[ilds] ILDS Digest, Vol 103, Issue 10_An Indian View of Durrell's links with India
Sumantra Nag
sumantranag at gmail.com
Wed Nov 18 00:31:17 PST 2015
I read the responses from James and Sharbani with interest.
I have only just gone through Gulshan Taneja's paper with the attention it
deserves.
After covering numerous references mostly from Durrell's biography and from
Durrell's links with Tibetan or Indian spiritualism, Gulshan Taneja rightly
concludes that, in fact, references to subjects connected with India are
sparsely distributed over Durrell's works, and, by implication, oblique in
nature.
He correctly points out after his extensive review of these references,
that having left for England at the age of 11, without ever returning to
India thereafter, Durrell actually became 'Europeanised'.
I would say that the influence of the Levant was much more long lasting for
the adult Durrell.
I cannot speak as confidently about the novels following the AQ, but
references to India in the AQ are basically anecdotal and not central to
this considerable work of fiction.
I think this holds true for instance, to Mountolive's father and his
settling in India as a Pali scholar, which has little bearing on the
intensity with which Alexandria and the protagonists of the city are
portrayed.
The Book of the Dead, the title of the original crucible from which the
novel Justine apparently emerged, presents a mystery for those
unacquainted with Durrell's early drafts. But a reader of Justine and the
other novels of the AQ cannot make a link with that initial blueprint for a
novel.
There is a suggestion of Tibetan religion in that preliminary title, but
surely Justine and the novels of the AQ are steeped primarily in the spirit
of Alexandria. Even the "cults" of Alexandria - such as the Cabal run by
the distinctly Jewish Balthazar - do not directly dwell on anything
specifically Indian.
A thorough reading of Gulshan Taneja's paper will provide a useful
perspective in my opinion.
Regards to all
Sumantra
Sent from my Asus Zenfone
On 18 Nov 2015 01:39, <ilds-request at lists.uvic.ca> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India (Sumantra Nag)
2. Re: An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
(sharbani banerjee(mukherjee))
3. Re: An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
(James Gifford)
4. Re: An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
(sharbani banerjee(mukherjee))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2015 10:44:20 +0530
From: Sumantra Nag <sumantranag at gmail.com>
To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca
Cc: James Gifford <james.d.gifford at gmail.com>, Bruce Redwine
<bredwine1968 at earthlink.net>
Subject: [ilds] An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
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http://ebc.revues.org/2477
Gulshan Taneja's paper appears to be a significant, wide ranging inquiry
into Lawrence Durrell's connection with India and the continuing if latent
influence of India on his spiritual perspective of the world. People
familiar with the work of Ian MacNiven and others mentioned in the paper,
might of course be familiar with the material in this paper, which might
also be included in existing collections of the literature on Durrell.
There are some enlightening revelations, such as Durrell's wish to get
Justine translated into Bengali by a prominent Bengali writer. I have often
felt that in the AQ at least, Durrell writes with the colour and intensity
I would associate with a Bengali writer!
Regards
Sumantra Nag
Sent from my Asus Zenfone
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:11:50 +0530
From: "sharbani banerjee(mukherjee)" <sharbanibm at gmail.com>
To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca
Cc: James Gifford <james.d.gifford at gmail.com>, Bruce Redwine
<bredwine1968 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [ilds] An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
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Durrell's Indian influence is especially marked in AQ. Carol Pierce's
articles on Durrell's leanings towards Taoism have also hidhlighted this.
Ian's Biography is also a pointer.
On 17-Nov-2015 11:07 am, "Sumantra Nag" <sumantranag at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://ebc.revues.org/2477
>
> Gulshan Taneja's paper appears to be a significant, wide ranging inquiry
> into Lawrence Durrell's connection with India and the continuing if latent
> influence of India on his spiritual perspective of the world. People
> familiar with the work of Ian MacNiven and others mentioned in the paper,
> might of course be familiar with the material in this paper, which might
> also be included in existing collections of the literature on Durrell.
>
> There are some enlightening revelations, such as Durrell's wish to get
> Justine translated into Bengali by a prominent Bengali writer. I have
often
> felt that in the AQ at least, Durrell writes with the colour and intensity
> I would associate with a Bengali writer!
>
> Regards
>
> Sumantra Nag
>
> Sent from my Asus Zenfone
>
> _______________________________________________
> ILDS mailing list
> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca
> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds
>
>
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2015 06:22:39 -0800
From: James Gifford <james.d.gifford at gmail.com>
To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca
Subject: Re: [ilds] An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
Message-ID: <564B382F.4030705 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
If I might add, Ray Morrison's /A Smile in His Mind's Eye/ also
extensively discusses Durrell and Taoism, as does his last article,
which appeared in /Mosaic/.
/Pied Piper of Lovers/ is a fascinating novel. I believe Gulshan first
gave the paper at one of Corinne Alexandre-Garner's conferences in Paris.
All best,
James
On 2015-11-16 11:41 PM, sharbani banerjee(mukherjee) wrote:
> Durrell's Indian influence is especially marked in AQ. Carol Pierce's
> articles on Durrell's leanings towards Taoism have also hidhlighted
> this. Ian's Biography is also a pointer.
>
> On 17-Nov-2015 11:07 am, "Sumantra Nag" <sumantranag at gmail.com
> <mailto:sumantranag at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> http://ebc.revues.org/2477
>
> Gulshan Taneja's paper appears to be a significant, wide ranging
> inquiry into Lawrence Durrell's connection with India and the
> continuing if latent influence of India on his spiritual perspective
> of the world. People familiar with the work of Ian MacNiven and
> others mentioned in the paper, might of course be familiar with the
> material in this paper, which might also be included in existing
> collections of the literature on Durrell.
>
> There are some enlightening revelations, such as Durrell's wish to
> get Justine translated into Bengali by a prominent Bengali writer. I
> have often felt that in the AQ at least, Durrell writes with the
> colour and intensity I would associate with a Bengali writer!
>
> Regards
>
> Sumantra Nag
>
> Sent from my Asus Zenfone
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ILDS mailing list
> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca <mailto:ILDS at lists.uvic.ca>
> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds
>
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2015 00:08:30 +0530
From: "sharbani banerjee(mukherjee)" <sharbanibm at gmail.com>
To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca, James Gifford <james.d.gifford at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [ilds] An Indian View of an Indian View: Durrell?s India
Message-ID:
<CANY7Qkqj9BEREY=zcpirtSUxCVk4-jR-k011Y5TDWm8ixvht=g at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Yes, James.....you are right. Taoism always reminded Durrell of the maroon
clothed Tibetan ascetics of the Himalayan hills of Darjeeling and Kurseong
where he spent a part of his childhood and brought within him a sense of
peace and tranquility.
All the best always
Sharbani
On 17-Nov-2015 7:53 pm, "James Gifford" <james.d.gifford at gmail.com> wrote:
> If I might add, Ray Morrison's /A Smile in His Mind's Eye/ also
> extensively discusses Durrell and Taoism, as does his last article, which
> appeared in /Mosaic/.
>
> /Pied Piper of Lovers/ is a fascinating novel. I believe Gulshan first
> gave the paper at one of Corinne Alexandre-Garner's conferences in Paris.
>
> All best,
> James
>
> On 2015-11-16 11:41 PM, sharbani banerjee(mukherjee) wrote:
>
>> Durrell's Indian influence is especially marked in AQ. Carol Pierce's
>> articles on Durrell's leanings towards Taoism have also hidhlighted
>> this. Ian's Biography is also a pointer.
>>
>> On 17-Nov-2015 11:07 am, "Sumantra Nag" <sumantranag at gmail.com
>> <mailto:sumantranag at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>> http://ebc.revues.org/2477
>>
>> Gulshan Taneja's paper appears to be a significant, wide ranging
>> inquiry into Lawrence Durrell's connection with India and the
>> continuing if latent influence of India on his spiritual perspective
>> of the world. People familiar with the work of Ian MacNiven and
>> others mentioned in the paper, might of course be familiar with the
>> material in this paper, which might also be included in existing
>> collections of the literature on Durrell.
>>
>> There are some enlightening revelations, such as Durrell's wish to
>> get Justine translated into Bengali by a prominent Bengali writer. I
>> have often felt that in the AQ at least, Durrell writes with the
>> colour and intensity I would associate with a Bengali writer!
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Sumantra Nag
>>
>> Sent from my Asus Zenfone
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> ILDS mailing list
>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca <mailto:ILDS at lists.uvic.ca>
>> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds
>>
>> _______________________________________________
> ILDS mailing list
> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca
> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds
>
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