Short story: 'Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter' by Chitra Banjeree Divakaruni

'Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni



An elderly, traditional Indian widow has moved into her American son’s family home. The story follows two days of Mrs Dutta's life, whereby she is in conflict with her new environment and is also struggling with her own fears of detachment, discontentment, and her ever failing attempts to bury these disappointments in order to remain 'properly' faithful to her different New World family.

'Mrs Dutta Writes a Letter' is a beautifully written piece that successfully deals with cultural conflict and self-realisation.

Chitra Banjeree Divakaruni has a great blog for those interested in not only writing but also cooking! Have a read at: www.chitradivakaruni.com/blog/

Book Review: 'The Last Werewolf' by Glen Duncan

Book Review: The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Clever and droll, Jake Marlowe is the last werewolf in existence. Basically, he’s a 'killfuckeat' kind of guy, who is also one hell of a writer. Jake is both man and beast: a man who has saved lives against humanity's many monsters (Nazis etc), yet he also literally feasts on people himself. He has a bestial need to satisfy his libido too.

As the narrator, he immediately lures the reader in with a loveable intimacy - despite one particularly grotesque scene from his past. After 200 years, Jake's almost contentedly awaiting World Organisation for the Control of Occult Phenomena (WOCOP) to finish him off. Gainer, whose father was eaten by Jake, is WOCOP's finest and he's waiting for the full moon to take Jake as the beast. But then Jake falls in love as if in a romance novel: truly, madly and deeply. It's his character's metamorphiosis, now he has a responsibility to live, which is great for Gainer, who has been seeking a challenging final hurrah.

Duncan can write and his wit is ceaseless. His language doesn't strive for suitability alone but also freshness like fellow English authors, Martin Amis and Will Self (although not to Self's extreme manner). The line in Jake's journal about Graham Greene's work cuts to the core regarding Duncan's own text: "Graham Greene had a semi-parodic relationship with the genres his novels exploited." The Last Werewolf refers to a range of texts, even Buffy and Angel in a fun read. He purposefully exploits, like Greene, the usual genre motifs—here it is the werewolf and vampire (of course Greene didn't touch those)—and like Greene again, Duncan does much more than any cliched genre novel.

If I had to be hypercritical, I'd say the ending did seem a little too pulpy and pacy; and I'm not sure if the late change in narrative voice was entirely successful. Furthermore, I hope that Duncan doesn't cheapen a great work by selling out with a series of sequels - there is scope in The Last Werewolf to do just that.

But overall it's a highly successful blend of pace and literary merit, an enjoyable novel which rollicks and rambles along.

I'm eager now to go on a Glen Duncan binge and sink my canines into more of his earlier, and apparently more 'literary' work.

Overland #204: 'Reading Coffee' The Writing Process

Overland #204: "Reading Coffe"

And a little on the writing process



It’s a thrill to have a story included in a journal close to my heart: Overland. "Reading Coffee" is my third story published this year and also my third story published in my debut year as a writer. Hopefully there will be many more to come (perhaps one without a beverage in the title.). A hearty congrats to all the contributors in 204, especially the other two fiction writers: Jacinda Woodhead and Charlotte Wood.

I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a small part of the process with you.

I’m not somebody who has a fountain of dazzling ideas, they don’t fall for me from the sky like rain and when I do have one I often examine it briefly and then toss it away in realisation that it’s lacking that indescribable factor that could potentially transform good to great. Yes, it’s the x-factor, how droll.

The idea for the Overland story germinated when I was reading about the 1916 Kalgoorlie Riots in Greek Pioneers in Western Australia by Reginald Appleyard and John N. Yiannakis (a great read for anyone interested in early Greek-Australian history). My Pappou, Lucas Pitsikas, was involved in the commissioning of the book and I’d heard stories about the riots from both him and my uncle, Terry Pitsikas, as a youth. The richness of the story was already there, for me the idea had that x-factor, but I needed to capture the essence and finesse it. After some contemplation, I thought it’d be interesting to embellish the event with some Greek folklore.



Having a family girl like Mary as a protagonist really added the required cultural element. Mary’s family meant that I could delve a little into the nature of the Greek diaspora in Australia at the time. Furthermore, Mary’s age allowed for connection and disconnection, as worried children often experience moments of escape and enjoyment even in the most troubling circumstances (possibly a false generalisation from my own personal observations). Her early ‘discovery’ meant that the tension could simmer throughout while the characters and community were developed.

I wrote the first draft as a skeleton, then fleshed it out with specifics, then culled again for pacing and effect, before laboriously, and often nauseatingly, redrafting again and again and again.

Originally the story had two threads, one was purposefully vague. I cut this due to a difficult-to-publish word limit (even now the story is around 5000 words – I’m not a flash fiction fan). I also sacrificed the thread to make it a generally linear narrative, which allowed for greater clarity and reader accessibility. The culling was literally a ‘kill your darlings moment’ that took an aeon to arrive at. I may explore the vanquished thread at a later date. Who knows - it could become the genesis of another tale?

The opening and ending, in essence, belong to both threads, and I was a little nervous about keeping them but Jane Gleeson-White, the Overland fiction editor, was right in encouraging me to retain both.

I hope that the story brings a little  awareness to our nation’s racist past (although Overland readers are usually a very socially aware group). It’s sad that even today there are the occasional children and grandchildren and great grandchildren of migrants who claim that the ‘new kind’ of migrants aren’t the same. To those people I’d like to scream banshee-like: ‘lights on and wake up!’ The fact is that during previous eras, their parents, grandparents and great grandparents were thought of in a similar, or frequently far worse, manner. Horror, horror!

My prime aspiration, however, is for readers to enjoy "Reading Coffee". For me the story always takes precedence. Ultimately, I’d prefer the reader to leave thinking that it’s a great narrative – any thematic afterthoughts are a rewarding bonus.

As for the genre: I do enjoy, and write, open-ended short stories, this one though, has an almost-closed ending, a rarity in the modern open-ended short story world.

Feel free to comment on "Reading Coffee" and I hope you like Overland #204. It’s a real honour to play a small, humbling part in it – clichéd as it sounds. You can become a friend of Overland Literary Journal on Facebook too. Yes, this is a tacky plug for a journal that’s published me – but I am a fan and subscriber myself.

I’d like to especially thank Jane Gleeson-White who heroically saved me from a couple of anachronisms. Jane was a consummate professional and a delight to work with, a loukoumi herself, whose enthusiasm invigorated me.

And that’s that. For the Perthites out there, Overland #204 will be sold at New Edition and possibly Planet Bookstore. I’ve been told that it’s ubiquitous in its hometown of Melbourne and other states.



And with a final side note on my current reading: I’ve just finished The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan. Lots of fun, easy to sink your lupine canines into; it’s a nicely paced blend of literature and genre, and genre parody. One of my unpolished book reviews about it to come soon. 

Short story: 'Buffalo' by John Kessel

"Buffalo" is one of those must read stories, deservedly winning the Sturgeon Award as well as the Locus.


John Kessel is a struggling immigrant in the US who works hard as a logger to get by during The Great Depression. He clings to a flame of future hope and this is why he reads science fiction, especially that of HG Wells. In their first encounter, Jonathon merely sees HG Wells.Their second meeting examines both their lives at a later date.

 It does not sound like much but "Buffalo" is exceptional. The Great Depression and the US at the time felt well drawn and real. The psyche of a migrant worker; hope through reading and dreams; and the idea of meaning in literature, are all intelligently explored themes here. The atmosphere of the period is tangible too: Duke Ellington is mentioned and Roosevelt's attempts to defy the depression are delved into through the characters dealing with the arduous period.


I'd recommend "Buffalo" to any reader. It lingers like a good whisky well after you’ve finished.

The Locus Awards Anthology is a treasure chest of stories well chosen by the Perth anthologist, Jonathan Strahan. They aren’t the pulpy trashy sort of genre writing but tales that would appeal to any literary minded reader. There isn't a dud amongst them; most are masterworks of the field.  In the collection I also discovered "The Persistence of Vision" by John Varley, which is on 'My Favourite Novella List'  (http://anthonypanegyres.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-favourite-novellas.html). I have a writer friend, Daniel Simpson, who used "Jefty is Five" by Harlan Ellison (another great tale) in his thesis. They are just a couple of the many stories that gleam in The Locus Awards – I'll mention another soon. 

The Oneiric Effect

The 'Oneiric Effect'

I'd like to qualify this before I begin that I view myself as a Greek-Australian. I'm proud of both identities and comfortable with saying so. I'm not overly patriotic but interested in both cultures – the whole dual identity issue doesn't phase me at all. I've read Seferis, Elytis, Kazantzakis, Psellus and Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Euripides, Aristophanes, Aeschylus and Homer (etc); I enjoy Greek music: rembetika, smyrneika, Haris Alexiou, Dalaras, Bithikotsis, Melina Kana, Papazoglou, Lidakis and Malamas (once again the list would go on). I like speaking and hearing Greek.

As for the Australian side: I write in English;  I don't mind saying 'goodaye'; I'm a huge West Coast Eagles fan in the AFL; I follow cricket; and I laughed non stop during The Castle. I care about our nation and who we vote for. I love Whitlam, admire Fraser, adore Perth and wish I could save all of Australia's unique flora and fauna. Go Bob Brown!

So having qualified that I'm proud of both cultures - and not in the nationalistic sense of saying that either are superior to the myriad of other cultures out there - I'd like to post about the 'oneiric effect'.

Often migrants from non-Anglo-Saxon/Celtic backgrounds cling to traditions and values of the eras and countries they migrated from. We often hold ideals of the Motherland/Fatherland being a dreamlike place, where things are purer, people better, the culture superior. For the sake of this slap-dash post, I'm calling this the 'oneiric effect' - there's probably a more formal term out there already in use (but that would require research and this isn't that type of blog) - and as 'oneiro' means 'dream' in Greek it felt for me an apt way to describe it. The oneiric effect often places ethnic communities in a time-warp. Not a complete time-warp but one where things are moving much slower than the state the Motherland is in.

There is a poignancy and beauty in the need to cling to a past that has actually moved on. I know many people in Australia who use Greek words long extinct in the modern vernacular; I know of  traditions that even second, third and forth generation Greeks hold at weddings that have vanished from much of their Fatherland, the Patrida.

With the ease these days of electronic communication this effect will lessen over time but it will still maintain some thin presence. It's both sad and touching; there are dollops of pothos and pathos here. I'm mentioning all this because Neal Ascherson  (in his history Black Sea - the Birthplace of Civilisation and Barbarism - a brilliant work) mentions a story which resonated with me with its depiction of a culture under the full oneiric effect.

Dio Chrysostom (a Greek in the Roman period) was a travelling philosopher and arrived in a dying Greek town of Olbia - on the Black Sea. It was a town of now only 3000, which once had been a vibrant city of 30-50000 people. In the surrounding countryside lived the peoples of the steppe, the nomadic Scythians. Dio had come from the Motherland, so to speak, the modern world and in this largely ruined city he found a people, the Olbians, clinging to a Hellenic culture from a few hundred years ago. This to me is the extreme form of the oneiric effect: distance and isolation in a community clinging to and attempting to maintain the cultural 'superiority' of the motherland.

Dio thought the place odd. Here beards were still worn in an ancient Hellenic fashion, while in Dio's Greece, shaggy beards were no longer all the rage. A handsome young man on horseback on recognising that Dio hailed from the distant Fatherland, boasted to Dio of his Hellenism: his feats of bravery, his interest in philosophy and his many male lovers. While in the Greece of Dio's time, the poetry now concentrated on the beauty of women.

In Olbia, they still all sat down in an archaic fashion outside the Temple of Zeus to hold their debates. Olbians loudly boasted that they knew Homer by heart (can't be a bad thing) yet their Greek was antiquated and poorly accented and the city in ruins. They also wore Scythian clothing and had in turn been influenced from the 'foreign' surrounds. They were like some ethnic communities: both more traditional but also naturally influenced by their region too despite their attempts not to be.

The Olbians in alien lands clung to archaisms in an Hellas long since gone. And although the oneiric effect occurs in our own present day society, not much in our modern wired era of communication compares to Olbia - except in a few rare pockets nearing extinction.

Although, I occasionally feel nostalgic for the Hellas of my grandparents and great grandparents, I realise that times change, culture changes, and that today's world may be growing in terms of population but it is certainly growing smaller on most other accounts. Our global technologically-powered proximity means that the oneiric effect will continue to be diminished too.

The Olbian tale is, nevertheless, touching; and for history buffs, Neal Ascherson's Black Sea, The Birthplace of Civilisation and Barbarism is well worth a read.



Short story: 'My Side of the Matter' by Truman Capote

"My Side of the Matter" by Truman Capote

"My Side of the Matter" is a humorous short story written from the perspective of a sixteen year old husband, supposedly hapless and caught in the clutches of a pregnant wife and two eccentric aunts. The reader is positioned to sympathise with the husband’s ordeal while at the same time it’s comically unveiled that he’s certainly not blameless in the whole ‘Southern’ fiasco. 

The distinct voice in "My Side of the Matter" makes it an excellent piece for any writer who wants to examine a story in terms of point of view. It also isn’t saturated in the flowery prose that is omnipresent in Capote’s work (which can be dificult for some readers to stomach - although I like it).

While a celebrity in his own era, in contemporary times, Capote is often linked to the film Breakfast at Tiffany's which enjoys a cultish status among fans. Perhaps Audrey Hepburn has ensured that Capote remains in our literary landscape? The screen release take on his non-fiction 'novel', In Cold Blood, has also revived another text and any chance of him becoming an ephemeral figure has vanished forever - excuse the pun.

Capote was also an accomplished short story writer, something to be said in a time that saw shorter works thrive and even be handsomely paid for. In addition to "My Side of the Matter", "The Diamond Guitar" is another Capote story well worth a read.

Blogging

I'm not at all sure about the blogging world. Is my writing here meant to be polished? Because it's more of a chaotic ramble, which I don't bother to finesse or fine tune. Basically, I go down to a local cafe, type some words on my computer and attach a book cover or picture that I find on google image search and then 'publish post'. All done rather quickly - and probably breeching every copyright law there is.

I hope this suffices. I concentrate on writing fiction and in that genre I'm content to twiddle away for as long as it takes but I won't do that with a blog. For me, they're rough commentaries/reviews that hopefully a few people interested in reading and writing enjoy.

My posts here will never reflect the tasty frothy lattes that I consume while writing them - they are more the instant coffee variety: rough, harsh, vulgar and all that counts is the caffeine hit.

Short Story: 'Troll Bridge' by Neil Gaiman

 "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman

I was immediately drawn into "Troll Bridge" due to its classic fairy tale trope. The story explores the various stages of life of a dark protagonist who starts out as a young unaffected innocent. There's an air of mystery throughout "Troll Bridge" that makes for a captivating narrative. Moreover, it made me want to write a story of my own about life's stages - albeit, with a different structure, context and theme. 

"Troll Bridge" is well worth a read from a technical perspective as a writer. An interesting meta-narrative takes place and it also deals with a lot of time in a relatively limited space.

It's an entertaining and thought provoking tale for readers too. 

Short Story: 'Breaking the Pig' by Etgar Keret; and a Commentary on Etgar Keret and 'The Nimrod Flipout'

Short Story: "Breaking the Pig" by Etgar Keret; and a Commentary on Etgar Keret and The Nimrod Flipout

Deborah Hunn introduced me to Etgar Keret with "Breaking the Pig". It was shorter than what I customarily like but its honest style was refreshing and it touched me with the way in which it revealed some simple truths.

It's the story of a quirky boy who has been encouraged by his parents to save coins in a porcelain piggybank. A growing dilemma ensues between buying the treasured Bart Simpson doll or keeping the Piggy Bank, which he has grown fond of. 

Having loved the story, I went a ‘Kereting’. But only discovered one of his anthologies in all of the Perth stores. I bought that book,The Nimrod Flipout, but found many of the 'titbit' stories didn’t quite satisfy my literary appetite. 


The tales are satirical and witty but their limited length prevents them from being what I’d call ‘well composed narratives’. Keret is often more captivated by a story’s concept rather than its actual execution; which causes much of his writing to feel like ‘telling’ summaries of innovative ideas. His flash fiction does, however, illustrate an important insight into modern day Israeli society.  Although there were a few stories that I really admired – the surrealism of Keret’s shorts still make The Nimrod Flipout a worthwhile read - I never found one that quite matched the sheer pleasure I felt on reading "Breaking the Pig".

Keret has been deservedly published in two of my favourite American literary journals: McSweeney’s Quarterly and Zoetrope’s: All Story. I think that Etgar Keret is best read like this – in a collection with other writers; or if you pick up a short story by him on the odd occasion rather than read his work straight through. A little bit of Keret now and then, like a smidgen of vegemite (or caviar for the connoisseur), does wonders, but too much can deaden the effect. 

Brief Look at 'Wolfborn' by Sue Bursztynski

Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski



If anybody knows how to write for younger readers it's Sue Bursztynski. The French medieval tale Bisclavret has been adapted and extended out nicely to novel length here, which hopefully encourages readers to do a little research into folk literature and also set them on the pathway to longer length works.

Romance, medieval castles and keeps, an enchanted forest, the faerie world with Celtic-like Gods and of course werewolves (the good bisclavret and an evil loup- garou) make for an enjoyable and gripping read with the language suitably targeting young adults.

I had the good fortune of meeting Sue earlier this year in Perth and there are few around who know folk and fairy tales as well as her. Sue has utilised her bottomless well of  folk-knowledge to great effect here with Wolfborn.

And More Books (plus a little on Michael Swanwick)

And More Books

(plus a little on Michael Swanwick)

With the exception of journals and perhaps the occasional anthology, I think I’ll impose a ban on my buying for the rest of the year. I have another novel on order but my reading shelf is overflowing.

This time everything was on sale at Planet Books. Thank you, Planet!

BLUE COLLAR, WHITE COLLAR, NO COLLAR

Stories of Work

Edited by Richard Ford

To be honest, stories based in the work place aren't something that I avidly seek out. But this collection I couldn't pass up. The list of authors in Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar would magnetise many a reader: Jeffrey Eugenides, John Cheever, Joyce Carol Oates, Tobias Wolff, Richard Ford, Alice Munro, Eudora Weatly, Jhumpa Lahiri, Edward P. Jones, James Alan McPherson, Annie Proulx, Elizabeth Strout and Donald Bathelme are just a few of the many heavyweights here. Believe it or not, the list goes on.

 


The City & the City by China Mieville

The hype around this novel finally caught up with me.

Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick

Swanwick challenges genre conventions and often explores controversial themes. He has been labelled ‘over sexed’ and 'provocative' - and he is. At his best he scintillates; at his worst he can read like a literary version of soft porn.

I’ve read the novel The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, which was inventive and interesting. I liked it and believe that it was an important pioneering work that subverted the usual derivative Tolkienesque elements of high fantasy. While respecting the Iron Dragon’s Daughter, I did not, however, love it like most of the readers I’ve discussed it with. The follow up, Dragons of Babel meandered quite a bit (which I did not mind) and had some captivating parts but overall I felt it was the lesser of the duo.

Contrastingly, Swanwick’s short fiction is more than just good – it is frequently exceptional. He is one of the bravest, freshest and most innovative voices around. At shorter lengths, where his ideas are contained, he has produced some of my favourite stories, which I’ll wax lyrical about another time.

On seeing Stations of the Tide - having recently read and generally enjoyed one of his anthologies: The Dog said Bow-Wow - I thought I’d give his longer length works another try. Plus this one won the Nebula Award.

Why would I read another one of his longer works after not being totally taken by The Dragons of Babel (especially when there are so many great works out there to read)? I still enjoyed his novels, plus Swanwick always provides a spark or two.  

Short Story: 'Hanwell in Hell' by Zadie Smith

 "Hanwell in Hell" by Zadie Smith



"Hanwell in Hell" met the lofty expectations I hold whenever I read Zadie Smith.

Clive Black narrates to Hanwell's daughter the sole encounter he had with her father.

Zadie Smith is typically rich here and is not fearful of holding back, which is something I have always admired in her writing. Her specific details make the locale, characters and atmosphere spring to life in a superbly drawn story.

Short Story: 'So Help Me God' by Joyce Carol Oates

"So Help me God" by Joyce Carol Oates

From Oates’ superb anthology: The Female of the Species: Tales of Mystery and Suspense

Home alone, a young wife receives a call. Is she being baited for a trap laid by her jealous husband or is it a stranger who seems to know more about her than he should?

Joyce Carol Oates is one of those authors who simply inspires other writers. She’s an exceptional craftsman whose tales unravel deliciously- even when there is the occasional sense of the inevitable. Her narrative voice in short fiction is more than just impressive; she is able to evoke emotion and character with an arguably unrivalled mastery.

More Books

More Books from Planet

Went down to Planet Books for their mega-sale and as usual bought books that weren't on sale.

MY MOTHER SHE KILLED ME, MY FATHER HE ATE ME
Forty New Fairy Tales edited by Kate Bernheimer

I'm always eager to read any new adult take on myths or fairy tales. This fine collection includes stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, John Updike, Sarah Shun-Lieberman Bynum, Michael Cunningham, Kathryn Davis, Rikki Ducornet, Karen Fowler, Kelly Link and many more.

Stories edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.

Seems like an excellent anthology and includes stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Gene Wolfe, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Roddy Doyle, Joanne Harris, Michael Marshall Smith, Joe R. Landsdale, Peter Straub and many more. 

The Comedians by Graham Greene.

Whenever I feel the need for a reliable read I turn to Greene. As such, I am ever thankful that he was so prolific. I bought this on the advice of Guy Salvidge whose second novel, Yellowcake Springs will be released soon.

Warriors 1 edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois

I just discovered that there is a larger collection called Warriors, so it was a bit of a poor impulsive buy. Dozois, along with Datlow and Strahan (who we are lucky to have living here in Perth) are arguably the three best editors/anthologists going around in the field.

I chiefly bought it because it includes a new novella by Martin; his worlds are like the forbidden turkish delight offered in Narnia - deliciously sweet but wrought with peril.

I am currently reading Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz.

Feel free to comment on any of the above or even your own recent buys/reads.

Brief Book Review: 'The Confidential Agent' by Graham Greene

Brief Book Review: The Confidential Agent by Graham Greene

A former lecturer in romance languages, D is now a middle-aged confidential agent of the Left, who is in England attempting to secure coal for his side in his unnamed wore-torn home country (which contextually corresponds with Spain). An enemy agent, L, is already in England to perform the same task for what is depicted as the morally bankrupt Right.

The moment the widowed D steps off at the station he chances to meet the daughter of the coal magnate he is required to see. Despite their age gap, she begins to fall for the much older D. She even refers quite comically to her oedipal complex.

The story explores class differences, the grey issues of government and business, xenophobia and mistrust. D’s heroism stems from his valuing of humanity and he evolves over the text’s duration into a determined agent rather than the nervous, passive man that the reader is initially introduced to.

The Confidential Agent is a thriller, which concentrates on character and alludes to ethical dilemmas and larger ideologies rather than simply the ‘over-the-top’ action moments that often pollute many of today’s thrillers.

While not as enlightening as the Power and the Glory or The Heart of the Matter, The Confidential Agent is a highly entertaining and rewarding read.