LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT
96. DIAMONDS IN THE DUNG HEAP
According to available statistics, over 22 lakh books are published annually in the world. The country wise figures according to UNESCO are:
China : 4,40,000
US : 3,00,000 (new and reissue)
UK : 1,50,000 (new)
Germany, Japan}
India } : 85,000
One can imagine what a heap is growing year upon year! It is like our Sanchita Karma!
At the same time we are also told that book sales are falling. There is a debate about the state of reading habits, due to the onslaught of the visual media, especially among youngsters. At one time it was felt that reading books in the electronic form would drastically reduce the demand for hard copies, at least the paper backs. But this has not happened. Actually, the demand for hard bound editions has grown, while the paperback has held its ground- mainly because the same copy can go round and round, either by sharing or second hand sales.The electronic version can never be shared.
Such immense numbers pose a problem for serious readers. Even in fiction, it is not easy to select a good author or book. We go by so called best-seller lists,or reviews in newspapers, but these are so few. Nor are they sure guides, and tastes do differ. The more conservative among us may like to stay with the tried and trusted Classics, though any number of writers try to smuggle in new authors or books into the hallowed company, according to their fancy. My own criteria for something to be considered a Classic is:
- does the author have a vision or a universal or lasting message?
- does he have a style?
- does he avoid sensation and vulgarity, naked description of unwanted details?
- does the writing elevate us as human beings? Does it have that extra, unnameable element which contributes to making us realise our own humanity- its weaknesses and strengths, and ever aspire to become better?
But there are diamonds in it- real gems. And merely because so much is added each year to the heap, the gems get buried deeper. I would like to talk of two real gems.
Nevil Shute Norway (1899-1960) was an English aeronautical engineer who saw service in World War II and later started an aircraft construction company. He started writing in the twenties under the pen name 'Nevil Shute' and his last novel, 'Trustee From The Tool Room' came out in 1960. He rode these two horses without any conflict. His novels reflect the background of his life and work- the pre-war (II) years, the war years and the later years. Like him, his heroes were drawn from the middle class, practising the professions like engineers, doctors, lawyers, soldiers, accountants, bankers. But The Trustee could be regarded as celebrating the virtues of the conscientious artisan, who has a thing or two to teach the men who have been to the university. His style is simple and direct, his plots well drawn, his prose flows gently. There is absolutely no vulgarity or cheapness in his descriptions and he is not the one to confuse romance with sex. Reading his works is like having a conversation with a man of dignity, who does not have to 'seek' cheap popularity.
Amidst all the action that his novels cover or portray, he explores some deeper aspects of our life on earth, the human condition: the effect of science on society, the connections between rationality and belief, the mystical elements of life such as rebirth, prophecy or astrology, the psychical elements, such as the powers of aboriginal tribes, etc.Being a scientifically trained engineer did not make him blind or insensitive to these aspects of life which we all encounter sometime or other in our lives but we cannot articulate and for which science does not have an answer, except an arrogant outright denial or more dignified agnosticism.
Some of his characters and situations are so thrilling. As when a scientist in the middle of a flight suddenly discovers that the aircraft is reaching the point of metal fatigue! (No Highway); As when a man wounded in the war with a bullet lodged in his head but inoperable is told he has but a few months to live. On a sudden impulse, he tries to trace out three old comrades who were in the hospital along with him and to find out how they have fared ( The Chequer Board); As in the gentle romance of 'A Town Like Alice' where two prisoners in Malaya search to find each other after the War; As when a pilot on a photographic mission over Greenland recalls his former life as an ancient Viking.( An Old Captivity); As when an old man smuggles seven trapped children out of Nazi-occupied France ( Pied Piper); As when an ordinary worker-mechanic has to trace out a legacy of diamonds in a wrecked boat which takes him across the Atlantic and to the US Northwest!
After the war, Nevil Shute did not like the socialist dispensation in England and left the UK to settle in Australia, which too spoke English, like England! This is the backdrop for his novel, The Far Country. But he did not like the pro-white racial policy of Australia , to which sentiment too he gave expression in 'Round the Bend' which Shute considered his best novel. His novel "On The Beach" deals with the after-effects of a nuclear war, when the population simply waits for death.
Through all his 24 books, Nevil Shute reveals himself as a fine representative of the enlightened human race- reflecting its sensitivity and upholding the basic human 'goodness'. It reinforces my belief that only a good person can write good fiction- fiction which endures. It is a shame and sad reflection on our publishing industry that hard bound editions of his books are priced outrageously, and the paper backs are too cheap- in quality.What a way to insult a great author.
If Nevil Shute left England unable to stand its socialist turn, the other novelist I wish to talk about is indirectly responsible for this very turn- especially its health services! It is A.J.Cronin, (1896-1981) the Scottish doctor-turned writer. Diagnosed in 1931with a medical condition which required complete rest for six months on a diet of milk, he wrote his first novel 'Hatter's Castle' in three months, it was accepted by the first publisher it was sent to and became an instant success. Cronin never looked back- adding a string of excellent novels over the years: Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of The Kingdom, Shannon's Way, The Judas Tree, A Song of Sixpence etc . ( I have included only those which were available in India in the 60s and 70s.) There are many more.
Cronin gave up his medical practice after ten years, but made use of his medical knowledge and experiences in his novels. His characters are colourful and the result of acute observation. His narrative is detailed, but there is a dignified, but smooth flow , combining witty dialogues. His heroes display a social conscience, out stepping their own backgrounds. The best example is The Citadel,published in 1937, which captures the way the medical profession played with the miners, making money in the process, in unconscionable ways. It exposed their incompetence as well as greed. This was based on his own experience as a doctor among the miners. This created a great uproar among the medical profession who tried all they could to get the book banned! It also created lot of enmity for Cronin in the profession.
But the authorities took note! Like in the case of Dickens, his gentle social criticism had more effect than a frontal attack on a revolutionary platform. The result was the institution of the National Health Service ( Which , ironically Nevil Shute did not like.) The British socialist party fully subscribed to his line and this is considered one of the factors contributing to the Labour victory in 1945. Aneurin Bevan, the labour leader had also worked among the miners.
Personally, his novel 'The Judas Tree' somehow disturbed me, and I gave up reading novels for more than 25 years after that! His articles used to appear occasionally in the Readers' Digest and I remember one or two which were of the Self-improvement type, giving practical advice, which were helpful. Somehow, his books too have not been available in good, affordable editions in India. Like Gresham's law says for money, the bad novels drive the good ones out of sight, if not circulation!
Cronin with his family, c.1938.
It is only a happy family man (or woman) who can write a healthy novel.
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