FAMOUS SHORT STORIES by Dr. John Kuar Persaud. Book Surge (USA). Sugarcane Publishing (Canada). 2004.
Reviewed by Seopaul Singh
Storytelling is one of the most ancient of art forms known to man. It was the oral medium through which tribal history and spiritual instructions were passed down from generation to generation. We were especially familiar with the art as we grew up in the countryside of our native countries. Now and then a storyteller would emerge with a special knack to put down on the printed page anecdotes which evoke nostalgic memories of our own past. They would either draw a chuckle, much laughter, wonderment or general amusement from their readers. Yet through them all, the message is disseminated to the readers with a flare which is reminiscent of boyhood days.
Even before writing was invented, storytelling was the method through which elders disseminated morals and ethics to members of a society. Some of these we remember as "Nancy Stories" which also filled the earlier texts of our readers as we graduated from class to class. Different stories have different objectives or messages. It is left to the astute storyteller to find the one which brings home the message.
John Persaud is one such storyteller who has treated his readers to eight skillfully penned satires in his collection entitled "FAMOUS SHORT STORIES". The title immediately conjures up the idea that some kind of 'fame' was embedded in the pieces. The author explained: "the narratives in the book are labeled 'famous' short stories because one of the characters in each story is either a famous person or makes a famous momentous decision."
Each of his short stories in the collection is told with a style and form not too different from those of our 'old days' but with a peculiar anticlimax at the end. Through the stories, the reader is immediately educated on some of the pressures of relocating in a foreign land. S/he empathizes with the commonwealth immigrants looking for jobs in their newly adopted homeland. In these s/he sees her/himself quite clearly. In other instances the reader would see a character s/he may be familiar with, and whose deportment may fit somewhat snugly into the mold of some one s/he may have known in the past. Others may introduce the readers to a totally new personality with whom s/he may not be somewhat familiar.
A Sampling
In the first story Dr. Persaud presented the unique example of a job interview to the reader in "THE FAMOUS INTERVIEW". Herein is a satire with an unexpected twist at the end of what seemed a very successful interview for a job in the Bartholomew Security Police Force (BSPF). The twist took the form of a most commonplace question, from the most unexpected character on the board which was conducting the interview. She asked, "Now tell me the truth why you really want this job?" It sounded as if he fabricated all the reasons for wanting the job. This cautioned us all never be too confident.
While the writer deftly portrayed the confidence of the interviewee, with equal skill he threw 'a wrench in the works' with that most familiar question, but from the least expected source. Even the Chairman of the board was flabbergasted and responded with that facial expression which the writer captured in that all too picturesque commentary: "If looks can kill." Quite nonchalantly, the interviewee, in a fit of impatient outburst, responded with what is easily construed as a long list of sarcastic and arrogant depiction of the behavior of the Police. Of course, this could be the view of many citizens about their Police Force.
With "MY PROMOTION" the writer drew the reader into the company of qualified immigrants who worked indefatigably from one job to another, yet they are denied promotion by the System. Quite sardonically, he reminded everyone of protagonist's first job in the Progressive Investigative Security Services, known by the acronym (PISS). He was 'pissed' and left that job. The other job he was about to obtain was with The Royal Academy of Associated Schools for the Promotion and Achievement of Superior Standards in Education, (RAASPASS). The acronym seemed to candidly spell out what was going on in that Academy. The writer displayed quite a skill here in summarizing the fate of the employee at the whims of bigots in the workplace.
The writer, however, did not fail in weaving into the narrative the popular bribery with which, even his young grand daughter was also familiar. While baring his soul to his wife without evoking any inkling of a comment, his grand daughter blurted out the solution (like clock work) to all his promotion woes, "Tandoori, mo' tandoori." Back in the home country we were conversant with the mileage "Dholl Puri and Chicken Curry" could have in gaining the favor of the gods in the workplace. After a sumptuous 'Tandoori Chicken Dinner' treat to the Board, the much coveted promotion was won.
In the "AMAWAS CHORE" Dr. Persaud presented the reversal of a birth-curse, which is quite strong in the belief system of many Hindus, i.e., that anyone born on the particular 'Diwali Night' would become a lifelong thief. What is quite noteworthy in this satire is the way the family rallied, their intrigues, their denials, their persistence and dedication which prevailed against the an 'old wives' tale, which doomed a child's fate to a life of thievery. The moral in this story is quite lucid, that the paradoxical 'curse' became a 'blessing' through the power of positive thinking and action on behalf of the doomed son. It vindicated the truism that traditional curse, witchcraft or taboos have no power over any determined rational thinking soul.
The story of the "DIVORCEE'S DIARY" showed the writer at his best in depicting the psychological hang-up of a disappointed wife. The Divorcee's Diary tells the tale of a "woman scorned" who had the sadistic tendency of documenting her trysts with the victims who fell for her moves. It does appear that the motive of this disenchanted woman was to exact revenge on all men to her full satisfaction, for the pain and suffering she met at the hands of her husband. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Men beware.
"MR. ZERO" story on the other hand captured a positive reversal of the disrespect a rejected drunk so easily earned. Inspired by Celia, his third wife, he moved to make a break from the life of negativism, go to church and pray for strength to overcome his drinking and better his fate. Slowly he mustered up whatever resolve he could to throw off the stigma of drunkenness which overshadowed his entire life. Through Celia's support and constant urging he later opened up a beer garden, something much more decent than a rumshop. When he eventually died of natural causes he was at last respected by the community which once counted him for nothing in life. ZERO at last respectfully became "Mr. Zero" in death.
The "THE DUTCHMAN'S JUMBIE" begun with the familiar pursuit of a women desperate to migrate, marry and obtain residency abroad, in Canada. Dr. Persaud showed how the initial objection of the groom's mother to the marriage of her beloved son Pawan to Manpadi, became the basis for rejection by the daughter-in-law of the mother-in-law who would visit her son after six years of marriage. She had compared the marriage to the union of a tiger and a goat. Her daughter queried, "What you mean tiger and goat marriage Ma?" She replied, "Manpadi is the tiger and your buddy is he goat." The manifestation of the 'Dutch man's Ghost in the distraught bride, seemed to have resulted from an avid rejection of the visitor by the young bride.
So we are let into a 'moral' in the story, namely, that 'revenge' could cause a soul to descend into the clutches of dark uncontrollable forces, resulting in 'possession'. Dr. Persaud excelled in portraying that 'possession' by a 'Dutchman' of this Indian woman. He then deftly presented the display of the possessed and the method of exorcism. The use of bull-nose pepper in the process was something the reader has to discover. Though the experience may be quite familiar to some of us, the writer leaves the reader to wonder if the possession was real or assumed by the bride, just to get rid of mother-in-law. Did the whipping really drive out the Dutch man's Ghost? You the reader have to make up your mind on this.
There are two more hilarious satires. I would leave these for the reader to discover in the well-organized collection. They are the famous Chinese Chicken Flied Lice in "WING PING, JAIRAM AND VILLAGE LIFE" and the 'Cuss-bird' on trial in court in the "PARROT'S DILEMMA" and they do make very entertaining reading for relaxation, while they would drive home immortal morals and lessons for those who would read on. I recommend them to all who would like to look back at the foibles or mishaps which may have bewitched someone's life. However, when reading these stories the reader has to always bear in mind what Dr. Persaud emphasized in his disclaimer in the Introduction, "The plots, characters, conflicts... are all fictional... any resemblance to any of the characters, living, dead, or not yet born is therefore purely coincidental."
Reviewed by Seopaul Singh
Storytelling is one of the most ancient of art forms known to man. It was the oral medium through which tribal history and spiritual instructions were passed down from generation to generation. We were especially familiar with the art as we grew up in the countryside of our native countries. Now and then a storyteller would emerge with a special knack to put down on the printed page anecdotes which evoke nostalgic memories of our own past. They would either draw a chuckle, much laughter, wonderment or general amusement from their readers. Yet through them all, the message is disseminated to the readers with a flare which is reminiscent of boyhood days.
Even before writing was invented, storytelling was the method through which elders disseminated morals and ethics to members of a society. Some of these we remember as "Nancy Stories" which also filled the earlier texts of our readers as we graduated from class to class. Different stories have different objectives or messages. It is left to the astute storyteller to find the one which brings home the message.
John Persaud is one such storyteller who has treated his readers to eight skillfully penned satires in his collection entitled "FAMOUS SHORT STORIES". The title immediately conjures up the idea that some kind of 'fame' was embedded in the pieces. The author explained: "the narratives in the book are labeled 'famous' short stories because one of the characters in each story is either a famous person or makes a famous momentous decision."
Each of his short stories in the collection is told with a style and form not too different from those of our 'old days' but with a peculiar anticlimax at the end. Through the stories, the reader is immediately educated on some of the pressures of relocating in a foreign land. S/he empathizes with the commonwealth immigrants looking for jobs in their newly adopted homeland. In these s/he sees her/himself quite clearly. In other instances the reader would see a character s/he may be familiar with, and whose deportment may fit somewhat snugly into the mold of some one s/he may have known in the past. Others may introduce the readers to a totally new personality with whom s/he may not be somewhat familiar.
A Sampling
In the first story Dr. Persaud presented the unique example of a job interview to the reader in "THE FAMOUS INTERVIEW". Herein is a satire with an unexpected twist at the end of what seemed a very successful interview for a job in the Bartholomew Security Police Force (BSPF). The twist took the form of a most commonplace question, from the most unexpected character on the board which was conducting the interview. She asked, "Now tell me the truth why you really want this job?" It sounded as if he fabricated all the reasons for wanting the job. This cautioned us all never be too confident.
While the writer deftly portrayed the confidence of the interviewee, with equal skill he threw 'a wrench in the works' with that most familiar question, but from the least expected source. Even the Chairman of the board was flabbergasted and responded with that facial expression which the writer captured in that all too picturesque commentary: "If looks can kill." Quite nonchalantly, the interviewee, in a fit of impatient outburst, responded with what is easily construed as a long list of sarcastic and arrogant depiction of the behavior of the Police. Of course, this could be the view of many citizens about their Police Force.
With "MY PROMOTION" the writer drew the reader into the company of qualified immigrants who worked indefatigably from one job to another, yet they are denied promotion by the System. Quite sardonically, he reminded everyone of protagonist's first job in the Progressive Investigative Security Services, known by the acronym (PISS). He was 'pissed' and left that job. The other job he was about to obtain was with The Royal Academy of Associated Schools for the Promotion and Achievement of Superior Standards in Education, (RAASPASS). The acronym seemed to candidly spell out what was going on in that Academy. The writer displayed quite a skill here in summarizing the fate of the employee at the whims of bigots in the workplace.
The writer, however, did not fail in weaving into the narrative the popular bribery with which, even his young grand daughter was also familiar. While baring his soul to his wife without evoking any inkling of a comment, his grand daughter blurted out the solution (like clock work) to all his promotion woes, "Tandoori, mo' tandoori." Back in the home country we were conversant with the mileage "Dholl Puri and Chicken Curry" could have in gaining the favor of the gods in the workplace. After a sumptuous 'Tandoori Chicken Dinner' treat to the Board, the much coveted promotion was won.
In the "AMAWAS CHORE" Dr. Persaud presented the reversal of a birth-curse, which is quite strong in the belief system of many Hindus, i.e., that anyone born on the particular 'Diwali Night' would become a lifelong thief. What is quite noteworthy in this satire is the way the family rallied, their intrigues, their denials, their persistence and dedication which prevailed against the an 'old wives' tale, which doomed a child's fate to a life of thievery. The moral in this story is quite lucid, that the paradoxical 'curse' became a 'blessing' through the power of positive thinking and action on behalf of the doomed son. It vindicated the truism that traditional curse, witchcraft or taboos have no power over any determined rational thinking soul.
The story of the "DIVORCEE'S DIARY" showed the writer at his best in depicting the psychological hang-up of a disappointed wife. The Divorcee's Diary tells the tale of a "woman scorned" who had the sadistic tendency of documenting her trysts with the victims who fell for her moves. It does appear that the motive of this disenchanted woman was to exact revenge on all men to her full satisfaction, for the pain and suffering she met at the hands of her husband. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Men beware.
"MR. ZERO" story on the other hand captured a positive reversal of the disrespect a rejected drunk so easily earned. Inspired by Celia, his third wife, he moved to make a break from the life of negativism, go to church and pray for strength to overcome his drinking and better his fate. Slowly he mustered up whatever resolve he could to throw off the stigma of drunkenness which overshadowed his entire life. Through Celia's support and constant urging he later opened up a beer garden, something much more decent than a rumshop. When he eventually died of natural causes he was at last respected by the community which once counted him for nothing in life. ZERO at last respectfully became "Mr. Zero" in death.
The "THE DUTCHMAN'S JUMBIE" begun with the familiar pursuit of a women desperate to migrate, marry and obtain residency abroad, in Canada. Dr. Persaud showed how the initial objection of the groom's mother to the marriage of her beloved son Pawan to Manpadi, became the basis for rejection by the daughter-in-law of the mother-in-law who would visit her son after six years of marriage. She had compared the marriage to the union of a tiger and a goat. Her daughter queried, "What you mean tiger and goat marriage Ma?" She replied, "Manpadi is the tiger and your buddy is he goat." The manifestation of the 'Dutch man's Ghost in the distraught bride, seemed to have resulted from an avid rejection of the visitor by the young bride.
So we are let into a 'moral' in the story, namely, that 'revenge' could cause a soul to descend into the clutches of dark uncontrollable forces, resulting in 'possession'. Dr. Persaud excelled in portraying that 'possession' by a 'Dutchman' of this Indian woman. He then deftly presented the display of the possessed and the method of exorcism. The use of bull-nose pepper in the process was something the reader has to discover. Though the experience may be quite familiar to some of us, the writer leaves the reader to wonder if the possession was real or assumed by the bride, just to get rid of mother-in-law. Did the whipping really drive out the Dutch man's Ghost? You the reader have to make up your mind on this.
There are two more hilarious satires. I would leave these for the reader to discover in the well-organized collection. They are the famous Chinese Chicken Flied Lice in "WING PING, JAIRAM AND VILLAGE LIFE" and the 'Cuss-bird' on trial in court in the "PARROT'S DILEMMA" and they do make very entertaining reading for relaxation, while they would drive home immortal morals and lessons for those who would read on. I recommend them to all who would like to look back at the foibles or mishaps which may have bewitched someone's life. However, when reading these stories the reader has to always bear in mind what Dr. Persaud emphasized in his disclaimer in the Introduction, "The plots, characters, conflicts... are all fictional... any resemblance to any of the characters, living, dead, or not yet born is therefore purely coincidental."
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