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An Unwilling Suspension of Misbeliefs: Acknowledging the Complexity of Reality in Night of Happiness by Tabish Khair
Acta Neophilologica Pub Date : 2019-12-17 , DOI: 10.4312/an.52.1-2.59-68
Elisabetta Marino

By focusing on Tabish Khair’s latest literary endeavour, a short novel entitled Night of Happiness (2018), this paper sets out to investigate what, in the writer’s opinion, is the root of most problems affecting human relationships and society as a whole: our unwillingness to embrace the unexpected complexity of reality, reassuringly misperceived through the filter of one’s misconceptions. Key-words: fundamentalisms, identity, Night of Happiness, stereotypical perceptions, Tabish Khair ACTA NEOPHILOLOGICA UDK: 821.111(540).09Khair T. DOI: 10.4312/an.52.1-2.59-68 Acta_Neophilologica_2019_FINAL.indd 59 16.12.2019 15:00:04 60 ElisabEtta Marino A highly-esteemed critic, an insightful journalist, a prolific author of poems, plays, and novels (shortlisted for several prestigious prizes), Tabish Khair (1966-) is also an associate professor in the Department of English of the university of Aarhus (Denmark), where he currently lives. His thriving artistic career has followed an unconventional path, thus challenging the “prerequisite requirement” of the global publishing industry that, according to Om Dwivedi, binds promising authors with a non-Western background together: their coming “from major places which share some connection with British colonialism” (10). Quite the opposite, Khair was brought up in a Muslim family in Gaya, a small town in the backward and remote state of Bihar. He spent the first thirty years of his life in India, where he earned both his BA and MA; then, for purely personal reasons, he decided to move to Copenhagen (not to London or any other Western metropolis), where he broadened his education and gained a PhD in 2000. Given the cross-cultural and religious relevance of Gaya (Buddha’s place of enlightenment as well as an internationally renowned Hindu pilgrimage destination), he grew up “more as a cosmopolitan person” (Dharker 33); hence, as he observes, he “was attracted to the world and [he] was interested in difference” (33).1 Khair has been recently described by Om Dwivedi and Cristina Gàmez-Fernàndez as “a humanist” (xv), as a “socially responsible writer” (xv) who, far from merely entertaining his readers, wishes “to provoke thought and thus augment moral and ethical values in society” (xv). Moreover, the two scholars have emphasized Kahir’s uncompromising rejection of literary labels − postcolonial/ diasporic/ transnational/ postmodern, to name a few − applied to his (or anybody’s) output, as categorizations entail (over)simplifications and restrictions, through the adoption of theoretical lenses that fail to capture the complexity of a work of art, mirroring a multi-faceted and ever-changing reality. In his view, valuable books are those that “make you think anew” (Khair, “Non-Fiction”), by suggesting fresh perspectives, while unsettling deeply ingrained sets of beliefs and assumptions. As he further underlined in the 2011 volume of criticism he wrote with Sebastién Doubinsky, literature “is where we are confronted with the possibilities, problems and limits of language, which are finally also the problems of reality (and representation)” (Khair, Doubinsky 10). Innuendoes, gaps, silence, therefore, are equally important, since “the best writers make the most of not just what can be said but, above all, what cannot be said” (11). Accordingly, the reader 1 Besides, as he mentioned to Gautam Karmakar, he “grew up in an open and religious Muslim family, going to a Roman Catholic school, and surrounded by Hindu friends and neighbours. The idea that one has to show respect to other religions [...] was a lifestyle” (273). Acta_Neophilologica_2019_FINAL.indd 60 16.12.2019 15:00:04 61 An Unwilling Suspension of Misbeliefs envisioned by Khair refuses to stay “on the surface of the text” (Khair, “The Death” 131): by assuming the role of a critic, s/he is an “active thinker and interpreter” (131), who explores the crevices between words and lines and, just like the protagonist of Seamus Heaney’s renowned poem, digs out previously unforeseen alternatives. In recent years, Khair has been engaged in tackling crucial contemporary issues, such as Islamic fundamentalism and xenophobia.2 As this essay sets out to elucidate, in his latest literary endeavour, a short novel entitled Night of Happiness (2018), the author encourages his readers to expose the root of most problems affecting human relationships and, therefore, society as a whole: our unwillingness to embrace the intricacies, the unexpected multiplicity of reality, reassuringly misperceived through the filter of one’s biases and preconceptions, and thus commonly misinterpreted. As will be shown, religious radicalism and discrimination also stem from this core pathology. Narrated by a high-flying entrepreneur, Anil Mehrotra, the narrative explores his increasingly perplexing connection with his right-hand man, Ahmed, regarded as a trustworthy and diligent employee until the incident that triggers the plot. Always cooperative and unpretentious, Ahmed has only ever asked for one day off a year to celebrate Shab-e-baraat, the night of happiness and salvation, a Muslim festival that “links the past to the future” (Khair, Night 15) through the commemoration of the dead. Due to pressing and unexpected business commitments, Ahmed is compelled to work with his boss even on that special occasion. As soon as the most urgent tasks are completed, however, Mehrotra decides to assuage his feelings of guilt by driving Ahmed home, where his wife is supposedly waiting for him to taste the delicious maida ka halwa she has especially prepared for the event. Invited to join them in the feast (even though the lady of the house might not show herself, since she observes strict purdah), Mehrotra is confronted with a most distressing experience: he is served a plate of non-existent halwa, which his host seems to be enjoying immensely, eating from his own empty dish. Furthermore, the conspicuous lock on the front door (signalling the absence of any occupant, before the two men walked in), coupled with the remarkable invisibility of Ahmed’s spouse, suggest that she might also be a figment of his troubled mind. Concerned for the future stability of his company, in the hands of an evidently insane person, the narrator is determined to solve Ahmed’s mystery by hiring a private investigator, who 2 Tabish Khair has released two “sister novels” (Karmakar 279), How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position (2012) and Just Another Jihadi Jane (2016), and a philosophical treatise entitled The New Xenophobia (2016). In 2008, some of his essays published between 2001 and 2007 were collected by Renu Kaul Verma in a volume, entitled Muslim Modernities: Tabish Khair’s Essays on Moderation and Mayhem. Acta_Neophilologica_2019_FINAL.indd 61 16.12.2019 15:00:04 62 ElisabEtta Marino gradually uncovers the tragedies of his individual (and collective) past, first of all the ferocious murder of his beloved wife during the Gujarat riots.3 From the very choice of the genre for his novel, Tabish Khair challenges his readers to think beyond conventions and expand their horizons. Depicted by Avantika Mehta as a “literary thriller with a gripping and well-constructed plot” (“Review: Night of Happiness by Tabish Khair”), Night of Happiness actually defies any form of classification, as Mandira Nayar has also pointed out, by viewing it as “part fable, part thriller and part philosophical” (“Night of Happiness: A Serving of Distilled Wisdom from Tabish Khair”). By following the narrator of this “haunting tale” (Mokkil, “The Islamic Factor”) and his line of reasoning, readers gather that appearances may be deceptive, perceptions (even self-perceptions) might prove inaccurate, and simplifications inevitably lead to misunderstandings and mistakes. Indeed, only when the end of the story is reached, can its beginning be thoroughly understood, thus casting a different light on its main characters. The son of a diplomat and a successful manager, Anil Mehrotra belongs to a privileged class, as his PhD from Columbia University, his brand-new Toyota Innova (normally driven by a chauffeur), his iPhone, his golf-club membership, and the fancy party he gives and attends unmistakably testify. He introduces himself as “a man of action” (Khair, Night 42), who takes pride in “thinking logically” (42), while running his “life (and business) on clear lines” (50).4 His most used adjective is probably sensible: he leads a “sensible life” (139, 144), plays golf, a “sensible game” (64), and his marriage is “a sensible one” (75), surely meant to last, since no “deep existential issues” (75) are ever addressed in conversation. The charming family picture sketched by Khair – a refined and cultivated couple with two adorable, cornflakes-eating girls in immaculate school uniform, against the background of a lavishly furnished house5 − is reminiscent of many a scene of delightful domesticity taken from a 1960s Hollywood movie. With his perfectly balanced, successful, and well-organized existence, Mehrotra seemingly epitomizes the virtues of dependability and integrity. Readers are, therefore, persuaded to accept his account of the facts as truthful, while sharing his doubts on Ahmed’s mental sanity, after the unpleasant episode of the invisible 3 As Tabish Khair explains in his novel (126), the 2002 violence was instigated by the death of more than fifty Hindu pilgrims on a train that was seemingly set on fire in Godhra (Gujarat). Returning from Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), the Hindu pilgrims had taken part in a ceremony at the site where Babri Masjid (a large mosque) used to stand before its demolition (supposedly, the mosque had replaced a pre-existing temple of Rama and, therefore, it had been pulled down). Accused of causing what, later on, turned out to be most likely an accident, the minority Muslim population in Gujarat was persecuted and hundreds were slaughtered. 4 In Mehrotra’s words, his business is “a well-o

中文翻译:

不情愿地停止误解:承认快乐之夜中现实的复杂性

通过关注塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)的最新文学创作,一部名为《幸福之夜(Night of Happiness)(2018)的短篇小说》,本文着手研究作者认为是影响人类关系和整个社会的大多数问题的根源:我们的不愿拥抱现实中意想不到的复杂性,这是通过令人误解的过滤器令人放心地误解的。关键词:原教旨主义,认同感,幸福之夜,刻板印象,塔比什·凯尔ACTA NEOPHILOLOGICA UDK:821.111(540).09Khair T.DOI:10.4312 / an.52.1-2.59-68 Acta_Neophilologica_2019_FINAL.indd 59 16.12.2019 15:00 :04 60 ElisabEtta Marino一位备受推崇的评论家,一位有见识的记者,诗,戏剧和小说的多才多艺的作家(入围多个著名奖项),Tabish Khair(1966-)还是他目前居住的奥尔胡斯大学(丹麦)英语系的副教授。Om Dwivedi认为,他蓬勃发展的艺术事业走了一条非常规的道路,从而挑战了全球出版业的“先决条件”。根据这一要求,他将具有非西方背景的有前途的作家束缚在一起:他们来自“有共同点的重要地方”与英国殖民主义”(10)。恰恰相反,Khair是在加雅的一个穆斯林家庭中长大的。加雅是比哈尔邦落后偏远州的一个小镇。他在印度度过了人生的前30年,在那里他获得了文学士和文学硕士学位;然后,出于纯粹的个人原因,他决定搬到哥本哈根(而不是伦敦或其他西方大都市),他扩大了学业,并于2000年获得博士学位。鉴于加雅(佛陀的启蒙地以及国际知名的印度教朝圣目的地)的跨文化和宗教意义,他“成长为一个更加国际化的人”(Dharker 33);因此,正如他所观察到的那样,他“被世界所吸引,[他]对差异很感兴趣”(33)。1最近,Om Dwivedi和CristinaGàmez-Fernàndez将Khair形容为“人文主义者”,一个“具有社会责任感的作家”(xv),他不仅要娱乐他的读者,还希望“激发思想,从而在社会上增进道德和伦理价值”(xv)。此外,两位学者都强调了卡希尔(Kahir)毫不妥协地拒绝将文学标签-后殖民/泛滥/跨国/后现代等应用到他(或任何人)的作品中,通过采用无法捕捉艺术作品复杂性的理论镜头,反映了多方面且不断变化的现实,分类需要(过度)简化和限制。在他看来,有价值的书是那些通过提出新鲜的观点而“使您重新思考”(Khair,“非小说”)的书籍,同时使根深蒂固的信念和假设不稳定。正如他在2011年与塞巴斯蒂安·杜宾斯基(SebastiénDoubinsky)撰写的批评文章中进一步强调的那样,文学“是我们面临语言的可能性,问题和局限性的地方,而这些问题最终也是现实(和代表)的问题”(Khair,Doubinsky 10)。因此,影射,差距,沉默同样重要,因为“最优秀的作家不仅要充分利用可以说的东西,而且首先要充分利用不能说的东西”(11)。因此,读者1此外,正如他在Gautam Karmakar中所提到的那样,他“成长于一个开放而宗教的穆斯林家庭,上了一所罗马天主教学校,被印度教朋友和邻居包围。不得不尊重其他宗教的想法是一种生活方式”(273)。Acta_Neophilologica_2019_FINAL.indd 60 16.12.2019 15:00:04 61由凯尔(Khair)设想的不愿停止的误解拒绝停留在“文本表面”(凯尔(Khair),“死亡”(Death)131):通过扮演批评者的角色,他/她是一位“活跃的思想家和解释者”(131),他探索单词和单词之间的缝隙,就像西默斯·海尼著名诗作的主人公一样,挖掘出了以前无法预料的选择。近年来,凯尔一直致力于解决重要的当代问题,例如伊斯兰原教旨主义和仇外心理。2在本文开始阐明他最新的文学创作时,他写了一部名为《幸福之夜》的短篇小说(2018年),作者鼓励其读者揭露影响人类关系乃至整个社会的大多数问题的根源:我们不愿接受错综复杂的事实,意想不到的现实多重性,通过滤除自己的偏见和先入之见而令人放心的误解,因而常常被误解。可以看出,宗教激进主义和歧视也源于这种核心病理。故事由一位高飞的企业家Anil Mehrotra讲述,探讨了他与他的得力助手艾哈迈德(Ahmed)之间日益复杂的联系,艾哈迈德被视为值得信赖和勤奋的员工,直到事件引发情节。总是合作和谦逊,艾哈迈德(Ahmed)每年只要求放假一天来庆祝Shab-e-baraat(幸福和救赎之夜),这是一个通过纪念死者而“将过去与未来联系起来”的穆斯林节日(Khair,第15晚) 。由于紧迫且出乎意料的业务承诺,即使在那个特殊场合,艾哈迈德也不得不与老板一起工作。然而,一旦完成最紧迫的任务,梅赫罗特拉决定通过开车赶回艾哈迈德回家来减轻内感,据说艾哈迈德的妻子正等着他来品尝他为这次活动特别准备的美味可口的maida ka halwa。受邀与他们一起参加盛宴(尽管那位房子的女士可能会露面,因为她遵守严格的标准),梅赫罗特拉面临着最令人痛苦的经历:他被送往一盘不存在的哈尔瓦盘子,他的主人似乎很喜欢,用自己的空盘子吃东西。此外,前门上明显的锁(这意味着在两个人走进去之前,没有任何乘员进入),再加上艾哈迈德的配偶的隐形性,这暗示着她也可能是他烦恼的头脑的伪装。考虑到公司的未来稳定性,在一个显然发疯的人的手中,叙述者决心通过聘请私人侦探来解决艾哈迈德的奥秘。2塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)发表了两本“姊妹小说”(《卡尔玛》 279)从传教士职位(2012)和《另一个圣战者简》(2016)中抗击伊斯兰恐怖,以及名为《新仇外心理》(2016)的哲学论文。2008年,Renu Kaul Verma收集了他在2001年至2007年之间发表的部分论文,题为《穆斯林现代性:塔比什·凯尔的中庸与混乱》。Acta_Neophilologica_2019_FINAL.indd 61 16.12.2019 15:00:04 62 ElisabEtta Marino逐渐发现了他的个人(和集体)过去的悲剧,首先是在古吉拉特邦暴动期间亲爱的妻子被凶杀.3塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)以其小说的体裁挑战读者,要求他们超越常规思考并拓展视野。如《曼蒂拉·纳亚尔(Mandira Nayar)所指出的那样,《幸福之夜》被Avantika Mehta形容为“具有惊险且结构合理的情节的文学惊悚片”(《评论:塔比什·凯尔的幸福之夜》)。将其视为“寓言部分,惊悚片和哲学部分”(“幸福之夜:从塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)品尝蒸馏出的智慧”)。通过跟随这个“困扰故事”的叙述者(Mokkil,“伊斯兰因素”)及其推理,读者发现表象可能具有欺骗性,感知(甚至是自我感知)可能不准确,而简化不可避免地导致误解。和错误。确实,只有当故事的结尾到达时,它的开头才能被完全理解,从而在其主要角色上产生不同的印象。Anil Mehrotra是外交官的儿子,也是一位成功的经理,他是一个特权阶层,因为他从哥伦比亚大学获得博士学位,而他的全新Toyota Innova(通常由司机驾驶),他的iPhone,他的高尔夫俱乐部会员资格以及他参加的花式聚会无可厚非地作证。他称自己为“行动人物”(凯尔,第42晚),他以“逻辑思维”而自豪(42),同时保持“生活(和生意)的分明”(50)。4他最常用的形容词可能是明智的:他过着“明智的生活”(139,144),打高尔夫球,“明智的比赛”(64) ,而他的婚姻是“明智的婚姻”(75岁),肯定意味着可以持久,因为在对话中从来没有涉及“深层的生存问题”(75岁)。克尔(Khair)描绘的迷人家庭照片–精致而有修养的夫妇,加上两个可爱,吃玉米片的女孩,穿着完美的校服,背景是一间装潢豪华的房子5 –让人想起许多1960年代好莱坞电影中令人愉悦的家庭生活场景。凭借完美的平衡,成功和组织良好的存在,Mehrotra似乎体现了可靠性和正直性的美德。因此,说服读者接受他对事实的陈述是真实的,在对艾哈迈德的精神健全性表示怀疑的同时,如塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)在其小说(126)中令人不悦的那段令人不快的剧集3所示,2002年的暴力事件是由于五十多名印度教朝圣者在火车上死亡而导致的。戈德拉(古吉拉特邦)起火。印度教朝圣者从北方邦的阿约提亚(Ayodhya)返回后,参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大型清真寺)在拆除前曾站立的地方(据说清真寺已取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此,它已被拉下)。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“ 在如塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)在其小说(126)中令人不悦的一集令人不悦的情节之后,2002年的暴力事件是由一架看似在Godhra(古吉拉特邦)着火的火车上的五十多名印度教朝圣者的死亡引发的。印度教朝圣者从北方邦的阿约提亚(Ayodhya)返回后,参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大型清真寺)在拆除前曾站立的地方(据说清真寺已取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此,它已被拉下)。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“ 在如塔比什·凯尔(Tabish Khair)在其小说(126)中令人不悦的一集令人不悦的情节之后,2002年的暴力事件是由一架看似在Godhra(古吉拉特邦)着火的火车上的五十多名印度教朝圣者的死亡引发的。印度教朝圣者从北方邦的阿约提亚(Ayodhya)返回后,参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大型清真寺)在拆除前曾站立的地方(据说清真寺已取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此,它已被拉下)。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“ 2002年的暴力事件是由50多名印度朝圣者在火车上丧生所致,这列火车似乎在Godhra(古吉拉特邦)着火。印度教朝圣者从北方邦的阿约提亚(Ayodhya)返回后,参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大型清真寺)在拆除前曾站立的地方(据说清真寺已取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此,它已被拉下)。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“ 2002年的暴力事件是由50多名印度朝圣者在火车上丧生所致,这列火车似乎在Godhra(古吉拉特邦)着火。印度教朝圣者从北方邦的阿约提亚(Ayodhya)返回后,参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大型清真寺)在拆除前曾站立的地方(据说清真寺已取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此,它已被拉下)。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“ 印度朝圣者参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大清真寺)在拆除之前曾站立的地方(据说,该清真寺取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此被拉下了) 。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“ 印度朝圣者参加了一个仪式,那里是Babri Masjid(一座大清真寺)在拆除之前曾站立的地方(据说,该清真寺取代了先前已存在的Rama庙宇,因此被拉下了) 。后来被指控造成事故的可能性最大,古吉拉特邦的少数穆斯林人口遭到迫害,数百人被杀。4用Mehrotra的话来说,他的生意是“
更新日期:2019-12-17
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