The Post-colonial Literature - Assignment

 Detailed Note on Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist an essay by Salman Rushdie

Assignment

Name: Asha R. Dhedhi

Roll no: 02 (Two)

Semester: 03 (Part-2)

Year: 2020-2021

Paper No.: 11

Paper: The Postcolonial Literature

Enrollment No:

2069108420200010

Email ID:

ashadhedhi1806@gmail.com

Submitted to: Smt. S.B.Gardi Department of English

Abstract Salman Rushdie is a British Indian novelist and essayist. Who is best known for his work called "Midnight's children." He is also much more criticized for his work 'The Satanic Verses.' 'Imaginary Homeland' is the collection of 75 essays which were written between 1981 to 1992. Each essay in the book very artistically comprises the ongoing Religious and Political issues of the decades with the reflection of colonialism. As it is said it is based on the lived experience of Salman Rushdie, Though all issues which come in these essays are more relevant and significant for larger groups. The book comprises the essays which were written by Rushdie being to Migrant author as an urge to search for existence of Migrant And Diasporic writer. Here, This Article will try to critically analyse one of the essays named 'Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist' in a detailed manner. Keywords: Commonwealth Literature, Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands, Search for Existence

Introduction

“Sometimes we feel we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools.”

(By Salman Rushdie from Imaginary Homelands)

Imaginary Homelands is a book comprising nearly 75 essays published over the period of decade from 1981 to 1991 in a form of newspaper article, movie review, seminar paper etc. And later collected in the form of one book. The book 'Imaginary Homelands' is divided into six sections. Which are as follows…

• Midnight's children
• Politics of India and Pakistan
• Indo-Anglian literature
• Movie and Television
• Experience of migrants, Indian migrants to Britain
• Thatcher/flout election, question of Palestine

In his essays Rushdie dealt with various topics ranging from Society, Politics, Economic, Literature, Migration, Diasporic writer etc. His major concern is to express his own experience of being an English Author from India living in Britain and what are the problems he facing in Britain for being Indian and what are consequences bubble up by living in Britain and being a Diasporic writer. 

“Whether he is analyzing racial prejudice in Britain or surveying an India riven by fundamentalism and politics of religious hatred, he writes as an impartial observer, a citizen of the world. Subtle and witty, these concise, eloquent pieces are a pleasure to read.” 

(Publisher’s Weekly)

So, Here we are going to deal with one of his essays from Imaginary Homelands in a detailed manner named "Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist." So, Let's first understand What is 'Commonwealth'?

What is the Commonwealth?

"The commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries. Our(Commonwealth Association) member governments have shared goals like development, democracy and peace."

(From official website of Commonwealth)

It is a kind of association which was created after independence from Britain. The Commonwealth is an association of countries which at least once goes through under British Colonial rule. The term Commonwealth was first used by Oliver Cromwell in 1692. 

The Commonwealth is often described as a 'family' of different nations. The Commonwealth is a home of around 2.4 billion people and it includes both countries with advanced economies and developing countries. 32 members of the Commonwealth Association are small States including many small island nations.

What is Commonwealth Literature?

Commonwealth Literature is a vague, messy and broad term which covers a broad area of literature written in English from the countries which were once gone under the domination of Britishers. In the words of Salman Rushdie….

A body of writing created in the English Language by persons who are not themselves White Britons or Irish or citizens of the United States of America.

(By Salman Rushdie)

Commonwealth Literature, Post-colonial literature in English, New Literature in English, World Writing in English- These are some of the terms which used interchangeably to describe the works written in English by the writers from former dominated countries after getting independence from British rule. Some writers whose contribution can be categorised under 'Commonwealth Wealth' literature are as follows…

• V.S .Naipul (Trinidad)
• Salman Rushdie (India)
• Ben Okri (Nigeria)
• Timothy Mo (Hong Kong)
• Jean Rhys (Dominica)

'Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist' essay by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie is a Migrant writer who travels across different continents allowing him to look upon things from two perspectives which are After and Before.  After in a sense after his migration from native land and before in a sense his abandoned status in his own country after traveling to another country. So, Between these two effects of past and present he himself is finding his own existence in his essay 'Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist.'

"In my own case, I have constantly been asked whether I am British or Indian. The formulation 'India-born British writer' has been invented to explain me. But, as I said last night, my new book deals with Pakistan. So, What now? British resident Indo-Pakistan writer? You see the folly of trying to contain writers inside passports."

(By Salman Rushdie from 'Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist')

In his essay Rushdie constantly argues that it is unfair to put any writers within borders or within any 'literary ghetto' like 'Commonwealth Literature.' To categorise any writer within tradition seems to enchain the writers. According to Rushdie Writer's Imagination can go beyond boundaries. Rushdie's main objective is to explain the cultures and traditions of one country beyond national boundaries and for that we need to accept 'English as Global Language' instead of English for limited countries. 

Writer as Transnational as well as National

What commonwealth literature finds interesting in 

Patrick White is his Australianness; in Dons Lessing, her Africanness; in V.S._ Naipaul, his West Indianness.... Books are almost always praised for using motifs and symbols out of the author's own national tradition or when their form echoes some traditional influences at 

work upon the writer can be seen to be wholly internal to 

the "culture" from which he "springs" 

(By Salman Rushdie from 'Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist')

Rushdie's argument here seems as complex but fair. On one hand he is in favour and supports the idea that writers are transnational whose writings transcend beyond one culture or on the other side he never denies the fact that "Literature is an expression of nationality."

So, Rushdie's argument is that just because a writer is connected with one tradition doesn't mean we confined them in a one literary ghetto.  And Just because writers write in English and go beyond their own national identity doesn't mean they demean their Native Land or Mother Tongue. Because today any writer who is writing in English cannot stay away from their own nationality and being an writer of English Language they cannot remain totally aloof from transnationality.

Migrant Writer with Ambiguous Existence

Migrant writers who stay away from their native land live in an ambiguous existence. Because they cannot remain totally aloof from their roots in native land and they are also settling down at new places and new traditions and new culture of new land also affected them. 

So, Migrant Writer at the same time is battling with their past memories in an imaginary manner and on the other side they are actively trying to recreate their own new destinies in a completely new country which has its own tradition, ways of living, behavioural pattern, language, values and culture. 

So, Migrant Writers with their ambiguous identity became unique in their writing. So, In the process of redefinition and reformation of his existence the Migrant writers are only able to create 'Imaginary Homelands' which is actually neither here nor there. 

It may be that writers in my position, exiles or emigrants 

or expatriates, are haunted by some sense of loss, some 

urge to reclaim, to look back, even at the risk of being mutated into pillars of salt. But if we do look back, we must also do so in the knowledge — which gives rise to profound uncertainties — that our physical alienation from India almost inevitably means that we will not be 

capable of reclaiming precisely the thing that was lost; that we will, in short, create fictions and actual cities or villages, but invisible ones, imaginary homelands, Indian of the mind.

Negative Impact of labeling 'Commonwealth Literature'

In his essay 'Commonwealth Literature Does not exist' Rushdie makes further arguments on what are the consequences when we label some Literature under "Commonwealth Literature."  He argues that underlying such categories create some assumptions that Literature is a straightforward expression of some authentic nationality by calling it "body of authenticity" by categorising writers under "the folly of trying to contain writers inside passports."

In his article "The cult of Authenticity" Indian English writer Vikram Chandra echoes similar kinds of challenges and dissatisfaction that "to write about India in English is at best a brave failure, and at worst a betrayal of Indian realities because the English language is always assumed to be incapable of conveying the 'real' and 'authentic India.' Similarly Salman Rushdie also focuses more on mixed-ness rather than singularity and says that we should forget this fantasy of pure nationalism and to embrace the diversity that exists really in reality.

"The very essence of Indian culture is that we possess a mixed tradition, Eclecticism, the ability to take from the world what seems fitting and to leave the rest, has always been a hallmark of the Indian tradition."

So, Here Rushdie denies the fact that there are common connections among the works of certain writers. But that doesn't mean we define that commonalities within the borders of language and nationality. This may create false categories. So, Rushdie concludes by pointing out that categorization of writers should be based on 'Imaginative Affinities' rather than linguistic or national boundaries. In that manner Rushdie argues that 'Commonwealth Literature does not Exist' at all.

Conclusion

So, Through this essay Rushdie wants to convey the idea that 'Commonwealth Literature does not exist. Because writers from different countries have their own culture and tradition. And Migrant writers cannot completely remain aloof from their native land. So, This is how a Migrant Writer living in an Ambiguous Existence, who can neither forget his roots and tradition and now they are living in a foreign country where they are suffering to give Redefinition and Reformation to their existence.

References

• "Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist by Salman Rushdie." Literature, literature-articles.blogspot.com/2014/12/commonwealth-literature-does-not-exist.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.
• "Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist by Salman Rushdie." USAD Literature Resource Guide, 2015. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.
• Danielle. "Invisible Man and Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist." Reading Salman Rushdie, 25 Jan. 2010, rushdiecourse.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/invisible-man-and-commonwealth-literature-does-not-exist/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.
• McKenzie, A.D. "LITERATURE: What is Commonwealth Literature?" Inter Press Service, 15 Nov. 2019, www.ipsnews.net/1997/04/literature-what-is-commonwealth-literature/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.
• Olufunwa, Harry. "An Introduction to Commonwealth Literature." ResearchGate, 2001, pp. 409-417, www.researchgate.net/publication/263046794_An_Introduction_to_Commonwealth_Literature. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.
• Rushdie, Salman. "Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist." Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991, Random House, 2012. Accessed 5 Dec. 2020.