Literature.A thing of the Past?

Its been a while since I last wrote a productive post that did not cater to my geeky self. Well, the waits over guys. I hit upon this topic when i last visited crossword for my weekly book-hopping. Not that i buy a lot of books but I love reading and visiting a bookstore is like a breath of fresh air, from the tumultuous gadget talk i go through everyday with all and sundry. A part of me is satiated that loves to visit faraway places,sentimentalize and drop into an abyss of surrealism through the wonder of words. Trust me guys, if you are not into reading, you are seriously missing some real shit!!

Coming to the point, I was meandering along the shelves gorging and salivating over a plethora of books served on a platter, moving from the literary fiction section to the bestsellers. It was then that the blasphemous sight struck me. The Bestseller section, the section that lists and keeps a keeps a copy of each and every book that has topped the charts over the past month or so was filled with utter rubbish. Books like, “love me coz am broke”, “kiss me but dont love me” are a few which catch the eye. Now dont take me otherwise,  I have no problem with any of these books.On the contrary, I encourage them because they provide a gateway to the casual reader to move forward in his quest for quality literature. If you are not into books, these light reads keep you on track with the literary world and with time lead you to something better. Such light reads first came into the picture with Chetan Bhagat and as much as I hate him, I respect him for having brought millions of people back to books and with language that dont need a dictionary by your side to decipher(Are you listening Mr Upamanyu Chatterjee? Hmm?). But he has paved way for million other writers who give no heed to grammar or any aspect of Literature in their works and are here to make a quick buck out of nothing. I picked one up, read a few pages and came across atleast 10 grammatical mistakes. And to top it of, the guy wrote half the book in some weird sms lingo and stupid abbreviations which was quite hard to decipher unless you are into cheesy, squalid talks with teenage girls.A real heartbreak.

The book was about a guy who was in some deep shit as he had fallen in love with some pretty chick and was desperately trying to win her over  with cheesy lines and stuff like that. There was a myriad of girls and boys alike gorging over them and taking in every line of what i term a Literary catastrophe. In the age of Naipauls and the Doris Lessings, something like this seemingly pulls a dagger through the chest of a “literate”. I know literature isnt only about classics or philosophy but for a book to qualify as literature it has to obey certain guidelines. First and foremostly, it should be grammatically correct so that the person reading it isnt swayed by the language used and is able to portray himself properly in day to day activities. A book forms a platform for a young mind to proper english and if he/she is swindled of this right what will happen to the concept of literature? I agree modern literature has gone through a lot of changes but more than 90% of the material is still derived from the classiness of the 1900s and before. The Somerset Maugham has been replaced by likes of Martin Amis, the likes of Marquez and others by promising writers who have brought forth the concept of modern literature without putting a hand on the Bible of literature.

I know it is too much to ask from a humble being such as me, but guys, if you really need to read books, go for the likes of Ruskin Bond,Milan Kundera and Murakami who are the masters of modern literature yet use suave and petty language to pass their words onto the user. Save yourself,save literature. Dont let these thieves deny you the right to proper english. A book once read, keeps read.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan