But I remain convinced that there is space there for an author to come along and do something exhilerating in this field. I have today been reading a sneak preview of the forthcoming Granta 115 which is entitled The F Word and is all about feminism in the 21st Century. Not a subject that one would necesarily consider natural ground for writing about happiness. But I came accross a wonderful piece by a Croatian author, Maja Hrgovic, which confirmed again for me the belief that writing about the positives in life can, when done well, be a transcendent experience. There is a passage, when the narrator is with a new friend at a club, which particularly stood out.
"The people around us were just a moving background, extras in a movie starring Zlatka and me. I got carried away. At moments I felt rapture, thick and saturated, clotting in me, somewhere in my lungs, in my oesophagus – I had to open my mouth wide and yell into the noise, anything, just to let it, this something, come out of me."
Fantastic prose. It's a fantastic piece that I enjoyed thoroughly. I look forward to reading more from Maja Hrgovic in the near future.
9 comments:
Lovely! We're taught in creative writing classes that "a story is a war" (Janet Burroway ca. 1984) and that the reader will only be interested in conflict, strife, etc. I like the notion of happiness as a worthy topic. the question is whether it can propel a narrative in a sustained way, or whether it serves best as a seasoning amid conflict-driven prose...
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Helen. I'm aware of the popularity of Janet Burroway's thesis but am not so sure I agree. A story can be anything it, or it's author, wants it to be. Take, for instance, The Canal by Lee Rourke that was published earlier this year. A book about boredom, in which mostly nothing happens. And yet, by dint of it being interesting and well written, it has received a warm critical reaction.
As for reader's interests, I don't think it is a sign of a healthy artform if it thinks only of the common ground around which readers can congregate.
I hope that in my life, I shall sometime have the chance to read an interesting book all about happiness. It it the aspect of life all human's strive to achieve, that in itself must be fertile ground for a writer of greater talent that I.
This is a real question for me implication-wise as a fiction writer who studies Buddhism. If everyone in the world were enlightened, would there be any need for stories?
Fascinating question, Helen. What do you think the answer to that is?
I have no idea! I'm caught myself between a history steeped in christianity, a tradition it which stories are elevated to the point where they're an integral part of the concept of heaven, and a new practice of Buddhism, which as far as I can understand, in the end eliminates all stories/concepts. I am very drawn to Buddhism and scared at the same time, and I mourn the possible loss of stories. Of course all this is theoretical. Enlightened? Me?
That's fascinating,Helen. I had never thought Buddhism through to the end of stories, but now I'm a little scared too!
If you ever resolve this conundrum please do share it with me, I'm fascinated to learn more.
I think I may address this some on my blog, WritingNurture. In case you want to check it out. Cheers
Am now following your blog and hoping for more interesting discussion soon!
cool, thankx!
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