of their characters to the technology depicted in them, thereby making them more relatable and urgent to the reader.

The themes depicted in Promise are all over the place. Each story is unique if we consider the aspect that it chooses to highlight in terms of intention, theme, or plot structure. Reading them as a single collection bestows an experience that is highly taxing for imagination and intellect, while at the same time, the variety and anticipation of where the writer heads next make it difficult to put it down. So Promise was successful in putting the reader in me in a state of flux, deciding whether to put it down and visit it later or to forge ahead to explore the treasures lying ahead.

Most of the stories in the book are told in first-person narratives. Christi Nogle uses this very effectively by withholding vital information on the setting of the story and the nature of its characters until a later stage. Readers make mental pictures based on the ramblings of the narrator, and at a later stage, the writer pulls the rug out of their legs. It sometimes takes the entire story for the reader to fully comprehend the action, and sometimes even then doubts persist. It is difficult to appreciate Promise if the reader likes his plot points tied firmly by the end. Several stories end in an ambiguous manner, and the onus is on the reader to tie them up.

I would like to briefly summarise a few stories that I liked more than others. Cocooning, the opening story, is a body horror in which living beings get the power to share their personalities by imbibing each other. It gives interesting perspectives on individual identity in an advanced universe. The sharing of memories, dreams, minds, and bodies is often repeated in the stories in this collection. Most of the stories play with the concept of identity. Finishers is a story about a mother-son duo with a contract to do the finishing work on robots.

Flexible Off-Time is the story of a man who joins a retreat with subjective time to write a book on his father and gets trapped in it. An Account is an existential comedy about alternative timelines. Laffun Head is an interesting story about a communication device that connects with another world. Substance is a story that is truly epic and grand in its proportions, though it gets nasty at times. Viridian Quality and A Fully Chameleonic Foil are two short black comedies. Promise, the title story, closes the collection with an impressive plot that describes how even painstakingly created technology gets used to satisfy carnal desires.

Promise is an amazing collection of short stories that needs an adventurous reader to unlock its full potential. The stories, with their first-person narratives, ambiguous endings, and personal settings, may seem simple while reading, but a deeper look reveals several hidden layers.

Graphic Novels of Thomas Ott- Beauty and Elegance of Scratchboard

The chronological sequence in which I reached Thomas Ott is interesting. I never knew of his works before. It all started with the book Sherlock Holmes and the Legend of the Great Oak by Linda Stratman, a Holmes pastiche that is part of the series The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. For experiencing more such works, I selected the graphic novel A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman and Rafael Albuquerque, which was inspired by A Study in Scarlet. After that, I was interested in a story that featured Holmes and Dracula. I wasn't able to find one such book, though I stumbled on Breccia's take on Dracula, which was a textless graphic novel with only sketches. I was so impressed by that one that I decided to hunt for more graphic novels that are devoid of text. That search took me to Thomas Ott.

Now that the links to some earlier posts are very subtly inserted into the text to lure unsuspecting visitors, let us cut to the chase and talk about the books. Thomas Ott is a Swiss illustrator who uses a scratchboard sketching style for comic books. It is a very complex method and doesn't have any margin for error. I think the use of scratchboard gives Ott's works a haunting look. The black and white colours and intricate detailing are effective in conveying an element of mystery and intrigue. As there are no text boxes to describe the events or conversations, the expression of the characters and the ambience of the frames carry the weight.

I read four graphic novels by Thomas Ott. The first one is Cinema Panopticum, which contains five short stories that are interconnected. A fascinated little girl, with only five coins with her, visits a carnival. She finds an unmanned, empty booth named Cinema Panopticum, in which there are five screens that show small movies for one coin each. She starts playing each one of them using the coins she has with her. The stories are very atmospheric and haunting. Heavy, dark humour and macabre frames add to the brilliance. 

The second book is titled Dead End. There are two noir stories in this collection. In the first story, titles The Millionaires, a tense man falls into a cliff in a car accident and dies. His suitcase containing an insane amount of money changes many hands in a cycle of death that is pushed by greed and ends in a full circle. In the second story, a hitman follows a magician and finds himself in big trouble. Both stories take their characters to dead ends quite literally.

The third book is a very short one titled The Forest. It has only less than 30 pages of art work, but it is the best of all the books, artistically and thematically. It has a boy who sneaks out during his grandfather's funeral and heads into a forest that is filled with horrific images. The book has a very spiritual theme to it, and the artwork complements it with its hallucinating sketches.

The fourth one is called The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8. It shows a convict sentenced to death leaving a series of numbers on a small piece of paper while dying. A prison guard finds it and takes it home. His life changes after that when he encounters these sequences everywhere, and they lead him to his doom. This one also has a theme similar to Dead End because of its cyclic nature and inevitable doom.

All four graphic novels use a similar style of narration but differ in their themes. The Forest stands out for the deeply metaphysical quality that it depicts. Cinema Panopticum is a bokeh of stories that contains macabre humour and unexpected twists. Dead End has a heavy influence of noir, which makes us ready for any shift in narrative. The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 is more contemplative in its style and the most depressing of the four. Any of these books can be read in a matter of minutes. After all, there are no descriptions of conversations, and we feel eager to know what is ahead. But once completed, we cannot help but return once again to look at each sketch and appreciate the aesthetics and detailing.

Alberto Breccia's Dracula: More Art Book Than Graphic Novel

Alberto Breccia is a famous Argentinian comic book artist who has many classics to his credit, including a banned biography of Che Guevara. I came to know about him when I stumbled on a graphic novel of his titled Alberto Breccia's Dracula, published by Fantagraphics. I was trying to find a graphic novel that featured Dracula and Sherlock Holmes to follow up A Study in Emerald, which married Holmes to Lovecraft. I loved the cover and instantly knew that this was going to be awesome.

Alberto Breccia's Dracula is the English version of the originally titled 'Dracula, Dracul, Vlad? Bah..., which was published as a serial in the Spanish publication Comix Internacional in 1984. The book features a version of Dracula who is long past his prime and is living in the shadow of his ancient glory. The book is a compilation of five short stories with varying themes. It is a wordless graphic novel, and the only things English in it other than titles and credits are a biographical sketch of Breccia and a translated piece by Daniele Brolli, an Italian comic artist and publisher, which provides a great background of the work and turned out to be very helpful for appreciating it fully.

The five short stories that make up this book portray a satiric view of humanity in general. The art style is very colourful, crowded, and overpowering. Each frame needs to be gazed at for some time to grasp its full significance. Though the entire artwork is textless, except for translations of certain graffiti, it is not difficult to visually comprehend the narrative. Textless structure also allows a scope for self-interpretation, which helps the reader from a different place and time evaluate his social situations and compare them to those depicted in the book. 

It is ideal to understand the political background of Breccia's Dracula, even though the premise can be scaled and superimposed on the current political and social discourses effectively. It was drawn at a time of intense dictatorship in Argentina, with external support from the USA. Intellectuals of any capacity were thought to be dangerous and had prospects for starting a rebellion. Acute censorship was prevailing. The economic downturn and inflation added to the woes of the public. Anyone suspected of resistance was put down brutally.

For Breccia, in such an environment, comics were indeed a form of resistance. He mirrored the social situation through the eyes of a washed-up Dracula. There was a time when Dracula was synonymous with evil. But now that he sees the outside world, he realises that he has lost his status. Around him, he sees the real evil, and ultimately, he has no option but to take refuge inside a church. This situation happens in the darkest and defining story of the book titled I Was Legend. 

In the story The Last Night Of Carnival, it is a Superman-like superhero who thrashes Dracula for misbehaving but finally succumbs to the evil of the one he loves. By presenting Superman in the story, Breccia winks slyly at American interference in matters of other nations and how their own friends ultimately bite back. Still works like a breeze. In the story titled Latrans Canis Non Admordet, Dracula has a toothache and, after returning from a visit to the dentist, is delighted to find a guest in his castle. But then he finds that he has literally lost his bite and has bit off more than he could chew.

In the story A Tender and Broken Heart, we witness a romantic Dracula who is lovelorn. The panels of this story are the most beautiful of all. The final story is Poe? Yuck, in which Dracula drinks the blood of an inebriated Edgar Allen Poe and finds himself in trouble with the law. Alberto Breccia's Dracula is a unique graphic novel that is a biting satire and a work of great artistic merit. Instead of the cruel and remorseless Dracula that we usually find in the adaptations, here we find one who is exasperated by the infiltration of evil in the public sphere and doesn't even attempt to keep up with it.

Book Review: Coleman Hill by Kim Coleman Foote

 From the post-Civil War South, along with several others, two black women migrate North in order to escape severe poverty and racism. But they realise that the situation in New Jersey is also not that different from where they came from. They become friends and end up supporting each other, but one act by their kids makes them sworn enemies. This event turns out to be the defining moment for the preceding generations as a trajectory of self-destructive behaviours is perpetrated that changes the fates of both families forever.

Coleman Hill is an upcoming novel written by Kim Coleman Foote, an ebook copy of which Netgalley provided me in exchange for honest feedback. The book is a mixture of fact and fiction, in which the author tries to reconstruct the past history of her family through legends, history, and imagination. The plot concerns two families headed by two matriarchs, and we find ourselves on a journey through the preceding generations of their children.

Spanning a time period from 1916 to 1989, the story starts with the exodus towards the North and ends with the mythification of history. The flow of time adds and removes events from memory and also from recorded history. Different people remember the same events differently, and normally it is the survivors' version that prevails. Coleman Hill methodically records the fallen and the forgotten, because, as Jebbie finds out during his search for Uncle Jack, once a man crosses the barrier of remembrance, there are many truths that can never be retrieved.

The novel doesn't have a proper plot or a strong narrative structure. It works as a character study of extremely interesting people. Different chapters have different narrators, and as the narration style flits between first person, second person, and third person, we get to see varying perspectives and the differences they make to the plot. Thus, as the novel progresses, we see different events from different perspectives, and each time we find a newer appreciation of the events that totally changes our relationship with many characters.

The novel serves as a document on how the effects of miserable experiences like racism, extreme poverty, and societal apathy can be transferred through generations and severely impact the lives of people. We find several characters who fail to identify their self-worth and prove to be toxic for themselves and all their loved ones. Their actions are deplorable and outrageous. But we end up empathising with them because we identify the seed of their misconduct.

We feel sad to see the kind of examples that are passed on to their children, and we feel sorry when the children also behave similarly when their time comes. Then we see small bright spots of self-awareness and attempts at redemption. We cheer and get desperate when they fall back. The last two chapters shine brightly when a man decides against his good judgement to visit his long-lost Uncle in the South, the epicentre of their family history, and when an old woman opens her home to the latest generation of Coleman kids and passes on something wholesome to them for a change.

Coleman Hill is a heart-tugging story, part fact and part fiction, that describes the plight of two families, spanning three generations, and their internal struggles to sustain and redeem. It is also a strong testament to the healing power of time and one of the best books that I read this year. 

ഊരുകാവലും സംസ്കാരങ്ങളുടെ സംഘട്ടനവും

 രാമായണ മാസാരംഭത്തിൽ രാമകഥയുടെ ഒരു പാഠഭേദം വായിക്കാൻ എടുത്തത് തികച്ചും യാദൃശ്ചികമായിരുന്നു. ഊര് കാവൽ എന്ന സാറാ ജോസഫിന്റെ നോവലിന്റെ പ്രതിപാദ്യം എന്താണെന്ന് ഒരു രൂപവും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല. രാമായണത്തിലെ സീതാപഹരണം മുതൽ ശ്രീരാമന്റെ ലങ്കാവിജയം വരെയുള്ള ഭാഗം വാലീപുത്രനായ അംഗദന്റെ വീക്ഷണത്തിൽ നിന്ന് കാണിക്കാനുള്ള ശ്രമമാണ് ഊര് കാവൽ. 

കിഷ്കിന്ധയുടെ അധിപനായ വാനര രാജാവ് വാലിയുമായി രാജ്യത്ത് നിന്നും നിഷ്കാസിതനായ സുഗ്രീവൻ മല്ലയുദ്ധത്തിലേർപ്പെടുമ്പോൾ മറഞ്ഞുനിന്ന് രാമൻ വാലിയെ എയ്തുവീഴ്ത്തുന്നു. മരണാസന്നനായ വാലി, സുഗ്രീവനെ രാജ്യവും തന്റെ പുത്രന്റെയും ഭാര്യയുടെയും സംരക്ഷണവും ഏൽപ്പിക്കുന്നു. അച്ഛന്റെ മരണശേഷം അംഗദൻ നേരിടുന്ന ആത്മ സംഘർഷമാണ് നോവലിന്റെ പ്രധാന ഇതിവൃത്തം. 

ഇതിഹാസങ്ങളുടെ പ്രത്യേകത, അവയുടെ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളുടെ പൂർണ്ണതയാണ്. ധർമ്മാധർമ്മങ്ങൾ കൃത്യമായി വ്യവച്ഛേദിച്ച് ധർമ്മ പക്ഷം മുറുക്കെ പിടിക്കുമ്പോഴും വാത്മീകിയോ വ്യാസനോ അവരുടെ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങൾക്ക് ഏകമാനസ്വഭാവം കൊടുക്കുന്നില്ല. അവരുടെ വ്യവഹാരങ്ങളെ ഒരൊറ്റ പക്ഷത്തിൽ ഒതുക്കി നിർത്തുന്നുമില്ല. അധർമ്മിയായ രാവണന്റെ പാണ്ഡിത്യത്തെയും പരാക്രമത്തേയും വാനോളം പുകഴ്ത്തുന്ന ആദികവി, ധർമ്മ പക്ഷത്തു നിൽക്കുന്ന സുഗ്രീവന്റെ വിഷയാസക്തിയേയും ലക്ഷ്മണന്റെ മുൻകോപത്തെയും പരിഹസിക്കുന്നുമുണ്ട്.

 പുരുഷന്മാരിൽ ഉത്തമനാര് എന്ന പാർവതിയുടെ സംശയത്തിന് ഉത്തരമായി പരമേശ്വരൻ ചൊല്ലുന്ന രാമായണം അവസാനിക്കുന്നത്, രാജധർമ്മത്തിനായി പത്നിയെ ത്യജിച്ചെങ്കിലും, സീതാവിയോഗത്തിന്റെ ആഘാതം താങ്ങാനാവാതെ സരയൂനദിയിൽ അലിഞ്ഞു ചേരുന്ന വ്യസനാക്രാന്തനായ രാമനിലാണ്. ഈ കഥാപാത്രപൂർണ്ണതയാണ് രാമായണമോ മഹാഭാരതമോ അധികരിച്ച് വ്യത്യസ്തമായ പരിപ്രേക്ഷ്യം സൃഷ്ടിക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്ന ഒരു കഥാകാരനും പുനഃസൃഷ്ടിക്കാൻ സാധിക്കാത്തതും.

 രാമചരിതമാനസമായാലും രണ്ടാമൂഴമായാലും ഊര് കാവലായാലും വായനാ സുഖവും മറ്റൊരു തലത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള കാഴ്ചയും തരുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും, ഇതിഹാസങ്ങളുടെ വിഹഗവീക്ഷണം ഒരു മണ്ഡൂകവീക്ഷണത്തിലേക്ക് പരിമിതപ്പെടുന്നത് കാണാതിരിക്കരുത്. റോയിട്ടറിൽ നിന്നു കിട്ടുന്ന വാർത്താശകലം ലോക്കൽ പ്രസ്സുകൾ അവരവരുടെ ആശയത്തിനും രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തിനും അനുസൃതമായി സെൻസേഷനലൈസ് ചെയ്തു പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നത് പോലെ. 

ഊര് കാവലിലെ അംഗദൻ തന്റെ അച്ഛന്റെ ഖാതകരോട് പൊറുക്കാനാകാതെ  തപിച്ച് നടക്കുന്ന, രാമരാവണയുദ്ധത്തിൽ പങ്കു ചേരാനാഗ്രഹിക്കാത്ത, രാമനെ സംശയത്തോടെ മാത്രം കാണുന്ന കഥാപാത്രമാണ്.  യുദ്ധം ആഗ്രഹിക്കാത്ത, ഹിംസ ഇഷ്ടമല്ലാത്ത, തനിക്ക് ലഭിക്കുന്ന ചുമതലകൾ പാതി മനസ്സോടെ നിറവേറ്റുന്ന യുവാവ് ഒടുക്കം രാമന്റെ വധത്തിനായി വാളെടുത്തിറങ്ങുന്നു. മനുഷ്യന്റെ ആദിമചോദനയാണ് സാറാ ജോസഫിന്റെ അംഗദൻ. തന്നേ കൂട്ടാതെ, തന്റെ ഇംഗിതത്തിന് വഴങ്ങാതെ, കുതിച്ച് മുന്നേറുന്ന കാലപുരോഗതിയോട് എതിർത്ത്, കലാപം നടത്തുന്ന യുവതയുടെ പ്രതിരൂപമാണയാൾ. 

വാല്മീകിയുടെ അംഗദൻ, രാമോപദേശം കേട്ട് എല്ലാ പാപങ്ങൾക്കും പ്രായശ്ചിത്തമായി സുഗ്രീവനെ രാജാവാക്കിയ വാലിയുടെ അവസാന വാക്കുകളെ ആപ്തവാക്യമാക്കി സീതാന്വേഷണത്തിൽ മുന്നിട്ടു നിന്ന വീരൻ. രാവണനോട് ദൂതിന് പോയപ്പോൾ സഭയിൽ വെച്ച് അയാളെ അപഹസിച്ച് തിരിച്ച് വന്നവൻ. രാമലക്ഷ്മണർക്കോ സാക്ഷാൽ മാരുതിയ്ക്ക് പോലുമോ വെല്ലാനാകാത്ത മേഘനാദൻ എന്ന ഇന്ദ്രജിതനെ തടുത്തു നിർത്തിയവൻ. സാഹിത്യത്തിന്റെ ഉദ്ദേശ്യം മൃഗചോദനയിൽ നിന്ന് മനുഷ്യനെ ഉയർന്ന ഒരു തലത്തിലേക്ക് എത്തിക്കുകയാണ് എന്ന ആശയത്തിൽ നിന്ന്, സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ അരക്ഷിതത്വത്തെ പ്രതിഫലിപ്പിക്കുകയാണ് എന്ന പ്രായോഗിക മാർഗത്തിലേക്കുള്ള ദൂരമാണോ ഈ വ്യത്യാസം കാട്ടുന്നത്? 

അങ്ങനെ നോക്കുമ്പോൾ ഊര് കാവൽ എന്ന നോവൽ മിത്തോളജിയുടെ തലത്തിൽ നിന്നും അല്ലാതെയുള്ള ഒരു വായന ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ടാവാം. അയോദ്ധ്യയിൽ നിന്നുള്ള യോദ്ധാക്കളുടെ കൈയിലുള്ള ഇരുമ്പായുധങ്ങൾ, കല്ലുകൾ കൊണ്ടും മുഷ്ടി കൊണ്ടും പൊരുതുന്ന കിഷ്കിന്ധാ വാസികളെ ഭയപീഢിതരാക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. ശിലായുഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ലോഹയുഗത്തിലേക്ക് പരിണമിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യനെ നമുക്ക്  ഇവിടെ കാണാം. 

 വാനരവംശികൾ നാഗരികരോട് സമവായത്തിലെത്തുന്നതും, അവരുടെ യുദ്ധങ്ങൾ പൊരുതാൻ കൂട്ടു നിൽക്കുന്നതും, അവരോടൊപ്പം എത്താൻ മോഹിക്കുന്നതും, തങ്ങൾ കാലങ്ങളായി പാലിച്ച് വന്ന നിയമങ്ങളും രീതികളും മാറ്റിമറിച്ചു നവാഗതരോട് സമരസപ്പെടുന്നതും ഒരു സംസ്കാരം മറ്റൊന്നിനെ ആഗിരണം ചെയ്യുന്നതിന്റെ കാഴ്ച തന്നെ. മാറുന്ന ചുറ്റുപാടുകളോടും, സംസ്കാരഭഞ്ജനത്തോടും മാനസികമായി ഒത്തു പോകാൻ പറ്റാതെ, എന്നാൽ സാഹചര്യങ്ങൾ നിർബന്ധം പിടിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഒഴിഞ്ഞു മാറാൻ സാധിക്കാതെ, മോഹഭംഗത്തിനടിമയായി, തന്റേതല്ലാത്തതിനെ ശത്രുവാക്കി, ഒടുവിൽ ശത്രുവിന്റെ തന്നെ ആയുധം ഉപയോഗിച്ച് അവനെ വധിക്കാൻ ഇറങ്ങുന്ന യുവത്വം ഇന്നിന്റെ കഥ തന്നെ. 

മനുഷ്യ പുരോഗതിയെ മുന്നോട്ടു നയിക്കുന്ന സാങ്കേതിക നേട്ടങ്ങൾ പലതും യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ സംഭാവനകളാണെന്നും, യുദ്ധത്തിന് മുന്നിട്ടിറങ്ങുന്ന യുവാക്കളെ സ്വാധീനിക്കാനായുള്ള സൈദ്ധാന്തിക ആശയങ്ങളുടെ പൊള്ളത്തരവും, നോവലിൽ പരാമർശിക്കപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ട്. 

പലരും ഊര് കാവലിൽ ഒരു ഫെമിനിസ്റ്റ് പാഠം കൂടി വായിക്കുന്നത് കണ്ടു. താരയും രുമയും മികച്ച വ്യക്തിത്വം പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുന്ന സ്ത്രീ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളാണ്. എന്നാൽ ഇവരാരും പാരമ്പര്യം തങ്ങൾക്കൊരുക്കി വെച്ച കളത്തിനപ്പുറം ചാടാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്നത് കണ്ടില്ല, അന്തപ്പുരത്തിനുള്ളിൽ തങ്ങളുടെ കലാപം നടത്തുന്നെങ്കിലും, സാമൂഹിക അധികാര മണ്ഡലത്തിൽ ഫലപ്രദമായി ഇടപെടുന്നില്ല. പുത്രദുഃഖത്താൽ തപ്തയായ താരയാകട്ടെ, അംഗദനെ അടക്കി നിർത്താൻ സ്ത്രീകളെ സമ്മാനിക്കാനാണ് ശ്രമിക്കുന്നത്. പുരുഷാധിപത്യം കൈയടക്കിവെച്ച അധികാരത്തെ തന്നെ ജീവിക്കാനായി ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നവർ. 

സീത വാത്മീകി രാമായണത്തിലെ അത്യുജ്ജ്വല കഥാപാത്രമാണ്. രാവണനോടുള്ള നിസ്സഹകരണ സമരവും, അഗ്നിപരീക്ഷ ചെയ്യേണ്ടി വരുമ്പോൾ രാമനോട് ചോദിക്കുന്ന ചോദ്യശരങ്ങളും ഉദാഹരണങ്ങൾ മാത്രം. എന്നാൽ ഊര് കാവലിലെ സീത ദുർബലയായ, ഭർത്താവിനെ മാത്രം ആശ്രയിക്കുന്ന ഒരു പാവം പെൺകുട്ടി മാത്രം. 

മിത്തോളജിയുടെയും രാമായണത്തിന്റെയും കെട്ടുപാടുകളിൽ നിന്നും മാറി, സംസ്കാര സംഘട്ടനം (clash of civilisations) എന്ന ആശയം മനസ്സിൽ വെച്ചു വായിക്കേണ്ട ഒരു കൃതിയായിട്ടാണ് സാറാ ജോസഫിന്റെ ഊര് കാവലിനെ ഞാൻ വായിച്ചെടുക്കുന്നത്. 

The Big Reversal Theory of Eating Joints

 We had our lunch at a vegetarian restaurant today. Probably opened new. Because it is still unmapped. I didn't find it on Google Maps. We passed it in the morning and noted its deep yellow paint. So while returning, we decided to try it out.

It was uncrowded when we entered the dining hall. The wait became a bit long after we ordered South Indian meals for all. We were hungry, impatient, and slightly demanding. Feeling our displeasure, the waiter, obviously a newbie, didn't want us to feel bad and hovered near our table, assuring us that the meal was being set and would arrive soon.

After a long wait, one by one, plates started arriving. The first plate came with rice, pappadam, and eight additional side dishes. When the second plate came, it was found that Kesari Sweet was not present among the side dishes. We escalated to the waiter, and he came running and started counting side dishes. There were eight. He found out there were two dishes of rasam served.

Then the rest of the plates arrived. On the fourth plate, pickles were missing. Instead, there were two dishes of thoran. It was like the roof fell on the head of the waiter. Much chaos ensued. The waiter was simultaneously reassuring us of making amends and threatening the new boys (definitely immigrant workers, as the poor guy was shouting in broken Hindi in a hilarious Tamil accent) who set the plates for the mix-up. They came running and started talking with the waiter in broken Tamil. We were so confused that when I asked for a spoon, I asked it in broken Kannada, which, by some miracle, they understood, and I was happy to do my part for the national integration.

By the time we started wolfing down, everyone from the establishment was at our table, including the immigrants who set the plate and the cashier asking if we found anything else missing. Overall, the confusion was amusing and hilarious. We have never had an experience like this with South Indian meals in our lives. To be frank, the food was excellent. We had second helpings of most of the dishes.

While returning, someone opined that the food was amazing even though the service was catastrophic. My friend remarked that, as it usually happens with new eating joints, the boys will improve their service through experience within a month, and by then the food will turn catastrophic.

A Study in Emerald: The Perfect Blend of Doyle and Lovecraft

 Last month I read a Sherlock Holmes pastiche written by Linda Stratmann, and a discussion with my friends led me on a search for Holmes books with supernatural themes. That led to the graphic novel A Study in Emerald, written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque, and published by Dark Horse. The book is based on a short story by Neil Gaiman with the same title. The novel is an exploration of Holmsian themes in a Lovecraftian world. 

The title A Study in Emerald is a variation of the title of the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet. The beginning of the graphic novel is also very similar to the novel. A wounded Afghan veteran reaches Baker Street in search of a roommate to share the accommodation cost. He teams up with a private detective who displays amazing deductive skills and subsequently gets invited to accompany him to a crime scene. A visiting royal member with numerous limbs is brutally carved up in his room with his emerald blood splashed all over. The detective and the veteran start their hunt for the killer in an alternative world where the rulers are Lovecraftian monsters from other worlds who have conquered humanity centuries before.

I loved the artwork, which highlights the Victorian atmosphere and subtly inserts the horror elements into it. It is more effective because the reader gets immersed in the story and fails to register the clever deception worked on them by the writer. The revelation in the end becomes all the more frustrating because the clues are embedded throughout the book, starting right from the first frame.

In the beginning of every chapter, a clever vintage advertisement is inserted that refers to literary characters like Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. It enhances the perception of the Victorian era as well as acts as a light subversive tactic for the reader. Also great to see was the artist's sketchbook at the end of the book, with his working notes, which gives an idea of the evolution of characters in his mind.

A Study in Emerald is an interesting graphic novel that convincingly blends two universes that define the characteristics of their respective genres after more than one century of their inception. It satisfies fans of both genres and can build a perspective for the neutral reader.

Accomplished Or Not-Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1

 I watched the seventh installment of the Mission Impossible movie series, which has the title Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, as overlong as its runtime. I liked the movie for many reasons, the first and foremost being Cruise, but there were a few dampeners along the way. I would try to list out the elements of the movie that I loved and disliked in that order.

Mission Accomplished

1. Tom Cruise: The man never loses his charm and charisma. He is as good as ever, whether in action scenes, daredevil stunts, or emotional sequences. His age is showing in this one, but like seasoned wine.

2. All the other actors: The movie probably has more characters than there are unwanted Hollywood sequels. (Looking at you, the latest Indiana Jones and Whatever You Are Called.) Instead of making a long list by mentioning each, it would be better to post a single entry for all. Recurring actors were great as usual, but the new additions shined equally or more sometimes.

3. Stunts: Stunts are integral to the MI series. Beginning with the infiltration scene in the first part, where Cruise heroically prevents his sweat drop from ruining his plans to climb the Burj Khalifa the wrong way, or the thrilling Halo jump in Fallout, this movie continues the tradition.

4. Complex plot: The best thing about the MI franchise is its non-aversion to complex plots and themes. (Looking at you, FaFa.) [Not the Malayalam star Fahad Fasil; I meant Vasudaiva Kudumbakam, {all are family} franchise of Hollywood, Fast and Furious]

5. Globe trotting: As is tradition, this movie also covers most of the chartered part of the globe, excluding the African continent. (So much for talks on inclusion.)

6. Relevant antagonist: The movie chooses its antagonist, a faceless, nameless entity named Entity. (Drumbeats!) It poses a unique challenge for Ethan and his team. He has to fight an enemy that is intangible, has access to every digital system, and is able to calculate every possibility of a situation (a la Dr. Strange) and manipulate it to attain the most suitable one. The movie explores the dangers of an AI system gaining sentience.

7. IMF acronym quip: The franchise has been running for two and a half decades, and still no one has figured out the similarity! My arduous wait was finally over when a high-ranking official asked if IMF stood for International Monetary Fund. 

Mission Impossible

1. Thrills: I agree that the movie delivers thrills. There is suspense, great action setpieces, and sufficient intrigue in the plot. But considering the previous sequels, the breakneck, relentless, madcap quality of thrills is missing. The makers also tried to mix in some MCU-style comedy to action scenes that draw the action needlessly.

2. Expositions: When Ethan is not busy riding bikes off clips or running on the top of a train, he either listens to people explain the Entity or explains it to others. All other major characters likewise exchange information whenever they get a chance to open their mouths.

3. Climax: Watch the climax of the Tamil movie Michael Madan Kama Rajan.

4. Plot Structure: We get access to a vital piece of information at the start of the movie. All the other main characters are denied this until the climax. It stinks when the protagonist and antagonist are fighting over finding something that viewers are aware of from the start. If this was kept hidden and we were to know only when the antagonist or protagonist found it out, the plot would have been more enjoyable.

I believe the movie deserves a watch in theatres. Considering the deteriorating quality of tentpole moviemaking across Hollywood, this is possibly the best deal that we can get.

Eating His Money: Antics Of A Metaphysical Clown by Narendra Murthy

The best way to ruin a joke is to explain it. When I picked up the book Eating His Money, by Narendra Murthy, to be sincere, I was apprehensive about it because it sets out to explain jokes and that too the stories of the most famous and influential clown ever to walk on planet earth, Mulla Nasruddin. But then I started reading it, and I realised that while jokes fall to pieces when analysed, they also serve the function of elucidating matters of a deeply complex nature in a very lucid and economic scheme. This understanding helped me to immerse myself deeply in the book thereafter.

Eating His Money is a compilation of the jokes of Mulla Nasruddin, or Hodja, as some call him, and an attempt by the author to 'decipher the enigma'. This book tries to uncover the layers of wisdom embedded in the seemingly absurd situations that Mulla thrusts us into. In my childhood, I read many Mulla jokes in popular children's publications. Like Mulla Nasruddin, there are many characters, historic and otherwise, who don the clown's attire in every civilization. In India, we find stories of Tenali Raman and Birbal, who use their wisdom to impart philosophical wisdom to the king they serve, all the while helping them out of seemingly complex situations. In Kerala, we have Tholan and Muttassu Namboori, who wisecrack their way out of life, though most of their jokes and short poems are borderline vulgar. Avanti is the Chinese equivalent of Mulla. But the popularity that Mulla Nasruddin enjoys in all corners of the world ascertains the imparted wisdom and timelessness of his stories.

The origin of Mulla is widely debated, with different ethnic groups trying to hijack him. But it is doubtless that he is a Sufi invention and was used by saints with the intention of spreading wisdom among the common folks of the time. According to Murthy, Mulla stories have the capacity to produce a state of mind that is receptive to spiritual wisdom. It changes our thought process and makes us aware of a transcendental realm. Though the Mulla of folklore wears several hats, Murthy concentrates on three of his personas: the philosopher, the spiritual master, and the psychotherapist.

The author retells one story in a page or two and then proceeds to interpret it layer by layer, explaining its philosophical and metaphysical implications and what lessons the reader can imbibe into their daily lives and enrich themselves in the process. The lucidity of these explanations is amazing, and equally commendable is the effort the author takes to use commentaries from varied sources to corroborate his explanation. He quotes from the Vedas, Buddhist texts, the Bible, the Quran, Sufi saints, epics, Gitanjali, writers like Tolstoy, and philosophers like Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and many more. It gives the feeling that the bare essence of wisdom all over humanity is basically the same, though different systems of thought use different lexicons and processes to disseminate it to their followers.

I believe that the deceptively simple stories featuring Mulla Nasruddin appear to be painted with broad strokes, but a close inspection reveals the finer details. The closer we look into them, the more meaning we find. After reading a few chapters of the book, I started an interesting game. After reading a Nasruddin joke, I tried to identify the finer, unrevealed thoughts that are buried inside it. Then I went on to read the author's interpretation of the story and compare notes. It turned out to be a very intellectually stimulating exercise.

There were several instances where I matched his observations, but many times there were deviations too. This is probably due to the different spiritual levels that the thought processes of different people inhabit. For example, the takeaway for a five-year-old kid from the famous story of Nasruddin searching for a key under a street lamp would be that one should always search for a thing where he missed it. But the kid will surely enjoy the absurdity of Nasruddin's action and laugh at it. It will surely motivate him to hear more of these jokes and climb the spiritual ladder eventually.

The book attains more value thanks to the mindful illustrations of Nandini Mukherjee. The simplicity of the drawings accentuates the pleasant humour of the book and simultaneously mirrors the social, historical, and geographic setting of the stories, thereby imparting an individuality to them.

For my readers, I would describe a Mulla story that isn't recounted in this book. You are free to interpret it and post a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Mulla Nasruddin bought a fine donkey. A very healthy and active one. The seller advised feeding it 10 kilogrammes of food—vegetables, leaves, and boiled grains—every day. Mulla fed it 10 kilos for a week and then reduced it to 9 kilos. He fed only 9 kilos for another week and then reduced it again to 8 kilos. Progressively, he reduced the daily food quota of the donkey, and by the time it was fed only 2 kilos, the donkey had become very weak. It totally stopped running around like before and just lied down in the stable. Bones jutted out of its frail body, and its face showed clear signs of despair. Then it died. Neighbours gathered after hearing Mulla screaming with sorrow. They tried to console him and offered him help to buy a new donkey. He replied, "You can't fathom my disappointment, my friends. If I had two more weeks, I would have made it the first donkey in all of Turkey to survive fully on air."

കാലത്തിനൊത്ത് നടക്കുന്ന 'കാലം'

 ജ്ഞാനപീഠ പുരസ്കാരം ലഭിച്ച സമയത്ത് എം ടി വാസുദേവൻ നായർ ഞങ്ങളുടെ എല്ലാം ഹീറോ ആയിരുന്നു. അദ്ദേഹത്തിൻറെ ചില പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ, നാലുകെട്ട് തുടങ്ങിയവ, മുന്നേ വായിച്ച ആൾ എന്ന നിലയിൽ സ്കൂളിലും ഞാൻ കുറെ ഷൈൻ ചെയ്തിരുന്നു. ഇന്ന് ഒരു രണ്ടാം വായനക്ക് എടുക്കുമ്പോൾ എനിക്ക് തോന്നുന്നത് അദ്ദേഹത്തിൻറെ ചെറുകഥകൾ നോവലിനെ വലിയ രീതിയിൽ കടത്തിവെട്ടും എന്നാണ്. ഒരു പ്രത്യേക കാലഘട്ടത്തെ കൃത്യമായും ശുദ്ധമായും ആവിഷ്കരിക്കാൻ ഉള്ള അദ്ദേഹത്തിൻറെ കഴിവ് അസാമാന്യമാണ്. 

ആദ്യകാലങ്ങളിൽ വായിക്കാൻ കഴിയാതിരുന്ന ചില നോവലുകൾ കൂടി വായിച്ചു നോക്കണം എന്ന് ആഗ്രഹത്തോടെയാണ് കാലം എടുത്തത്. വളരെയധികം പ്രകീർത്തിക്കപ്പെട്ട ഒരു കൃതിയാണ് കാലം. വായിച്ചു കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ മൂന്നു തരത്തിൽ അതിനെ സമീപിക്കാം എന്നാണ് എനിക്ക് തോന്നുന്നത്. ഒന്ന് സേതു എന്ന കേന്ദ്ര കഥാപാത്രത്തിന്റെ സൈക്കോളജി, രണ്ട് മരുമക്കത്തായത്തിന്റെ ജീർണ്ണതയും മക്കത്തായത്തിലേക്ക് മാറുമ്പോൾ ഉള്ള സോഷ്യോളജി, മൂന്ന് കാലത്തിനോട് കലാപം നടത്താനുള്ള മനുഷ്യൻറെ ഇച്ഛയെ കാലം തന്നെ തകർത്തു, തന്റെ വരുതിക്ക് വരുത്തുന്ന ഫിലോസഫി. 

ഈ മൂന്ന് സമീപനങ്ങൾക്കും തുടക്കം ഇടേണ്ടത് സുമിത്ര എന്ന കഥാപാത്രം സേതുവിനോട് കഥാന്ത്യം പറയുന്ന ഒരു വാചകത്തിലൂടെയാണ്. സേതുവിന് എന്നും ഒരാളോടേ ഇഷ്ടം ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നുള്ളൂ, സേതുവിനോട് മാത്രം. ഇതു പറയുന്നത് ദേഷ്യമോ കാലുഷ്യമോ മനസ്സിൽ വെച്ചിട്ടല്ല, ഒരു യോഗിനിയുടെ നിർവികാരതയോടെയാണ്. സേതുവും സുമിത്രയും ഇവിടെ രണ്ട് ദ്വന്ദ്വങ്ങൾ ആവുകയാണ്. ഒരാൾ ജീവിതത്തെ ജയിച്ചു എന്ന അഹങ്കാരത്തിൽ തോറ്റു പോയ ആളെ സ്വന്തമാക്കാൻ എത്തുന്നു. എന്നാൽ തോറ്റയാൾക്കറിയാം കാലം ഇരുവരെയും തോൽപ്പിച്ചു കഴിഞ്ഞു എന്ന്. 

കാലം പ്രഥമമായും സേതുവിൻറെ കഥയാണ്. ദാരിദ്ര്യത്തിന്റെ നടുവിൽ ജനിച്ചുവളർന്ന, സ്വന്തം സുഹൃത്തുക്കളെ തൻറെ വീട് കാണിക്കാൻ പോലും മടിക്കുന്ന, കടുത്ത ഇൻഫീരിയോറിറ്റി കോംപ്ലക്സിന്റെ ഉടമ. തന്നോട് ആർക്കും ഇഷ്ടമില്ല എന്ന ധാരണയ്ക്ക് മുകളിലാണ് അയാൾ തന്റെ ജീവിതം പടുത്തുയർത്തുന്നത്. താൻ അടുത്തു പെരുമാറുന്നവരുടെ ഹൃദയരാഹിത്യം, തന്നോട് അടുപ്പമുള്ള ചുരുക്കം പേരോട് അതേ രീതിയിൽ പെരുമാറാനുള്ള ശിക്ഷണമാണ് അയാൾക്ക് കൊടുക്കുന്നത്. അവരുടെ ജീവിതം പിച്ചിച്ചീന്തി എറിയുന്ന സമയത്തും അയാൾ തിരുത്തുന്നില്ല, ഒരുകാലത്തു താൻ വെറുത്തിരുന്നതിനെ എല്ലാം ആവേശത്തോടെ ആശ്ലേഷിക്കുമ്പോഴും. എന്നാൽ കാലം സേതുവിനെ പുറത്തു കടക്കാനാകാതെ വരിഞ്ഞു മുറുക്കുന്നു. അവസാന ആശ്രയമായി സുമിത്രയെ സമീപിക്കുന്ന സേതു താൻ എന്താണ് എന്ന് അവളുടെ വാക്കുകളിൽ മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നു. 

എം ടി യുടെ ഇഷ്ടവിഷയമായ തകരുന്ന നാലുകെട്ടുകളുടെ ആവിഷ്കാരം കാലത്തിൽ കൂടുതൽ ആസുരമാണ്. ഭൂപരിഷ്കരണവും കാർഷിക സംസ്കൃതിയുടെ തകർച്ചയും ജന്മികളുടെയും കാര്യസ്ഥന്മാരുടെയും വയറ്റത്തടിച്ചു. മരുമക്കത്തായം തകർന്നപ്പോൾ അച്ഛനും അമ്മാവനുമിടയിൽ പെട്ടുപോയ ജന്മങ്ങൾ. പട്ടിണിയുടെ തീച്ചൂളയിൽ നിന്നും എങ്ങനെ എങ്കിലും രക്ഷപ്പെട്ട് അവൻ എത്തുന്നത് ന്യൂക്ലിയർ കുടുംബത്തിന്റെ കെട്ടുപാടിൽ. സാധാരണ തലമുറകൾ എടുത്ത് മാറി മറയുന്ന സാമൂഹ്യ സ്ഥിതി ചുരുക്കം വർഷങ്ങളിൽ അനുഭവിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഉണ്ടാകുന്ന മാനസിക അന്യതാബോധം. സാമ്പത്തിക സ്ഥിരതയ്ക്കു വേണ്ടിയുള്ള ഒത്തുതീർപ്പുകൾ. തന്നെ മാത്രം തനിക്ക് മാത്രം എന്നത് സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ ആപ്തവാക്യമാകുമ്പോൾ ഒഴിയാനാകാത്തത് കാലത്തിന്റെ മറ്റൊരു പ്രതിപാദ്യം. 

കാലപ്രവാഹം, ഒന്നിനേയും കാത്തുനില്ക്കാത്ത കുത്തിയൊലിപ്പ്. ഇതിനോട് ചേർന്ന് നീന്താം, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ എതിർത്തു നിൽക്കാം. എതിർക്കുന്നവന് സ്വന്തവും ബന്ധവും അന്യമാകുന്നു. ഒറ്റയാനായി നിവർന്നു നിൽക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുമ്പോൾ കൂടെ നിൽക്കുന്നവരുടെ മുതുകിൽ കയറണം, ചവിട്ടി താഴ്ത്തണം. ഇല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഒഴുക്കിൽ മുങ്ങിത്താഴും. എന്നാൽ എത്ര ശ്രമിച്ചാലും അവസാനം എത്തുന്നതോ? തുടങ്ങിയേടത്തു തന്നേ. എന്നാൽ അതും അന്യമായിരിക്കുന്നു. സുമിത്ര പറയുമ്പോൾ ആണ് താൻ കാലത്തിനോട് പൊരുതി തോറ്റു എന്ന് സേതു അംഗീകരിക്കുന്നത്. 

വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷം കാലം എന്ന നോവൽ ഇന്നും പ്രസക്തമാണ്. എല്ലാ മൂല്യങ്ങളും മൂലയ്ക്ക് വച്ച് കാലപ്രവാഹത്തിൽ, നിലനിൽപ്പിനായുള്ള നെട്ടോട്ടം മലയാളി ഉപേക്ഷിക്കാത്തിടത്തോളം, കാലം ഇവിടെ നിലനിൽക്കും. 

Impact of AI Creativity in the Perceived Value of Music

An excess of supply and easy access to it reduce the value of an object. What is the exact value of an object? It is essentially a judgement in terms of utility, importance, aesthetics, luxury, or the feeling of importance that its procurement gives to the user. Value is basically a perception of an individual and a subjective quality. Someone may value a signed first edition of a rare book, while for someone else, a plate of well cooked biriyani may be of more value. When many individuals collectively attribute a high value to an object, it attains a brand value. 

Value creation can be done through utility. Mobile phones became more useful by acquiring the functions of watches, cameras, land phones, phone booths, televisions, audio and video players, and many other devices. It has the utility of all this equipment combined in a hand held device. Now, a person who is not particularly interested in photography, and wants a camera just to click some pictures of himself and his loved ones, may think twice before planning to purchase an exclusive camera, because he already has a functional camera in his phone. This mobile phone has ingratiated itself into our lives by becoming more useful. 

Value creation can also be done through exclusivity. Why does a painting done by a talented artist cost you more than the price of his labour, brushes, canvas, and paint? While you buy the painting, you exclude all other human beings on the planet and become the only owner of that artwork. Isn't it a distinction that makes it unique and more valuable? Thousands of prints of the same painting that look visually the same can be made in a moment's time. But it can never possess the value of the original hand drawn one.

When I was a kid, cassatte players were the rage. In India, the best players available were the smuggled ones from the Middle East. Before that, there were record players and gramophones. Music CDs and MP3 discs came later. Now, all music has gone digital and is available via streaming. Accessibility has increased, and it has become easier to produce music.

Imagine a time before all these when the only way to hear music was a live concert, which may happen once a month or so. Artists were exclusive and had more value. When their voice could be reproduced by recording them, music became more accessible, and initially the value of a talented singer rose due to the sudden fame, but gradually reduced. Each innovation made the entry of lesser talented individuals into the scene possible, and real talent was relegated to the corners. The advent of autotune is the prime example. 

The cost of music has also suffered. A single song that used to cost a concert ticket to the consumer in the past, costs only the value of 10 MB of data these days. How does this downfall in margin affect the quality of music? How are the musicians able to compensate for this? All these thoughts ran through my mind after seeing the below headline.

A music platform has created 100 million AI generated music tracks. To give some perspective, it is equal to the entire Spotify collection. This is an interesting development that should make us think about its qualitative and quantitative effects on music the world over. What would be the general perception of the value of music among the public? From an orchestra performing live renditions to a construct producing synthetic music artificially, is this evolution benefiting humanity in any way? I believe it needs to be seriously thought about. 

An Ode to the Happy Medium: The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith

... doesn’t it seem odd that Gowing’s always coming and Cummings’ always going?

Mr. Pooter started recording his daily life in a diary and wants to publish it, because why not? He has seen enough memoirs of people he has never heard of. Society may consider him a nobody, a suburban, non-aspirational, middle-aged clerk commanding no great societal respect. In the words of Mr. Huttle, he is 'the happy medium' and 'nothing more or less than a vulgar half measure'. But Mr. Pooter enjoys his life with all its ups and downs. He has intimate friends like Cummings and Gowing who call upon him every other day, and even if they don't, he and his wife Carrie can manage to pass their evenings without company.

The diary of A Nobody is a comic novel by brothers George and Weedon Grossmith that appeared as a serial in Punch magazine and was published as a book in 1892. A beloved novel of many and generally considered on par with Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, the book is written as a daily diary of Mr. Pooter, an ordinary person living an ordinary life. While George Grossmith is responsible for the text, Weedon has drawn some great illustrations that capture the essence of the story.

I was hooked on the first page when I read the names of the intimate friends of Mr. Pooter: Mr. Cummings and Mr. Gowing. That set the overall tone of the book for me. Written in the typical matter-of-fact style of diary records, it doesn't have a solid structure or an engrossing narrative. But the book is all charm and hilarity. His interactions with his nasty friends and rude vendors, his bumbling into social events, his tumultuous relationship with his son, and his love for his wife—there is not a single paragraph in this book that doesn't make you root for Mr. Pooter.

Mrs. Caroline Pooter, the strict but loving wife and caring mother, is a worthy partner in crime. She takes part in all of her husband's misadventures and bears his friends, though she never approves of them. Lupin Pooter, the only son of the couple, formerly Willie, who changed his name much to the chagrin of his father, is another great character. His disinterest in staying in a job and longing to come up in life without working for it contrast with his father's loyalty to his firm and general contentment. The generational difference portrayed in the novel stands the test of time, even after 140 years.

Anyone who reads The Diary of a Nobody will identify with some elements of these characters. But if there are any readers who feel they don't, surely they are the embodiment of Mr. Pooter. Because he is the only one who never identifies and agrees that the joke is on him, even though he records all of them faithfully. But when all is said and done, the final triumph is his—in the plot and in his reader's mind.

Charlie dear, it is I who have to be proud of you. And I am very, very proud of you. You have called me pretty; and as long as I am pretty in your eyes, I am happy. You, dear old Charlie, are not handsome, but you are good, which is far more noble.