Magic, witchcraft and ghouls
Neil Gaiman spins a fantastic tale of a child's coming of age in the most unlikeliest of locations: a graveyard
By Huma Imtiaz
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 320
Price: Rs 685
A grisly triple-murder takes place, a child is found at the doorway of a graveyard, and a group of ghosts decide to take the boy, named by them as Nobody Owens, under their wing. What follows next for the next 320 pages in Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is a magical fantasy that has enthralled readers since its publication last year around the world and won the Newberry Medal in 2009 The Graveyard Book is a must-read for many reasons, and frankly speaking, is one of the more entertaining reads I've come across in a fairly long time.

Zia Mohyeddin column
I have, before me, a tome gifted to me by Shahnaz Aijazuddin (through the good offices of her husband, Faqir Syed Aijazuddin, an author himself,) who has spent years on translating and making sense of that desultory work of our classical literature known as Tilism-e- Hoshruba. It is not a gift; it is cornucopia.

Super Freakonomics

By Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Publisher: Penguin Books

Pages: 288

Price: Rs 1170

Did you know that a surprisingly high proportion of football players celebrate their birthdays in the first three months of the year? You and I would probably wave off such a fact to mere coincidence.

But some people care enough to hypothesise and establish the logic underlying such freaks of nature. Apparently, the cut-off date for sorting junior football players into leagues by age is December 31. This means that the biggest and strongest boys on teams are always the ones who were born early in the year. Year after year, they get to dominate smaller opponents and continue to garner attention and encouragement for their exploits. Turns out quite a few of them end up as superstars.

If you found that nugget of information intriguing and want to know more, you should check out Super Freakonomics. The book is authored by two academics who describe themselves as rogue economists and would like to expose interesting facts about human behaviour and society to the public at large. The concept is hardly new, the book is a sequel to the bestselling Freakonomics that was credited with re-igniting interest in economic and policy issues among the general public. This was achieved with tales of everything from the outcomes of sumo wrestling matches to the behaviour of drug addicts.

Super Freakonomics attempts to provide more of the same. Economists may be getting a bad rap these days due to their purported sins in melting the global economy. These two apologise on behalf of their colleagues but point out that as analysts of human behaviour they can safely distance themselves from those who trigger the flow of capital around the world. And really the book is about people and how they respond to incentives rather than any reference to the global economy at large.

An important difference from the prequel is that this book chooses to focus on fewer anecdotes but fleshes them out in more detail. For example, the opening third of the book analyzes the market for prostitution in the United States in graphic detail attempting to unmask trends in prices and frequency. Perhaps the most compelling feature of the book is that it explains in meticulous detail how it accumulates its data. In this case it describes the motivations and procedures adopted by a professor to study such a market and the risks he had to confront in the seedy neighbourhoods of Chicago.

One of the criticisms aimed at the previous book was that it indulged in trivial and frivolous topics and thus had little lasting value. This book takes a more serious crack at dealing with contemporary issues of global significance. It is no surprise that there is a comprehensive section devoted to cutting-edge efforts to identify terrorists before they can strike include descriptions of the science behind racial profiling and evaluation of the success of current systems.

Another chunk of the book is devoted to global warming and does a fair job of evaluating both sides of the argument. It debunks some myths regarding alternative energy and will probably spark some acerbic debate between rival lobbies.

Some sections of the book are noticeably weak. A fair amount of ink is devoted to the psychology behind wearing seat belts and doctors washing their hands before performing. But the authors have a tendency to repeat themselves in these sections as if they are struggling to convince us that there is something valuable to be concluded from these anecdotes.

It was heartening to see a section that will pique the interests of Muslims as it posits the effects of fasting on pregnant women based on ailments their children have experienced later in life. One of the shortcomings of the first book was the limited geographical scope of the observations; the authors have responded by giving the developing world its due.

The most intriguing section of the book is the conclusion which describes the endeavours of a maverick economist to simulate social behaviour in a community of caged monkeys by training them to trade coins for food. It's a light ending that reminds us of how much we have in common with our monkey friends.

One of the concerns surrounding any book of non-fiction would be the tendency of writers to ramble on in a didactic manner and alienate casual audiences. In Super Freakonomics, the authors have done a reasonable job of interspersing the content with wit and humour and the tone of the book never degrades into an academic sermon.

If your reading wish-list revolves around fantasy and romance novels, you will probably find this a bore and not get very far. If you're looking for a book that is quirky and may teach you something interesting to share with people at your next party, definitely do check out Super Freakonomics.

Magic, witchcraft and ghouls

The Graveyard Book

By Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 320

Price: Rs 685

A grisly triple-murder takes place, a child is found at the doorway of a graveyard, and a group of ghosts decide to take the boy, named by them as Nobody Owens, under their wing. What follows next for the next 320 pages in Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is a magical fantasy that has enthralled readers since its publication last year around the world and won the Newberry Medal in 2009 The Graveyard Book is a must-read for many reasons, and frankly speaking, is one of the more entertaining reads I've come across in a fairly long time.

Gaiman takes the reader through the journey of Nobody (affectionately referred to as Bod by his companions) growing up in a graveyard with risks to his life, his tantrums and sense of adventure, curiosity about the outside world, his friendship with the human he encounters in the graveyard the young girl (human, not ghost one must add) Scarlett and the battle between the forces of good and evil. And even though Gaiman leaves no detail to spare, the wonderful and yet haunting illustrations by Chris Riddell that precede each chapter are a delight to behold.

It's a pity that The Graveyard Book is billed as a children's fantasy novel, because the book appeals to the older set on various levels. The simplicity of its narrative, its depiction of a child's fear and imagination, a young boy's rebellious spirit and the wisdom of the lessons imparted to Nobody Owens by his guardian and teacher, which he often ignores, and later regret, Bod's sense of right and wrong and his desire to redress wrongs meted out by bullies make for a highly entertaining read. Gaiman's descriptions of the villain Jack, with the intrigue of the triple-murder case, and the intriguing ways and rituals of the ghosts that inhabit graveyards and the mysteries that surround them add to the allure of The Graveyard Book.

Then there's the loneliness that Nobody aka Bod is saddled with, with no friends of his own age, his unearthly companions unable to understand his desire to experience the world beyond the gates of the graveyard and his disappointment at being abandoned by his friend Scarlett and his teacher Silas. And this is where Gaiman is at his best, as he skilfully combines the atmosphere of the graveyard with the young child's emotions:

"Bod stopped beside a grave that looked the way he felt; it was beneath an oak that had once been struck by lightning, and now was just a black trunk, like a sharp talon coming out of the hill; the grave itself was water-stained and cracked, and above it was a memorial stone on which a headless angel hung, its robes looking like a huge and ugly tree-fungus."

And what fantasy is complete without the obligatory dose of witchcraft and magic. Here again, Gaiman doesn't disappoint, ghouls live in a land so dismal that one feels their stomach churning as they turn the page, the Sleer would scare any ordinary soul had they had the misfortune to come across it and Jack, the villain, oozes evil from every word that's written about him.

Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, while no magnum opus, takes one through a memorable journey with characters that one instantly falls in love with. Gaiman tackles his subjects with love, and the simplicity of the narrative ensures it is an easy read for readers of all ages. Even if one is not a fan of the fantasy genre, this book should be on your reading list this spring.

The Graveyard Book is available at The Last Word in Lahore and Karachi.

Zia Mohyeddin column

I have, before me, a tome gifted to me by Shahnaz Aijazuddin (through the good offices of her husband, Faqir Syed Aijazuddin, an author himself,) who has spent years on translating and making sense of that desultory work of our classical literature known as Tilism-e- Hoshruba. It is not a gift; it is cornucopia.

The Persian -- and now Urdu -- word, Tilism needs some explanation. It is translated as magic, but in Persian it means magic-bound domains governed by a pantheon of gods. And it also means a talisman, magical images upon which are engraved mystical characters as charms against enchantments. Talismans have been used in many cultures as preservatives particularly in burying them with treasures to prevent from being discovered.

This is an epic which makes us quiver with a tingling sensation; it enlarges our fantasies, jogs our atavistic memories, and tickles our fancies. The magic of the stories keeps us spell-bound. We marvel at the breathtaking feats of magic and, as we put the book down, we realize how artfully the composers of these tales extended the craft of magic beyond the realms of imagination.

Shahnaz Aijazuddin quite rightly, sub-titles her work as 'The Enchantment of Senses.' She spent years absorbing not just the Urdu version compiled by Rais Ahmed Jafri, but all the other seven drafts of Hosruba before settling down to render into English a language which is arcane, to say the least.

Here is a sample: "Now hear this: beyond Mount Asad lay the desert of the flames and the lion who killed Bubbar was its keeper. The creators of Tilsm-e-Hoshruba had designed the desert to provide safe passage through the flames only to the owner of the magic Sindoor of Tilism. Makhmoor was aware of the secret passage. She dabbed the lions's forehead for the third time with the Sindoor and ordered him to lead them through the desert of flames. The lion nodded and said, "you will have to climb up on my back for the journey," Once Makhmoor and Amer mounted him, the lion went around Mount Asad and entered a narrow gorge. For two days and nights, the lion bounded through the dark passage filled with the sounds of snakes and pythons hissing at them as they passed though. On the third day, at sunrise, the travellers emerged into the terrible desert of flames. The desert was a blazing pit of flames with caves that were as blistering hot as a blacksmith's forge. As the flames crackled and sparked it seemed as if trees of fire were rising from the ground. Nimord's firepit for Abraham would not have been as hot as this desert! The lion carried Amer and Makhmoor to one side of the desert. There, a beautiful woman with flaming cheeks and eyes glittering like lamps stood waiting for them near a large tank of red hot flames. Without a word she handed Makhmoor a piece of paper that read, 'Lead the lion into the tank and do not be afraid….'

Is it conceivable that having read thus far, you wouldn't wish to know what happens next?

I am glad that Shahnaz Aijazuddin didn't fall into the trap of giving her prose a gloss of antiquity. Such an effort on the part of a translator invariably makes it difficult for the reader to follow the story. Take a look at the way Dr. Leaf's translation of Homer's Iliad opens:

"Sing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles Peleus' son, the ruinous wrath that brought on the Achaians woes innumerable, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of heroes, and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowls, and so the counsel of Zeus wrought out its accomplishments from the day when strife first parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles."

The first task of a translator is to consider the essence and the spirit of the language into which a translation is being made. Shahnaz Aijazuddin has heeded Samuel Butler's advice that "a translator should be allowed greater liberty when the work he is translating belongs to an age and country remote from his own." But she does not entirely lose the flavour of the ornate language (as well as the exotic metaphors) of the original. The book begins in the style of all great Persian epics:

"The cupbearers of the wine of storytelling and the imbibers of the thought from the goblet of paper tell us the story in this manner…"

* * * * *

The tales of the legendary Persian hero, Emir Hamza, spread throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. They were influenced by Firduasi's epic poem Shahnama written in the 11th century. Tilism-e-Hoshurba, too, is a sequel to the Hamza legend, with an interesting twist: the fictional Persian hero, Emir Hamza, becomes the real Arabian hero, Hamza bin Abu Muttalib.

Whether Hoshruba is to Urdu literature what Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are to Greek literature is a debatable point if only because Homer's work is entirely in verse. Prose differs from verse as dancing from walking. Iteration and epithet (sometimes due merely to the requirements of metre) abound in the Iliad and the Odyssey.

And yet while reading Hoshruba you cannot help but think of Odysseus and his long and arduous journey home to Ithaca. His ships are destroyed again and again; he is kept in captivity for years on end by alluring witch-goddesses like Calypso and Circe; but thanks to the kindly goddess, Athena, he is rescued time after time. He, too, passes through many magical islands. The characters he meets are endowed with cunning intelligence, manifested by their use of disguise. The authors of Hoshruba probably borrowed a thing or two from The Odyssey.

The pranks, the wit, the cunning of Amer, the Ayyar, (at school we were told his name was Omar Ayyar) alone would make Hoshurba a rewarding book. His stratagems to outwit his deadliest enemies are full of finesse. Armed with his Zambil (a bag which can contain anything from a handful of nuts to live soldiers) and his cloak of invisibility, he outsmarts all the wicked sorcerers and sorceresses. We forgive Amer all his devilry because he destroys the baddies. And he provides a great deal of comic relief. He has been my favourite character since school days.

Shahnaz Aijazuddin has kept her narrative taut by wisely selecting only those events which move the story forward. I entirely endorse her abandonment (no doubt deliberate) of poetry which the authors inserted into the story only to show their versification skills. The poetry, in any case, is trite and risqué. Her great achievement is that she has been able to compress long and often circumlocutory texts into a highly readable single volume.