Sun, moon and a star
 Aristotle
defined the principle of creation as the poetic reason; it is a
principle that can apply to the creation in the universe itself. The
creative act brought into existence something that did not exist before.
A human artist, by definition cannot produce what the Great Creator has
done, - to produce something out of nothing. The human act of creation
always involves a reshaping of given material, whether physical or
mental.
Some individuals extraordinarily possess more than a one talent in
their creative lives. The additional interest always shed a meaningful
light on their mainstream works of art. This came to my mind when I was
reading about Milan Kundera and his writings.
Unbearable lightness
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Milan Kundera |
Kundera has a Czech origin, has lived in exile in France since 1975,
where he became a citizen later. He is best known as the author of 'The
Unbearable Lightness of Being', 'The Book of Laughter and Forgetting',
and 'The Joke'. 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' has been translated
to Sinhala as Piyapathak Van Jeewithayak by Gamini Viyangoda.
There is no doubt that Kundera is one of the greatest contemporary
writers. Here, I want to point out how his interest in music contributed
on his style of writing. Kundera had learnt music composition before he
stepped in to creative writing and has written on theoretical aspects of
music. He seems to be possessed a thorough knowledge of musical history
and composition.
That music plays a central role in Milan Kundera's work is not a new
insight. Kundera has written several essays that deal with music and
various composers, often in very technical ways and many critics have
observed the importance of musical themes in his novels, perhaps most
notably in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Nonetheless, the
complexity and significance of this feature has not been adequately
assessed as it relates to his narrative theory and practice.
Kundera's insights
Some critics argue that 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' has been
written on the base of Beethoven quartet. Incorporating both
musicologists' interpretations of the quartet and Kundera's insights on
musical and literary composition one can simply come to a conclusion
that Kundera has been able to build up an innovative narrative style.
The importance of Beethoven in 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' and
its connection to the central motif of the novel-lightness versus
heaviness-has long been noted.
This phenomenon can also be seen in Kundera's novel, 'Life is
Elsewhere'. The structure of this novel looks close to a musical
composition. The way divides chapters also show some special
characteristics. He prefers to present a chapter as a self contained
entity. It is worth to mention how his interest in music has paved the
way to achieve a stylistic triumph.
Thinking of Kundera, brings me memories of our own literary asset,
Mahagama Sekara. I strongly believe him as the greatest poet of Sinhala
literary canon. As Kundera added flavour to his writing with his passion
of music, Sekara used his artistic passion in his writings and cinematic
work. Sekara was the pioneer in poetry visualisation. He took pains in
introducing word arts, giving the poem an insightful meaning. There, the
artist hidden inside Sakara, came out disguised as a poet. The climax of
his artistry comes out when he was directing his maiden film Thun Man
Handiya. That was based on his own novel under the same name, and it is
always considered as an autobiography of Sekara. By frame by frame, a
viewer of Thun Man Handiya gains a marvellous cinematic experience.
Ray version
The artistic ability of Satyajit Ray is vastly discussed in the
discourse of his cinematography. Critics point out that Ray penetrates
the skin of each character, and fixes what is in their minds and hearts
to achieve what he wants. Ray was able to achieve such a nuanced and
penetrating vision because the artist inside him imagines and sketches
out it before he gives it a film form.
Sun, moon and a star are all bright. Everyone knows whose light it
is, but who cares, we enjoy all three in different situations! |
