Dialogue: The Moor's Last Sigh
Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh is finally growing on me. The mood is very similar to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, as mentioned before. However, the stories are more fluid, and the characters are more diverse. I found some intriguing passages -- I should have marked them with post-its, but since I was reading for pleasure, and therefore not required to write an analytical/critical essay on it, I didn't think of it. I wasn't sitting at my desk reading with a notepad and pen in my right hand, ready to jot notes; I was on my stomach, on my bed, covered to my shoulders in my warm blankie. This has become my new favorite position to read -- when I get tired, I just close my eyes and let sleep set in, without having to get up. I just push the book aside, and well, I digress as always.
This book is quite unlike others I've read in the past. I would describe myself as a person who craves stability and security, very fond of old traditions, and hard in accepting change, although I face challenges quite boldly when I must. Rushdie's not a traditional writer -- his novel doesn't address things that most old-fashioned story-tellers do. It's very hard to describe, and even more difficult since I am somewhat of an ignoramus still, in the literary world.
The one thing I recognize is the fluidity of the words. They must have some sort of meter to them, because my eyes seem to flow through the pages, rhythmically. There is a certain harmony in the juxtapositioning of words and phrases. It's truly an art form, unseen but in a few writers. What the words and phrases actually depict, are not at all concrete. They do require quite a bit of thinking and comprehension.
Even more grandiose than the wordplay are the characterization of the people. Each person has a tale to tell, and each character is so individualized and passionate. I have already fallen in love with Aurora, the "Moor's" mother. Strong-spirited, quite bold, capable, and even though it takes place in the early 20th century, she bides not by the rules of men -- she rules above men. Of all places, in India. The setting seems to be in India, but it's also somewhat in a magical place, not quite real. Influences from all over the world exist, and so much history is there, from the Jews and Moses and Abraham and Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, the Andalusians and the English and the Russians, even Lenin is mentioned. It's a hodge-podge of history, places, people, and all swarmed in a perfect potpourri, like neapolitan ice cream, each part distinct, and yet so deliciously concocted.
I tend to breeze through novels. I read almost as fast as I write, which is at an alarming speed. However, this one, will take a while. I may not be able to read the great many books I've planned to read this summer, because of Rushdie. Somehow, the challenge is completely worth it -- even my mother, who claimed Rushdie was dry, went to the library and checked out a Korean translation of this novel. We will, of course, be comparing notes. She's also borrowed the 5th Harry Potter book, which I've already read -- we'll also be talking about that. What an odd set of books to be discussing with your mother!
