I have a story to tell. And it meanders as tales may do. It starts in 2006 when I read Naguib Mahfouz obit in the Economist. It struck me so deeply that I tore it out and carried it with me. Lets jump to present time where Alice Munro so perfectly was given the Nobel Prize for Literature. Whilst, (i really mean while but whilst fits so much better,) reading over the list of past winners which is so educational, I came across Naguib Mahfouz and immediately ordered his Cairo Trilogy with one click. At the end of the day I retired to the FE as Im apt to do, but on exiting my building I saw a package which I excitedly brought with me, because I knew it was big enough to enclose a trilogy. There was a gentleman sitting next to me, quietly, which I had no need to disturb. He eventually turned to me and asked me what it was I was reading, as I had unwrapped the book by then, and to be fair, and in full disclosure, ABC Rich, shredded the packaging in toto and discarded it. Dont ask. I said it was an Egyptian writer. I said that i have a great love for the Afghanistani, Pakistani, Israeli writers and have bought many of their books throughout the years, such as The Wanting, A Teaspoon of Salt and Sea, the fantastic Swallows of Kabul, The Attack, and my favorite The Sirens of Baghdad. These writers really understand the art of story telling. He said he read... of course, what would he say but, Khalid Hosseini, but what he actually said is his girlfriend studied him in a class and..he read it for her. (remember this statement) I thought maybe something was lost in translation there because he was from French Guiana. Now I in no way mean to discredit Khalid Hosseini, in fact And the Mountains Echoed is probably one of the best books Ive ever read,(Dont worry, youre not in it - one of the best lines in literature) outpacing even Kite Runner. He tells me he studied both Theology and Philosophy. He told me he was a student of the Old Testament. I told him I majored in Biblical studies, that I studied every book of the Old Testament. He said he loves working with children. i said I worked rural kids in SC and teenagers in the juvenile prison. He asks me nothing about either experience which is fine, but theres so much to say about these children. At this point I have no doubt whatsoever that when his girlfriend appears she will be twenty something.(He was early fifties) Now you may say, oh you bitter old woman, but not at all ! because I was this woman. I was this twenty something person who dated the older powerful man, but here is the crux of the story, this lovely creature came in and for the next hour and a half he spoke and she listened. Just as I did. He spoke and I listened. Now theres no doubt that he had/has a vast amount of knowledge but on observing this, I saw this pygmalion dynamic which can be beneficial in many Woody Allen movies but in the end cannot sustain a relationship. I knew where I stood in my relationship, and I accepted that role, but now looking back, and looking to my left at the FE, I would say that it would be better if the fair young thing were more than a sounding board. Because at the same moment one of my dear friends, a man of my age was saying he missed his younger friends because he learned so much from them. Which reminded me of my young posse on the left coast, who took me in without any sense of ageism. and whom I also miss. What is the moral of the story. Young girls, date those old farts, but speak up! Old farts, hang with the younger folks, and have fun. And read Middle Eastern and South Asian Literature no matter what your age.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Oct 2013 03:22:13 +0000
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