LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT. 26.DECIDING WHAT TO READ

LITERATURE- LIGHT AND DELIGHT

26.  DECIDING WHAT TO READ

Most of us have a weakness for something or the other. The celluloid poet Shailendra once wrote:

Kisi ko har har note ka nasha hai
Kisi ko suit boot coat ka nasha hai

(Some are intoxicated by the sight of fresh currency notes; some by good dress).Our books tell us that major weaknesses are mainly the three Ws.(They also speak of three attachments-Ishanatrayam) Modern civilisation has given us a few more : stamp collection, photography, keeping pets, simply collecting exotic things, hunting autographs, collecting pens, watches,etc. You name it 'hobby', and anything acquires respectability, and a following!

With some of us, reading literature is a madness, not just weakness.It is difficult to say how one acquires this. May be the influence of a teacher, or example of a family member was at work.In my own case, my mother was a voracious reader and I think she bequeathed this wealth to me, fully!

Yes, you may read all you like, but why buy books- which can put a hole in your roof, not just pocket? We do not have good libraries. The needed books may not be available. In college, my lecturer recommended a book on the pricing of public utilities: by Martin Glaser and said where it was available: Connemara Library, Madras. When we went to Madras, I visited the library and saw the book.But the particular chapter was missing: it had been nicely prised away with blade! In the big cities, for the cost of transportation , you may almost buy a book! And in the time spent, you may finish reading it,too!

If you are a serious reader, you would like to mark things as you go along- may be a  word here, a sentence there, an expression; or you may disagree with something and mark it. Often such markings help you to recapitulate the subject at a glance even years later. I have found mark-worthy matters even in the novels of Harold Robbins! So the markings make the book personal! It is not possible to mark library books, and not desirable in the case of borrowed books. ( I remember, Rajaji once borrowed a book from TTK,but could not resist marking or making some noting, and apologized to TTK!)It used to be said of newspapers that they are like woman: every one must have his own, and not look to his neighbour's! It is even more so in the case of books. And 'neither a borrower, nor a lender be' is especially applicable to books: you may get your money back, and not lose a friend, but a lost or spoiled book is difficult to replace. So there is no way other than buying a book, and holding on to it!

How do we decide  which book to read - fiction or non-fiction? We read non-fiction out of necessity, and since most of us in jobs or retirement do not have any such compelling reason, most of us do not read serious non-fiction at all. We do not read up even on subjects which we majored in at the university. For most of us serious study ends with college. Only professionals like lawyers, doctors, university professors (?),accountants  have to keep reading to remain in practice.

But many of us read fiction. However, in Tamilian middle class circles, it has taken the form of reading the periodicals carrying serials and short stories. This is a fairly well established tradition.There are avid readers, and I remember that in my school days the elders would eagerly await the arrival of the vendor bringing the latest issue of the magazine Kalki on Thursday mornings, when Kalki's novel Ponniyin Selvan was serialised in it- it ran for four years! Once it arrived, they would vie with each other to read it first; if any elder was not well and unable to read, some of us boys would have to read it aloud! That was the craze!  (But we boys would beat them: we would quietly slip out, meet the vendor at the street corner and snatch the magazine from him, stand quietly in a corner and read it, before bringing it home!)It would then be shared with two or three other families. 'Kalaimagal' magazine also carried good stories. But such craze was not for it. But 'Ananda Vikatan'  was  eagerly awaited every week, when Devan's novels  like 'Thuppariyum Saambu' or CID Chanduru were serialised! Such novels were not published as books then. So, many families collected the weekly articles and got them bound. We ourselves had at one time more than 300 such bound volumes collected over 30 years! Unfortunately, they were all printed on cheap newsprint and deteriorated fast. I mention this because it would help us understand that most of us do not have the habit of buying books-even fiction! At the most, we may have a Ramayana or some other religious books. In my visits to the  houses of friends and relatives over the last 55 years  in 7 cities across India,that I remember, I have seen not more than about ten houses with some books- (other than school books) and only two with a library, of mostly non-fiction.

So how do we decide to buy books at all?  We decide about seeing films after some one tells us about it- some one whose judgement we rely upon. But now most newspapers carry film reviews, so we can form an opinion. Most of us watch it on the TV any way,so it really does not matter. We attend music performances on the basis of the artist we like. It is only later that we read a review in a magazine  or newspaper. As for books, some newspapers carry reviews. The Hindu used to carry reviews and also lists of books received for review, earlier on Sundays, but later on other days. But this has dwindled now. They bring out a literary supplement, but it is all slanted, and holds appeal only to some niches. There is no book-review at all in the Times of India! All this only shows how much our media cares for fostering love of books or serious reading habits!

It is indeed a miracle that we decide to buy a book at all! Even those given to buying books found it difficult to get to know about new books, and then getting an idea about them, in the absence of review. In the cities we would visit book shops, scan the shelves, pick up the books that appealed, and browse through the contents, introduction, preface, etc. Some shop keepers would not allow that, and in any case most did not have sufficient space or lighting. Those of us reading magazines would get to know about some books- for eg. Rajaji, even at the age of 80+, would read books and write about them in Swarajya! I remember he reviewed Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, and also mentioned Parkinson's Law. It is only through academic journals that we got to learn about new books.

The Reader's Digest was an excellent resource. Every issue would contain a book supplement. Articles would carry references to other books and sources. I used to buy it for  over 30 years-from 1960. I collected the book supplements , and other desired articles and got them bound. I preserved even the covers- the front cover would contain a nice painting, and the inside third cover would contain a very interesting piece about some celebrity's experience: in one, Toscanini, the famous Italian conductor related how once when he was playing the piano a flock of canaries came and sang in unison! At one stage, I had more than 150 bound volumes, but no place to keep! Also, in the 90s the Indian edition had made  changes which I did not like- I thought it had lost its "Universal" flavour;  margins on the left had become smaller which did not permit binding. Besides, our priorities do also change with the years. So, I stopped buying it in the 90s. Incidentally, there is a nice book on the changing priorities of life, titled "Repacking Your Bags" by Richard Leider! The Reader's Digest Condensed Books were another great resource! My God, how many books and authors and subjects we came to know through it! But back then in the late 50s, they were not easy to get!

The decision to read or buy a particular book on a subject is greatly facilitated by book review,or influenced by peer views or teacher's guidance. If you want to read say Shakespear's Macbeth or As You Like It ,which edition to get? Clarendon or Verity? Or any other? We needed advice. Those days we had classic novels like those of Dickens or Hardy as non-detailed reading; but once you got a taste, you could go ahead and get the others if available! The college libraries had many of them, but our Principal had given instructions that Hardy's 'Jude the Obscure' should not be issued to any student! There was always a senior who was a voracious reader and he would tell us about some books- though at times some were not so desirable, like those of Alberto Moravia. If we had to write an essay say on Macbeth's character, where would you get the material? The lecturer would direct you to the library. You would finally discover A.C.Bradley, and that would be a gold mine! It is like this in small steps that we got to know about books.

But how to know whether the book is good, to read or to buy? It depends on reviews in standard journals or newspapers by recognised names or authorities.  (D.Anjaneyulu, Prema Nandakumar, Prof.M.Siva
ramakrishna , for example) And the journal would depend on the subject. If you are interested in say religion or philosophy and such matters, Prabuddha Bharata or Mountain Path may help; but that depends on publishers giving them copies for review- and most publishers don't. Some times some articles in newspapers mention some books. I remember Swami Ranganathananda mentioned 'The Tao Of Physics' by Fritjof Capra in an article he wrote in the Indian Express in 1977 or 78. So we got to know about it.Once we got the book (it was a Bantam New Age Book), we got to know more books on allied subjects in the same series! Likewise, any one interested in Ramana Maharshi would have heard of Paul Brunton's book 'A Search in Secret India'. In the 60s, it was published by Arrow Books,London in their 'Mind and Matter' series. Once you got it, you would get to know other books in the series!  Scholarly books contain suggestions for further reading and notes contain references to many books.This is how we got to know about books. A good library is the place to get to know about books and read them.

In Madras, second hand books were available in the Moore Market, but we only searched for college books. In Bombay, there were mountains of books on the platform and in some shops specialising in second hand books. There , you had to take from what was available; for specific books  you had to go to a regular book shop.

We faced problems with poetry books too. Most of us read some good English poems in text books.Where to look for more? Palgrave's Golden Treasury was the only available anthology then, but it was without annotations, and we could not follow them.There were some like the one by Moles and Moon, but it contained only some long poems. Then came the Mentor Book of Major British Poets, but that too without notes. This problem persists.

Happily, the internet and the coming of online shopping has drastically changed things. All information you need is literally at your finger tips. On most books , you could get material on the net.After getting introduced to the net, I spent a full year on updating my old academic subjects. The amount of material available was mind boggling, and it would surely take a long time to read and digest that. Thank God, there was no internet 50 years ago- otherwise I would not have been able to write the exam!

But still, internet does not solve the problem of which book or edition to buy. I will give a concrete example. Suppose you are interested in acquiring standard material on English literature. You would come to know that there are good anthologies. But they are one too many! Almost every  famous university or publisher has his! And they are all expensive even for a book lover-upwards of Rs.5000! (per volume and they are multi-volume series!) So which one to choose?

It is here that online shopping helps you. A site like Junglee tells you which vendor is cheapest. But the cheapest may not have a review on his site. I have found that on most books Amazon has reviews by actual buyers. On academic books, well-read people and often the teachers and professors who teach the subject  themselves provide review- at times very detailed! In the end you realise that in some cases no edition is satisfactory. eg if you want to acquire an edition of the complete works of Shakespeare, you will find several editions. You will find that each edition is subjected to detailed review; every edition has compromised somewhere and no edition is fully satisfactory. If you read Harold Bloom, you will learn that the Oxford Shakespeare texts are the least satisfactory (See his magnificent book: Shakespeare-The Invention of the Human). So it is best to go in for individual volumes, with detailed annotations. Here too there are many editions. We choose depending upon the immediate interest. If we want to simply understand the work and then enjoy the poetry, 'No Fear Shakespeare' will do. It is a straight plan: it has the original on the one side, and a version in plain current English on the other, line by line! So we know what Shakespeare means, though we may not know the exact meaning of every word. If we are interested in deeper study of the plot, character, context of the play, background etc, we will have to go for annotated editions. But these days, many editions deal with the stage angle. They think that the plays were meant for acting and it is from that angle that it should be analysed. But we are more interested in it as literature - as poetry! So we have to focus on an edition that deals with the plays as literature, not a draft for theatre! Western audiences may be interested in watching the play; we have no such facility here, or even interest. We are satisfied with Shakespeare as the greatest poet. 

The net contains  the texts, analysis and explanation of most well-known poems and the quotations of Shakespeare. For most people used to the net, reading on line may be sufficient. But old timers like me feel that there is no substitute for actually taking the book in your hand, smelling it, feeling the paper and seeing print! Again, as Sahir Ludhianvi, the celebrated celluloid poet sang:

Jo baat tujh mein hain
Teri tasveer mein nahin!

(He sings of the beloved: that which is in you, is not there in your portrait!)
{ Incidentally, this is a wonderful love song and would neatly fit our love of books! If we don't love them, why should we buy them and hold them in our hand? And having loved, how can we part with them?} I wonder how any serious lover of good literature can settle for online reading!

 For us the reviews are invaluable, to help decide which book to read and which edition to buy. Review is evaluation- another name for critique or criticism. Literary criticism is a vital aspect of the overall literary activity.This we will see next.


Note:

Having mentioned English Literature anthologies, and Shakespeare, I would share the following.

1.There are many anthologies of English Literature.They are very expensive, but indispensable for proper understanding. Indian university courses are half-way houses and do not cover any subject adequately. I have found Norton Anthology to be very good and useful. There is an Oxford Anthology (now in two combined volumes) edited by Harold Bloom and others. This is even more expensive, but is very valuable, because it is not influenced by modern critical prejudices. Though they are expensive, they will obviate the need to buy many individual books later on and thus save us lot of money and time. They would surely provide a lifetime of reading pleasure.

2.As for Shakespeare, if we must own a volume of complete works, either as a matter of pride, or a mark of respect to the Bard, or just for the heck of it, the Royal Shakespeare Company sponsored edition seems to be the best option; a paperback edition is available for under Rs.2000. But this is just for show; for study we would need individual volumes. I have found 'No Fear Shakespeare' series to be helpful. Harold Bloom relies on the Arden editions. I have found the Evans Shakespeare series to be very helpful. It has a section containing material on the sources and contexts, from contemporaries and old authorities. And it has a section containing classic criticism, from Coleridge, William Hazlitt, Bradley, T.S.Eliot etc! And from modern scholars! The UK edition is expensive, but now Indian edition is available for some titles- almost for a song! (They do not have the colour plates.)

3. As for poetry, things are somewhat better. Complete works  of the major poets in durable editions are so expensive as to be not only beyond our reach, but even beyond our imagination. (Complete works of some poets are available in cheap paperback from Wordsworth Editions; they are without notes. A poet like Browning cannot at all be read without annotations.) Selected works are available in paperbacks in Oxford and Penguin editions.The print is small, the paper is not good, and the binding will not stand repeated handling.But they do carry valuable introduction and notes  by scholars. We do get bargains from online stores. Personally I have found Norton Critical Editions of individual poets to be very useful and absolutely delightful to read. The amount of material presented is simply enormous.In some cases Indian editions are available. (There are books by Dr.S.Sen ( Unique Publishers,Delhi) meant for Indian Universities.These contain very detailed annotations and are useful, if you do not mind the occasional howlers.)

4. Often we are tempted to buy books because they become best sellers, or they get some award,or are much talked about. But what happens to the best sellers  a year or two hence? Like Alvin Toffler's 'instant celebrities' they are here this moment, but are forgotten when the next candidate arrives! This best seller business seems to me  to be pure publicity gimmick. After all, we know how awards are got or given! We have to stick to enduring literature.

5. How can we afford to buy books?  Well, life is based on choice, and sacrifice! We can't have all.I can only relate my experience.(in the hope it may help some one) I stopped seeing films in theatre 40 years ago; I did not go to expensive restaurants; usually I avoided coffee, along with snacks; I visited only sacred places and avoided 'tourist spotss'; I travel by public transport, and avoid autos, to the extent possible; I have deliberately avoided owning a car. These are the ways I saved money to buy books!

6. How do we find space to keep our books? Living in flats, this is real problem.It is really strange- the idiot box gets pride of place in the living space, while books are kept elsewhere! I keep books in box cots; some are kept in the attic. But once in a while, we do have to part with some old stuff, though with a pang, to make room for the new. I donate to old age homes or other institutions, but these days, even libraries do not want books! This means we have to be really choosy in acquiring new books!