Anjum Hasan's novel | History and its discontents

Alif is one of the most important characters in contemporary literature. His mind is a screen on which history plays out and the future makes suggestions, his thoughts providing the commentary. History’s Angel is much like him—intelligent, subtle, reflective, gentle, sensitive.Alif teaches history in a school, focusing not on dates and rulers but on continuities and inevitabilities. He takes students out to Delhi’s monuments and we soon glimpse trouble. At Humayun’s tomb, a student insults the teacher and also insists on mixing up the Mughal emperor with Hanuman.Alif is Arabic for ‘kind, compassionate’; yet, it is the one moment of madness when he twists the ear of that student, Ankit (meaning ‘naughty’), which leads to his downward spiral. History, which was a refuge from reality, suddenly becomes reality itself. This ordinary man’s refusal to part with common sense either in school or at home makes him extraordinary in his milieu. Where his wife is ambitious, his son wants to drop out of school to make money, his cousin is raking it in, and his principal at school is motivated by her limited version of history, Alif’s acceptance of the contradictions around him makes him stand out.History’s Angel—the title is a nod to Walter Benjamin’s essay on the concept of history—is a story of choices and of the tension between action and thought working independently of each other.“Your time is up,” a passing boy tells Alif’s friend when they are together. It might have been said to Alif—that would depend on the boy’s religion, a brilliant shadow of coming events.What happens to any one of us happens to all of us—and what is universal is, equally, personal. Anjum Hasan, one of our most accomplished writers, deals with this complementarity with writing that is lyrical, nuanced, restrained and humorous.Ganesh, Alif’s drinking buddy, opens a door to a more personal past to let in a woman both loved in college. As Benjamin wrote, nothing that happened should be regarded as lost for history.Do you know when an event becomes of historical value? asks Alif, and answers, “When we are able to remind ourselves of its unexpectedness.” He is not all theory and thought—he is proud of his new shoes, and when they get uncomfortable on his long walks, that becomes the focus. Perhaps, as the author says, we aren’t interested in any history that doesn’t concern us directly.It is tempting to see History’s Angel as a political or even a philosophical novel, but that would be limiting its scope. Hasan’s command of expressions of ordinariness, ambivalence and power equations layers it with possibilities that reward multiple readings. Her intelligence and depth seen in early novels Neti, Neti and The Cosmopolitans have been employed in the service of the story. Lesser writers might have done the reverse, using the novel as an excuse for spouting philosophy. This is not just an important novel, but a necessary one for our times.Edited By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Sep 7, 2023

TRENDING TOPICS

Anjum Hasan's novel | History and its discontents

Anjum Hasan’s novel 'History’s Angel' tells a story that is deeply relevant for our times

India fully supports ASEAN centrality: PM Modi at Indonesia Summit

Watch: 'Jawan' fever grips nation. Fans celebrate SRK's film release

Watch: Leopard captured on Tirumala walkway, fifth in a month

Watch: ‘Modi, Modi’ chants as Ashok Gehlot stops convoy to greet crowd

Lionel Messi: A strong contender for an 8th Ballon d'Or

'INDIA respects all religions': Congress as DMK MP likens Sanatana Dharma to HIV

PM Modi to review preparations for G20 Summit

‘DMK stands for Dengue, Malaria, Kosu’: Tamil Nadu BJP chief as Stalin backs son

Building Haj house secular act, not religious: High Court to Hindutva leader

'Unfair for PM to…': Chief Minister MK Stalin speaks on son's ‘Sanatana’ remark

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

EVENTS

RADIO

GAMING

USEFUL LINKS

PRINTING

WELFARE

DISTRIBUTION

SYNDICATIONS

WEBSITES

EDUCATION