The Woman Destroyed
and other books
Ive been tied up in writing a dystopian short story that I finally finished on Friday. The upside - I had a lot of fun. The downside - I couldn’t manage to write anything else (why this newsletter is 2 weeks overdue and other excuses).
Writing exhaustion thankfully did not interfere with my reading. I was uncertain regarding what to write on from a selection of four recently finished books. So I went with the easiest solution - lazy reviews of all.
The Woman Destroyed - Simone de Beauvoir
This book is a collection of three novellas by one of my favourite authors Simone De Beauvoir. All three stories are about women past their youth struggling with the uncertainties of age, life and future.
My favourite among the three novellas is ‘Age of Discretion’. It follows the lives of two academics at the end of their careers. The main protagonist has to deal with themes like fear of irrelevance as she grows older, marital tension over disagreements and stunted communication, and emotional fallout with children. I took my time with this novella - appreciating the many powerful messages conveyed through the protagonists internal monologues as she struggled with her inner emotions. It showcased the emotional turmoil of ambitious mother finding out her son had decided to leave academia, a path she carefully groomed him for, in pursuit of a stable job that paid well. She dealt with disbelief, anger, apathy and eventually acceptance. In so many ways I feel like a lot of parents should read this - It will begin by resonating with their expectations but then slowly start deconstructing them (hopefully in the process helping them understand children eventually grow up to make their own decisions for themselves and there is point after which parents have to let them be) The other themes it explores are of letting go, acceptance and introspection.
The novellas are a true example of literature that devastates you but that is exactly what makes The Woman Destroyed such a necessary read.
I read this book online - Found a link with a downloadable PDF version, incase anyone is interested in reading.
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Jerusalem: A Biography by Simon Sebag Montifore
Ive been reading this book since three weeks now. That alone should say a lot about it. It is a history of the city not through time but through the people that lived in Jerusalem, raising it and razing it alike.
Honestly the book wasn’t so difficult to read from David in 1000 BCE till the Mamluks in 1300CE but after that it became an incredibly tough ride. It is partially why I’ll knock off 1.5 stars and give it a rating of 3.5/5.
Jerusalem is a city holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It has at times been the center of countless prayers, reverence, aspirations, international intrigue, conflict and and at other times a forgotten pile of rocks. Its history, stretching over thousands of years, is the account of East meeting West and of religion and politics. It is a tragic, complicated bloodstained city that has at times been Pagan, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. It is, simply put, as complicated a place as it is holy.
While the story of Jerusalem is tragic and bloody, exhilarating and uplifting; Simon tells all of it with an eye for detail. This is a city that has been torn down and destroyed and rebuilt far too many times to count. History has been laid down here layer by layer, one civilisation building on the foundations of another, one religion after another laid down on the beliefs of another, the sediments of time and faith. This book is an achievement given the range of time and the wide expanse of detail that has been covered.
I won't try and summarise all 600 pages into a couple of paragraphs - that would be near impossible, but Montefiore has filled his pages with immense amounts of detail and history of the lives of the people that have occupied this city. But this amount of detail along with a cast of thousands over a millennia is also what makes reading this book so difficult and hard. As mentioned earlier, at times, reading felt like wading through a thick sludge.
Skepticism: Montifore claims to have written an objective history but if you read carefully there are hidden biases. There are parts where I feel he relied more heavily on certain sources for historical accounts instead of weighing other sources of that period equally. He rushes through some epochs at times which makes it difficult to keep track of. He ends the book right after the Six Day War of 1967 post which it would be very hard to write anything without picking a side.
Why read?: Depends on what you want from it. If you’re genuinely curious about the history of Jerusalem and are willing to invest the time and mental energy - this is a very comprehensive book to read. Otherwise there are easier less chunky books on the subject that can be read.
I bought this book from Saeed Book Bank Islamabad. Last I checked they still had it in stock.
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Lahore: A Sentimental Journey by Pran Nevile
This book was Pran Nevile’s pilgrimage to the past - to the city of his birth where he spent his childhood and youth before the partition of 1947. Decades later, a chance meeting with a Lahori in Switzerland triggered a maelstrom of nostalgia that prompted him to write this book.
This book is in no way a early 20th century biography of the city of Lahore. Rather it is a romantic retelling of the city Pran grew up in and fondly remembered. Pran in his own words belongs the the fading pre-partition generations that were forced to leave their homeland but carry it in their hearts like the cherished memories of first love. He writes fondly on multiple topics such as shopping in Anarkali, Tonga Rides on mall road, splendors of Heera Mandi, early cinema, changing world of women, food, drinks, clothes, government college, transport and politics.
In some ways Pran’s Lahore still survives in the culture of local festival celebrations, cuisines, and arts. Its public spaces remain as masculine as they were back in the 30’s and 40’s. But in so many ways the idyllic syncretistic Lahore of pre-partition is no longer there. Most traces of its non-Muslim past have faded away over time and it has witnessed occasional violence over the years against its minorities. Regardless, this book is a heartwarming and beautiful journey into the past. This is a book our parents and grandparents will enjoy even more. There is nothing more powerful than a text evoking long forgotten memories.
Pran ends the book with a chapter on his first visit back to Lahore, 40 years after the partition which opens a whole floodgate of memories for him. He meets some of his old friends reminiscing their shared past. He goes on a self guided tour of the old city searching for traces of his childhood haunts in the bazaars. Fortunately, this was not his last visit. Pran has been invited to Lahore multiple times over the years to talk at conferences. He ends the book with
‘I hope Lahore will continue calling me’
Through his book on Lahore, it is not the story of the city that is learned but the story of Pran Nevile, a story that came to an end when he died in 2018, days short of his 96th birthday
I bought this book from Readings Lahore. Last I checked they still had it in stock.
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پطرس بخاری - پطرس کے مضامین (Patras kay Mazameen - Patras Bukhari)
The powerful humor in Patras Sahab’s writing is timeless. Whether you’re a kid reading excerpts of it in your course books or an adult looking for a mood-lift - Patras kay Mazameen will never fail to leave you in smiles . The essays in Patras kay Mazameen feature everyday characters from his friends, mechanics, shopkeepers right down to the street dogs. He is self deprecating but genuine in his humor and that is what makes his writings so lovable.
An essay that had me in stitches was kuttay (Dogs): After combing the web I managed to find it online here incase you’re interested in reading it.
Urdu humor is in a class of its own, unrivalled and unparalleled. I am pretty sure no translation would ever do it justice. If you enjoy works of Patras Bukhari, I would highly recommend Bajang Amad by Col Muhammad Khan and works of works of Ibn-e-Insha.
I bought Pitras k Mazameen from an old book shop in Saddar Rawalpindi. You’ll have no trouble finding this book in Pakistan. A scan of this book is also available for download online. Its is unfortunate though there is no ebook rendered in an urdu font for this book.
On that note the web is an ugly place for Urdu readers and Urdu language speakers because most major websites like Google, Twitter and Facebook don't support the most readable Urdu font - Nastaleeq. Therefore, Urdu speakers/readers are forced to read poorly rendered Ariel or Naskh fonts.
Ive had below song on repeat all week - its ah-mazing!
August is the Women in Translation Month #WITMonth
WIT aims to promote women writers in translation, aswell as their translators and publishers. Translated literature notoriously accounts for only 3.5% of published literature in the English-language book market, and less than one-third of this is women-authored.
The goal of WIT is simple: Read, review, and discuss books by women writers in translation! Support women writers in translation!
Since so few books by women are translated - they receive little attention. If you find a woman writer’s book in translation, interesting - review and recommend it.
Words without borders has an excellent and diverse list if you’re interested in exploring translated works by women writers.
Eid Mubarak - Ghosht k sath sath eidi dena na bhuliye ga.
Saima
Great SS, and thanks for the song. It's amazing!