Comments on: “Nawabdin Electrician,” in The New Yorker

By: fsowalla

fsowalla — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 21:19:08 +0000

Amardeep, thanks for the introduction to Mueenuddin (I’m a bit behind on my New Yorkers). Having recently read Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, I can’t help but consider the way that the two writers tackle their characters’ American girlfriends. In both cases we’re invited to feel an initial touch of sympathy with the girlfriend (as in, “my how difficult it must be to understand this complicated young S. Asian”), and still, in both cases it seems like the final verdict is “these American girls can’t handle the burden/weight of a foreign culture.” I did appreciate that we get a more detailed look at Helen’s psyche than in Hamid’s book, but somehow it makes me feel that perhaps in reality in many cases of failed cross-cultural relationships it’s the S. Asian man in the relationship that can’t handle it.

By: cb

cb — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:07:42 +0000

amardeep i liked the story. great characterisation, location of story, and narrative style. i did not think it was plodding at all. did i like nawabdin? i think so. he loves his wife, in a manner, and she is nice to him, which says a lot. he loves his daughters, cares about them, his children and family dear to him, he is happy toiling for them. he is enterprising, certainly not lazy, nothing much deters him, he is a positive man, pretty happy with his life.

the story fulfills the expectation - that the character must move in some way. nawabdin is pissed at the robber, refuses him forgiveness, and feels no remorse. until the very end, for a very small moment, when he thinks about the man's words. "And then he didn't." there the story pivots back to an unexamined life.

the robber is revealed as well when he whispers "It's not true."

the dialog at the very end between the 2 men was a little contrived i thought. it could have been better. but it worked.

i would love to know your opinion.

By: desishiksa

desishiksa — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:34:27 +0000

Our Lady of Paris was so riveting. I liked the line where Sohail’s mother tells Helen she isn’t into superficial things enough to survive in Karachi. Haven’t read the New Yorker story yet. I agree with Deep–his style of writing is very careful, and though it does seem to work for this story, I could see how it might get tedious. For now, I’m interested and would like to keep reading.

By: Neale

Neale — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:56:50 +0000

It's easier to be really convincing when you write about what you know.

Amardeep, That said, look at Jhumpa Lahiri's arc. So many of the good stories in IOM were set in India. Namesake, on the other hand - I did not like as much.

By: Deep

Deep — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:31:31 +0000

The word I would use to describe his writing would be careful, perhaps even a little hesitant. The piece about the electrician toiled a bit for me. I suppose I am assuming the writer has better ability to delve into the skin of the privileged, explaining upper-crust thoughts and sequence better. There is a comfort zone there. An understanding that I did not see in The New Yorker piece, which almost makes an unconscious (or perhaps intentional) attempt to explain the psyche of the poor to those not. Thought: Maybe if a writer acknowledges that he or she can sometimes only observe the poor through prose and not be them, a lot more can be done, unless I am mistaken, and imagination for some does allow enough empathy to make the narration more real and less buckled. A little help of genius would be worthwhile too. Although it might just be that a writer’s concern for a subject may force a story out even though the writer may not be the best person to tell it. A need to document then outlives everything else perhaps.

By: Amardeep

Amardeep — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:23:40 +0000

Sorry, Amardeep, for turning this into a book report, but the post was interesting and I was feeling a little literary today.

Floridian, Not at all -- I appreciated your thoughts on the story.

By: Reasoner

Reasoner — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:10:04 +0000

Our Lady of Paris made my heart crack a little bit. Lovely writing.

By: Floridian

Floridian — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:57:08 +0000

It is not exactly a compliment that the story is more poignant than the characters. The irony embedded in the story is that crime, petty or not, is a relative term. Stealing electricity and tricking one's employer for the greater good of supporting a family of 15 is what a good man must do. On the other hand, stealing somebody's motorbike, the victim's livelihood, is crime. Although not eactly an original theme, either in literature or in movies, the relativity of crime in a poor society is still a thought provoking premise and does make the story good literature. Where the story falls short is in its one-dimensional, angst-free, and totally unaware characterization of Nawabdin. To the extent the irony of the theme fails to breathe more complexity, and irony, and hence life into the central character, I consider the work less creative and more didactic, and great literature is never that.

The writing, if it should even be judged separately when critiquing literature, is full of promise of better things to come from a new writer. With a style that is quite minimalistic and mercifully lean on adjectives and metaphors, Daniyal still manages to paint interesting pictures, as in "No tea, no tea" pompousness of Nawabdin when he walks into a pump room, the "unsurpassed fertility" describing his wife and "people asking him about world affairs, about which he knew nothing" just because he now had a motorcycle.

4 NEALE: "Which makes him a very uninteresting character. I believe the best characters in lit. are those who possess flaws and fumble trying to rationalize them or fix them."

Great literature is ultimately about characters. Great stories are not merely told but enacted, and enacted through the thoughts and actions of people. It is as true of Shakespearean tragedy as it is of a summer flick. We can all write poignant, thought provoking essays. How many can write stories?

Sorry, Amardeep, for turning this into a book report, but the post was interesting and I was feeling a little literary today.

By: premier gaou

premier gaou — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:23:28 +0000

Some useful context

By: Amardeep

Amardeep — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 05:11:48 +0000

I think I liked the style in “Our lady Paris” [and also the picture of the lady on top of the books ] slightly better than “Nawabdin electrician”.

Yes — it might be that “Our Lady of Paris” is closer to the author’s own personal life experiences in certain ways (he’s also a Yale grad… who practiced law in the U.S. for some years before returning to Pakistan to manage his family’s large estate…). It’s easier to be really convincing when you write about what you know.