Expressions

Vicente Ascensio’s Collectici Intim. Boucher, born in Quebec (the French part of Canada), is known for his interpretations of impressionistic and Spanish music. If the Canadians wanted to complete the picture of their vibrant culture, they would have done well to include a `WASP’ artist. The White Anglo Saxon remains the dominant force in cities like Toronto.

Browsing through my collection of Canadian Verse, I came acrossa poem simply titled `Waspish’ by Jan Horner. Writes the poet: Call her `Wasp’/ a convenience for what you can’t see…/ Surely she should be native/ a migrant worker’s daughter/ have worked in mines up North/ and be bi-lingual or confused in both languages… The two languages the poet refers to, are English and French — Canada’s official languages. Authors like Mordecai Richler (of Jewish background) have explored the divide caused by the two languages — its cultural and political implications. The `divide’, though, has its lighter moments. During my stay in Montreal, a book, An Anglophones Guide to survival in Quebec, was released and the volume was packed with tongue-in-cheek suggestions.

Much of the French-Canadian literature is not available to us. While we constantly hear of writers like Margaret Atwood and Indian-born Rohinton Mistry, I can’t think of a single French-Canadian author known here. Perhaps, as part of the celebrations, the Canadian government may bring one over…

A Greekencounter

THE Greeks brought their eats and a pack of video films in an effort to introduce their culture to the stream of enthusiasts flowing in and out of The Enduring Image exhibition at The National Gallery of Modern Art. The achievements of Alexander the Great were flaunted, including the creation of a library in Alexandria, where all available ancient literature was first collected and classified for future generations. In his excellent book The Pelicon History of Greek Literature, Peter Levi describes the poets and scholars who worked there as `priests of a temple, officials of a royal institution’. Although later scholarship lost its creative edge, became encyclopedic, dusty. Adds the author, "It would be thrilling to imagine that in our own day we could start again, receiving through the generation of Pound, Eliot… a new electric charge." In this age of cyberspace, where information is almost instantly documented and stored, often by novices, one wonders if it is possible to create that`electric charge’? I don’t think so.

Bed-time stories

Very few, it seems, are attracted to readings by children’s authors. Kalpana Swaminathan had put in a tremendous amount of effort to make the stories from her forthcoming book Ordinary Pai, interesting for the audience that gathered at the NCPA. Ishrat Syed and Sudhanshu Saigal who read with her, were both superb. And they really got us involved with the life and times of Bansode, the miserly landlord of a housing complex who finds himself encased with colourful bangles! Her stories are funny and imaginative, with never-ending twists and turns. However, since the book is being published by Tulika, it’s likely to be quite expensive. This publishing house, established in 1961, lays emphasis on quality. "Will parents spend that much?" I had asked them a year or so ago in Madras. They were confident of their strategy, which seems to have worked. In the risky business of children’s books, where even major publishers like Penguin have cut back, Tulikais forging ahead.

The last word

Asked Ms Vulture to Ms Culture: Shiresh Kanekar completed his 500th talk show,the spoken work is heard these days; why, then is the written wordlost in the maze?