Her king/ Olga

Poem:
Her Kind by Sexton

I have gone out, a possessed witch,

haunting the black air, braver at night;

dreaming evil, I have done my hitch

over the plain houses, light by light:

lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind.

A woman like that is not a woman, quite.

I have been her kind.



I have found the warm caves in the woods,

filled them with skillets, carvings, shelves,

closets, silks, innumerable goods;

fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves:

whining, rearranging the disaligned.

A woman like that is misunderstood.

I have been her kind.



I have ridden in your cart, driver,

waved my nude arms at villages going by,

learning the last bright routes, survivor

where your flames still bite my thigh

and my ribs crack where your wheels wind.

A woman like that is not ashamed to die.

I have been her kind.

Exile Through Heartbreak

In Salman Rushdie's Shalimar the Clown, the reader is given a glimspe at a form of exile primarily instigated by heartbreak. Shalimar's love for Bhoonyi makes her betrayal that much more difficult to endure. Maxmillian's affair is the ultimate catalyst. Shalimar's exile comes in a violent form, as he becomes an assassin and ultimately murders Maxmillian. With the intense political backdrop, it is interesting that Shalimar's exile is arguably brought about because of his own feelings. I guess that Shalimar can be most closely related to Nabokov's Humbert Humbert in this regard, although his feelings were not nearly as unconventional, and his actions proved dangerous on a different level. The motivations for the exile of the characters we have examined is truly astonishing, since there can be such a broad range of factors.

Memory & Exile

“And memory was not madness was it, not even when the remembeed past piled up so high inside you that you feared the files of your yesterdays would become visible in the whites of your eyes. Memory was a gift. Is was a positive. It was a professional resource” (122) remarked Coloel. The first mention of the Coloel’s memory is described as “exceptional” (96). Later, his feelings regarding his memory progress until it is seen as a possible mental problem, which he refuses to seek help for fearing it will end his career. I find it interesting that Rashdie decided to use memory as a curse and a gift being that many of the books we read referred to exile and memory collaboratively.

Olga Volga

After reading Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie, I feel that there is a strong sense of Exile in the novel. I must admit that this novel was not one of my favorite, mainly due to the writing style. I found it to be long, and really drawn out. The thoughts of Olga Volga really stood out to me, she said 'I live today neither in this world nor the last, neither in America nor Astrakhan. Also I would add neither in this world nor the next. A woman like me, she lives some place in between. Between the memories and the daily stuff. Between yesterday and tomorrow, in the country of lost happiness and peace, the place of mislaid calm. This is our fate. This I now don't feel. Consequently however I have no fear of death" (p.9) This excerpt brings up many important themes in the novel, including the aspect of death, a type of nomadic stream and that of being a woman. This passage brings up a wide range of topics to discuss.

Shalimar the Clown

The most poignant moment in the book, for me, comes from Olga Volga the potato witch. "As to myself," she says, "I live today neither in this world nor the last, neither in America nor Astrakhan" (9). Seemingly irrelevant, this conversation with Olga Volga is tinted with loss, with exile. She goes on to say that she lives "in the country of lost happiness and peace, the place of mislaid calm." Rushdie seems to have taken special care when crafting these few short lines. It seems almost as if he is speaking in his own voice. Rushdie himself is no stranger to exile, both personally and politically. He has walked around with a death sentence hanging over his head since the late 80's and is the given reason for the British breaking political ties with the Iranians.

-- Ian Herman

Agha Shahid Ali

As a prelude book Shalimar the Clown the author Salman Rushdie placed a poem by Agha Shahid Ali that emphasizes a similar strain of exilement that appears throughout the entirety of the novel.

“I am being rowed through Paradise on a river of Hell:
Exquisite ghost, it is night.
The paddle is a heart; it breaks the porcelain waves…

I’m everything you lost. You won’t forgive me.
My memory keeps getting in the way of your history.
There is nothing to forgive. You won’t forgive me.
I hid my pain even from myself; I revealed my pain only to myself.
There is everything to forgive. You can’t forgive me.
If only somehow you could’ve been mine,
What would not have been possible in the world”?
-Agha Shahid Ali

When I first read this poem, I initially thought of India, and her exile from both of her parents. Which could certainly be true, for there is a reason why Rushdie placed this particular poem at the beginning of the novel. It set the mood for the mood for this dreary, complex narrative, full of different people suffering and enduring life.

The beginning of the poem reminds me of the beginning of the book, where India’s sleep-talk is explained, which could be a psychological effect of her mother’s death/abandonment. Especially the line: “My memory keeps getting in the way of your history” (5) which crosses with her India’s own life and her mother’s death.

This poem also relates to Shalimar’s love for Bhoonyi, and the betrayal he felt for Max when he stole her away from him. It is filled with a certain angst, hopefulness and nostalgia, but deep and dark. The last two lines: “If only somehow you could’ve been mine, /What would not have been possible in the world”? emphasize Shalimar’s loss, and exile, as he is left to endure a dirty betrayal, and lost love one.

Rushdie somehow blends "reality fiction" and fantasy and makes them both believable-- even when they are components of the same story. Each major character in the story has a unique, personal exile, existing in a world that is all his or her own. It is interesting that the very art of fantasy-writing entails "creating" a world, and that is just what Rushdie has done-- created realities for different characters in different formats.
Perception plays an important role in Shalimar the Clown, and the message within the complex madness of the tale seems to be that the world is made up of perceptions. Each of us has a unique set, and can never fully relate to anyone else's. It is fascinating to enter into the universe constructed by Rushdie and to see how the views of different characters overlap or clash. The results of each interaction end up making the story, and part of the joy in reading Rushdie's work was chronicling each step and example.

Significance to 9/11

One of the most difficult readings I have ever read. Very difficult to get into until the midpart of the book. As mention by Sara, this plot has been used in several of today's mainstream books, person is heart broken and then seeks revenge on others. Also the book can be made with reference to 9/11 because Shalimar wanted to get revenge on others, similar to how 9/11 occur because of possible jealousy.
Doing some background information on Rushdie, he was under police protection for several years because of the books that he wrote which had references to terrorism. I find it unique that Rushdie would write about such a topic that at the time of the novel released would most likely to criticized with relation to India.

Below there is a link with connection to Shalimar The Clown which I found rather interesting about the life of Rushdie.
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/amsterdamforum/20060730af

Shalimar the Clown and a different style of writing

Honestly out of all the books that we have read in class, and that I have read in other classes or independently, the main plot (apart from the historical background) of The book Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie, did not impress me much, it seemed a little played out and predictable . The guy that was once great, innocent and wonderful and then is betrayed by a beautiful woman, and kills the man with whom she had an affair (as a means of revenge) or viceversa. However, the writing style presents an interesting challenge to one as a reader. It is so complex and poetic that it is almost impossible to follow, it seems to be mostly written in the passive voice (which is not very common) and it contains so many adjectives that constantly throw one off the main story, and enhance the character's integrity and/or rationality. Also, it presents an amazing imagery and metaphoric language that intensify the emotions of Shalimar as a young man. Rushdie is so successful in his narration that it makes the feelings become almost personal "Standing before him, oiled of skin and with wildflowers scenting the carefully braided hair [...] was the girl he loved, waiting for him to make her a woman and in doing so make himself a man" (Rushdie 60). I thought this specific moment is so enticing, it displays the climax of the innocent and naive love story between Shalimar and Boonyi Kaul, and it places the reader in this mood of expectancy that when she tells him "if that was it" (Salman 61) it is just heartbreaking.

Reading Lolita In Tehran

I can't imagine waking up in a country where there is no freedom for women. In Reading Lolita In Tehran, Nafisi shows how the women in her "book club" were in exile in their own home involuntarily. When Nafisi went through a day in the life of one of the girls in the group (Sanaz-pg26), I was shocked. These women were forced to sit on the back of buses and be so fearful for their lives. The novel showed an internal exile because the women can't express their true identities and really accomplish whatever they want to put their minds to.

Dry
After reading Nabokov’s “Lolita”, Nafisi’s”reading Lolita in Tehran” was unable to keep my interest. i understood that it was a memoir but because of the title I figured that it would have much more to do with Nabokov’s “Lolita”. Overall I got the feeling that the book was more about women/feminist empowerment, more then the decision of the book “Lolita”. Even so, "Lolita" was not the only forbidden book that was read. In some ways Nafisi sets this up by defining the living room where she held her classes as a symbol of her “nomadic and borrowed life”. She also speaks of how Nobokov is a hero because he “refuses to be like the rest of us”. I think the goal of the author was to focus more on what Nabokov accomplished in writing Lolita,more then the novel itself. At any rate this was disappointing because I imagining their decisions and opinions to be more interesting. I'm not sure how this book was suppose to be read.

Her Veil

After reading the book: Reading Lolita in Tehran, through the eyes of an American, I realized the great lengths of Azar Nafisi's restriction and exile. I wonder however, how this would look in the eyes of an ardent Iranian...possibly inhumane? As it did, because her betrayal of Iranian culture, and refusal to wear a veil in the classroom dismayed and horrified others, and her exile from teaching was her lesson learned. I can't imagine being restricted to wearing certain clothes, or being a certain way, which is a very American belief, Nafisi risked her life, and the lives of those young girl to teach them classic western literature. Her exile remains in this secretive life she endures, and her exile from her former University. Disgrace in the Iranian culture: her request that she does not wear a veil while teaching seems so minor, because in America death has to occur before anybody does anything. (Embellished to make a point). Nafisi's courage and ultimate refusal of her veil, exiled her.

Appreciation for Literature

Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books instilled in me a great sense of appreciation for literature and the ability to freely read and discuss great works. Sometimes we take it for granted that our society permits us to study the work of authors like Austen, Fitzgerald and Nabokov. Just last week we read Lolita and some portions seemed shocking even to us. For a novel like this to be read during the Iranian Revolution, while it was "banned Western literature" is truly remarkable.
I also found it the relationship between Nafisi and her students to be fascinating. The sheer range of topics they explore together is what made this read so interesting. They don't only focus on the classic Western novels, but their personal lives as well. I felt like this was an intriguing dimension that Nafisi included.

What this is not

I find Nafisi's statement at the beginning of chapter 10 about how to relate her story to Lolita intriguing. She writes, "I want to emphasize once more that we were not Lolita, the Ayatollah was not Humbert and this republic was not what Humbert called his princedom by the sea" (35).
I find this statement particularly interesting because she is so adamant about it. It seems logical to relate Nabokov's story to this memoir in this way. Why should Nafisi feel so strongly that this not occur? It seems counterintuitive for an author to tell their reader that they should not read a text in one specific, and especially obvious, way.

Literature As An Escape

After reading the novel entitled Reading Lolita in Tehran I acknowledge how lucky I am because I can be an independent, educated, opinionated young woman. I have the freedom to express myself in whatever manner I wish, I can dress according to my individual choice, and I can do whatever a man can do, who knows maybe even better. This memoir really opened my eyes to the sad, but realistic lives, and challenges women in Tehran. In my opinion, these women turned to literature as an escape from society, and its unfair rules and regulations. If I was living in Iran I would have been one of these students, sneaking out and secretly attending the Thursday mornings session. By reading many different works of literature, I believe that they found it to be an escape, or some sort of familiarity. At some point in the novel it states, "...the most central of which was how these great works of imagination could help us in our present trapped situation as women. We were not looking for blue-prints, for an easy solution, but we did hope to find a link between the open spaces the novel provided and the closed ones we were confined to" (p.19). But as it is said, where there is a will, there is a way. This group of yound women, came together and worked together as a team in their fight against their repression, and the rise to their liberation.

Nafisi's Tale

This story is a certain example of exile because Nafisi was forever banned from teaching and her friend explained “You are aware….that you are more and more withdrawing into yourself, and now that you have cut your relations with the university, your whole contact with the outside world will be mainly restricted to one room” (11). Nafisi did resign from teaching on her own because of the unfair treatment of the university to teach her own lessons. Iran, where the story took place, is seen as a dictatorship because students as well as professors were reprimanded if rules were not followed.
It is sad to see that in this stage at life that people are still unable to do whatever they please. To have to undermine higher school officials and read forbidden topics is something that is still common in certain parts of the world. Countries like Iran should leave it up to the discretion of the professor to decide what should be read.

Reading Lolita in Tehran and the lack of Colors

Reading Lolita in Tehran is deeper than just the mere act of reading lolita, it is the act of creating a parallel dimension under the name of literature. It is a memoir of the creation of colors in a moment and place in time in which everything seems clear. Nafisi mentions her fascination about the idea of creating colors of from dreams she says: The color of my dreams, I repeated to myself [...]I liked that. How many people get a chance to paint colors of their dreams?(11). What she does not seem to realize is that, that is exactly what she creates for herself and the girls through the exploration of various literary works and their colorful characters.
Furthermore, this book is about exile,but not just any exile, the exile of a woman in her own country "This is Tehran for me: Its absences were more real than its presences." (Nafisi 5). Nafisi establishes the fact that being in tehran was the lack and nostalgia for what she remembered of her native country, as if returning to her homeland in 1979 was the same as destroying every single one of the memories that she had ever created.

Internal & External Exile

In Lolita, Humbert experiences two types of exiles: an internal exile and an external exile. His internal exile comes from his sick views of love and lust. Humbert believes that there is nothing wrong with loving his underage "nymphets", but we all know that it's not the norm. His internal desire for young girls causes an exile which he is subconsious to: an exile of normality. Humbert is out of reality, internally trapped by his lust for the wrong type of women. He has become so detached from normal society that he doesn't realize how rash his actions are. His voluntary external exile occurs when he comes from Europe to America, and becomes nomadic, moving constantly and not belonging to one fixed place.

Annabel

One of the more fascinating aspects of Lolita was actually getting a sense of why Humbert turned out the way he did, and why he developed such disturbing thoughts about young girls. His relationship with Annabel and the lack of closure that he received had a signigificant impact on Humbert as he grew older. Humbert was never able to consummate the relationship with his young, first lover. This had reprecussions on his character for years to come. When Annabel dies it is as though there is a void in Humbert's mind, which can only be filled by someone he can compare her to. He developed such strong feelings about Annabel, or perhaps the idea of Annabel, that he starts to become obsessed with "nymphets" like Lolita The problem is that he continued to grow older and older, his feelings remained toward young girls, even when he was able to have relationships with adults. This in no way rationalizes Humbert's feelings or his actions, but it does give a little bit of insight as to why he behaves in such a sick way. This also made me think about why people become exiles, and how often a traumatic experience can play a major part in making someone an exile. It is important to try and understand the psychology of an exile in order to determine why they do what they do, and why they have become isolated from social norms because of it.

One of the finest English professors I've ever had explained to my class that writing creatively means creating sensations through expression. In her own words, "if you try to describe a homeless person on the streets of New York, I want to be able to smell him." It may sound a bit theatrical, but that is because very few writers are capable of producing such an effect on the reader. Only a master can elevate language to the point of transcending mere communication or even eloquent description. In Nabokov's Lolita, he succeeds in establishing himself not only as a 'writer in exile', but as one of the finest American authors of this century.
More than anything, I believe Lolita shows that the content of a novel-- and in this case, I found the topic very disturbing-- has little to do with the craft of writing. Nabokov chose an "untouchable" subject matter, one that conventionally is viewed with disgust. To many, pedophilia is seen as a more repulsive crime even than murder. The storyline has all the elements of a twisted, dark, and sordid tale even by today's standards, yet was hailed as a masterwork, which it is. Reading Lolita was a profoundly moving experience, but not because the story or the characters are inspiring or pretty. Rather, the quality of the writing and the boldness of the narrator in revealing his life's deepest secrets transforms the book into a journey. If the reader commits to the book, he commits to entering a life, a forbidden world that Nabokov bravely created.