Today I stumbled upon two short stories. I should thank William Dalrymple for the web links he provided in his Outlook magazine book review. (I think he has became a regular with the magazine) I was able to strike literary gold by visiting www.newyorker.com. I read short stories one from a renowned author who is also one of my favorites - Vladimir Nabokov titled - Natasha. The second one was from a Pakistani story-teller Daniyal Mueenuddin titled - Nawabdin Electrician.
Natasha tells us about the life a girl who is nursing her father who is dying. His mind is filled with fears of the war that he had fought. Apart from Natasha and her father, the other character is Baron Wolfe. He is in his late thirties and one day takes Natasha on a picnic to the country side - The day when her father, Khrenov succumbs to death. The story is appealing for the style of Nabokov which made Lolita an unforgettable experience. The subtlety with which the reader is made to experience the feelings of Wolfe towards Natasha is wonderful –
‘Leaning over the bannister, Wolfe glanced back at her. For an instant he caught sight from overhead of the sleek, girlish part in her hair’
I think it is purely cinematic and hence vivid. The story explores the mindscape of the three characters – Natasha who is a dreamy girl, trying to get out of the greasy situation of life by fantasizing. Wolfe, who concocts stories about distant lands and people. The picnic scene involving Natasha and Wolfe is highly picturesque and reminded me of the Loft Scene in Sons and Lovers of D.H Lawrence.
The second story which is from across the border (Pakistan) tells the story of an electrician who is in charge of a farm. He’s got thirteen daughters because he was married at an earlier age to ‘a sweet woman of unsurpassed fertility’. The story is a sketch of Nawabdin’s life as the electrician. The story can be divided into two parts, the first part deals with Nawabdin cycling along the farms repairing and trouble shooting electrical problems. In the second part Nawabdin, is given a motorcycle and his social status increases. ‘The motorcycle increased his status, gave him weight, so that people began calling him Uncle and asking his opinion on world affairs, about which he knew absolutely nothing. He could now range farther, doing much wider business’. The story ends with Nawabdin lying in the hospital bed in a pool of blood, ignoring the pleas of the robber who tried to attack him and steal his bike. I don’t think the story has got multiple levels of meaning. It is just a story and as the old adage goes – there are no questions asked when you read/listen to a story.
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