I found this mesmerising category of books - which comes under the broad category of travel but laced with history of the place & seen through a lense of a particular object. And this I selected only based on the reviews I read on Amazon - Few months back I read The Bells of Tokyo, where some parts of Japan’s local history (read for specific cities) - is looked at from the bells which were an integral part of their society. It was like zen moment for me.
This month I started ‘The Lost Piano’s of Siberia’ by Sophia Roberts. In this book the author travels through Siberia and writes about the history / origin of western music in Russia. I am still in the 3rd chapter where she explains the role politics (reads whims of rulers) played in popularising Piano across Russia & how again Politics led to the destruction of music culture. For me, Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky was the only connection to Russia & Piano.
Unlike history books or more formal writing this is written in a way that you are travelling with Sophia in Siberia - you are in a way living / seeing what she is seeing but also absorbing what she has to say about the history of the place, city, village or the people whom she meets. There are also pictures of her travels which help you visualise what she is seeing.
Both the books mentioned here are written by British journalists and what is fascinating is the choice these writers have made to convert their personal obsession into an accessible book which can be read by thousands of people. This kind of writing requires meticulous research, observations & noting down each and every thing they are saying & experiencing. And doing it in Siberia which is one of the coldest places on earth & remote, where people don't speak your language is something really to wonder at.
After I wrote this piece, I was walking on the balcony and saw up very high in the sky a bird - almost a spec in the sky flying effortlessly cutting across the horizon. The only thought which crossed my mind “When the purpose is clear your path is already made, you just have to start walking, in this case Siberia” :).
Day 8: 200 words/day challenge, 385 words
Postscript:
A more nuance review here.
Experience a snippet of her journey here
No comments:
Post a Comment