Slave Ship

Being one of the first book of Shame & Glory Saga by Jerrold Mundis, “Slave Ship” is a story of horror and graphic violence regarding slave trade common in 18^th century West coast of Africa. This story focus on voyage of such a slave ship called “Jubilation”, the ship where the men of different colour and flat noses are considered just a “valuable piece of merchandise”.

At the start an African tribe called Fanti enslave their own brother tribe called Ashanti Story’s main character Adoko and his whole tribe called Ashanti are captivated by their own brother tribe called Fanti. Fantis sell Adoko’s tribe to slave traders who are destined to transport them to United States. This issue reminded me of a quotation by Will Durrant where he has stated "A great civilisation is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within”.  

The novel primarily consists of three parts. The first part introduces the main characters, sub-characters and sets out the story. Main characters are Adoko, the commander of Ashanti tribe; Horneby, the ship captain and a cruel man; Mr. Wilkes, the chief surgeon; and Virgil Dunbar, a brilliant journalist disguised as a newly inducted seaman. Dunbar wants to write a first-hand account of the slave trade. 

Second part of this historical fiction addresses the voyage and the treatment of slaves by captain and other seamen. This part is interesting as well gory because the portrayal of slaves is so explicit that a faint-hearted will shed tears of blood. The enslaved are kept in inhuman conditions even worse than animals. The slaves also attempt resistance to this unjust and treacherous treatment but fail. Rebels are punished severely for this act but their brother fight for survival even in captivity. The slaves do not want to lose their identity, freedom, dignity.

There are two incidents in part two which are worthy of consideration. Firstly, the Captain buys five white girls from Mount Celestial and intends to sell them. On surgeon’s concern about white girls being sold to the negros the Captain replies “…..they are not going to the niggers. As you well know, you can’t even give a white woman to a black merchant, let alone sell her.” This sentence of the Captain shows the sense of superiority of white men over the colour of skin of other human beings. During trade of those girls to a Moorish trader, such a tragic incident happen which leaves a deep scar on the heart of sensitive Dr. Wilkes. Eventually, he cannot bear this guilt any longer and commits suicide.

Secondly, a slave girl named Leana thinks, “The whites were not human. It was senseless trying to understand them”. This a sentence is worth of hundred thousand dollars is a question mark over humanity. It shows what an enslaved human being thinks about her captivators. Such an evil behaviour makes a slave think like this about the white men. So a human beings skin colour does not determine of his being a civilized. His attitude decided this.

Third part brings story closer to the conclusion, which is quite unexpected. I will not add any spoiler regarding conclusion. Some novels carry two characters. This story carries many characters of different sort with it.  All those characters are connected to the main theme and concluded in a justified manner.

There is no place for a sensitive person on a slave ship. Spread ofplague of blindness among slaves and masters on board becomes another issue while the ship is steering to its destination.

This novel is a powerful story of love, deception, slavery, betrayal, guilt and hatred. It is an equally  powerful portrayal of an ugly and unbearable face of racism and oppression in the shape of transatlantic slave trade pervasive in 18^th century with thought-provoking themes. However, this novel is a part of Shame and Glory Saga but there is more shame than glory in it.

Galina

Well, it was first time since I saw any book by Alexander Serafimovich. Writer attracted me de to his Russian name. Alexander Serafimovich is also a very great Russian writer such as his contemporaries Gorky, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gogol, Solzhenitsyn and many others. He was much praised by almost all of his contemporaries. Lenin, Tolstoy, Sholokhov and many other notable Russian people praised literary work of Serafimovich greatly.

So, here we are talking about Serafimovich' long story or rather it can be called a novel titled "Galina" which is a character-driven story of pre-revolution country side of Russia. Based upon social realism, the novel is an account of a female character named "Galina" who is transferred to a remote village in Russia. 

Galina observes backwardness, submission of people in fate, helplessness, family dynamics, tragedy, student enrollment issues, heath issues, debt of farmers, exploitation of farmers by landlord, inhuman human conditions, inflation, deteriorating condition of roads, young-old relationship, human sufferings and over-population among others. Apart from Galina, a church clerk and a doctor are also main characters in this novel. 

Key theme of novel is "Teacher as a Social reformer". The account narrates unexpected difficulties and challenges faced by Galina in the village. During her interaction with teachers appointed at other schools in neighbouring villages, she feels they do not care much about children and human lives over there. She clearly realises her colleagues' insensitivity. However, Galina strongly realises her morality and ethics to perform her duty honestly. With her spark and hard work she seems a positive change in her students' academic activities. 

As the author has strived to portray pre-revolution Russia, therefore, he has mainly focused on Russian villages, condition of education, identity, class struggle, social change, personal growth, transformation, the human condition, existential crisis, the search for meaning which, collectively altogether when achieved, pave the way for revolution. The story invites dispersed human beings to be collective and united f they want to achieve something greater for the society. This is not necessarily a revolutionary y novel yet it invites collective human thinking to bring revolution for a greater good. 

I don't know why but I have always been fascinated by Russian literature. Perhaps, it always reflects my own country. It is true.. Whenever, I read any Russian novel of 19th or 20th century I always see the reflection of my own homeland in that piece of literature. Russian values, traditions, behaviours and attitudes of people always remind me that we people are still at the behest of those issues which were faced by Russians in 19th century. 

This novel, though short in length, speaks volumes of conditions of millions of people still today in many developing countries. My homeland is one of them. This novel wholly reflects many developing countries where education and village reforms have never been part of any government's plan. Many Western people may find this novel irrelevant in 21st century. Yet it is still very much relevant for almost half of the globe. 

Russia developed after the revolution, perhaps it seems, many other nations are still looking forward to the path of revolution as well. Only revolution can lead to getting our identities by bringing a social change. 

Requiem for a Woman’s Soul

Never have I read a novel, which has made me shed tears of blood and made me shudder every time I tried to read it. Though containing only 100 pages, but this book made me utterly difficult to finish. I have to leave it unfinished many times due to the degree of violence portrayed by author. Anyway, finally I succeeded to finish this literary masterpiece written by Argentinian author and journalist Omar Rivabella.

Once I read a review on Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” where the reviewer stated that she started contemplating suicide after finishing the said book. She was wrong in saying so about Conrad’s famous work. However, the statement can assertively be given about Rivabella’s literary fiction for this is the tale that will unfailingly make you feel how brutal is the world. It offers a psychological insight into violence individually as well as collectively.

One cannot authoritatively claim this account is based upon a true story but, simultaneously, it must be based upon true events. Because everyone knows it what happened in Argentine during dictatorial regime of Jorge Rafael Videla (1974-1983). Vidala ordered to conduct an infamous military operation known as “Operation Condor” through which political dissidents were abducted, tortured and murdered in various concentration camps. Since, Omar Rivabella is a journalist therefore he must have had enough interactions with survivors of those concentration camps. From there he got the idea of writing this novel.

The story is set in an unknown Argentinian village where brutalities, atrocities, torture and violence are inflicted upon ‘dissents of the state’ by making them disappear enforcedly. This novel encapsulates such incidents by portraying a main character of a literature student called Suzanne. Suzanne anyhow manages to write a diary in prison and smuggles it out to prison to a trustworthy Father Anotnio. Father Antonio tries his level best to serialise that uneven account of prison memoirs because the diary is written on small papers, matchbox, cigarette pocket, toilet papers and all other things, which were available to the inmate in the prison. Thus starts an emotional journey of a character enduring every type of violence in the prison.

Initially Father Antonio starts working on received jail diary reluctantly. Slowly and gradually, he manages to recall Suzanne. Then Antonio works tirelessly upon the diary without even taking care of his own health. Because, it seems, Father Antonio and Suzanne share the same suffering and bond of violence. During working on the diary, father Antonio himself falls ill due to the effects of violence he reads and feels.

Since I do not like to add spoilers in my review. Therefore, keeping in view my tradition, I will not write here much about the climax and the way of storytelling of the author. This is the story of trauma, recovery, grief, mourning, self-discovery, spirituality, symbolism. The novel symbolises Suzanne not an individual victim but a symbol of those all people who have remained victims of violence throughout the world.

Published first in 1986 in English, this novel became an instant best seller throughout the world. This novel does not tend to answer many questions regarding any brutal dictator society. Instead, it dares ask questions about it. It asks many questions regarding, attitude of torturers towards victim, behaviours of torturers toward society, the role of torturers in their own homes, and mainly the psychological state of victim.