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sitanshi talati-parikh

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Tag Archives: Jeffrey Archer

Five Times Archer

18 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Musings

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Barbara Taylor Bradford, Clifton Chronicles, Jeffrey Archer

Only-time-will-tell

So, one of my favourite mainstream fiction writers, Jeffrey Archer (thank god he continues to live and write prolifically) is out with part one (of five parts) of what he described last year to me as the ‘Clifton Chronicles’. Is it different from his other books, particularly the sagas he is so famous for? NO. In fact, it revisits the tenets that make Archers sagas what they are: classic and true to their eternal premise that there exist connections between individuals.

1. These would most likely be men separated at birth, sharing parents, having some sort of birth mix-up – you get the point. These individuals grow up in separate conditions – mostly a strong economical divide – the fortunes of one are juxtaposed against the nurture-disadavantages of the other. While one leads a blessed life, the other has to struggle for everything.

2. Of course, the author gently nudges the reader into empathy for the more disadvantaged person – he remains Archer’s eternal hero, but, most importantly, the one with the advantage is also dealt with lovingly. He is generally a nice guy – you are unable to fault him for the fortunes of birth, and he often, wittingly or unwittingly, comes to the aid of his potential future nemesis.

3. They lead parallel lives, often mirroring actions in their own ways, both destined for success and chalking their path as they deem fit until they meet towards a dramatic finale. Archer doesn’t comment on right or wrong, rather he believes that success is paramount, along with being a good human being. His characters often set their own rules, are not always moral, but they are unable to alienate the audience in these minor misdemeanours because they remain good at heart. (Aside: Is this what Archer tries to prove about himself?)

4. Archer appears to have a strong belief in destiny – so much so that he could be Indian in his ideology. (Think astrology that believes that every individual has a path charted out, and when individuals’ paths cross, there is a greater meaning behind it.) Each of his characters is simply living out their destiny to the fullest – and incidents unfold along the way, making their lives interesting, because of the people they are. Other characters that come in to help/ aid/ or desist are mere catalysts in the greater purpose these individuals are meant to serve.

5. Archer’s hero is the quintessential hero that is living to fulfil his destiny through a greatness that lies dormant within him, that needs to be tapped, explored and unleashed. His is not the anti-hero of contemporary times; and the fact that we still like and want more of his hero, proves that we believe in the bigger hero over the popularised anti-hero.

6. His contemporary from the same country, Barbara Taylor Bradford was a master storyteller of sagas – think the one starting with Woman of Substance. The power of her story remains eternal, unfortunately, she no longer writes (I am quite certain a ghost writer writers under her name – churning out weak, insipid, badly written romance novels). I can only hope Archer doesn’t go the same route. While his story-telling skills remain as powerful, I do feel that his language has been toned down and made simpler than his older sagas. I wonder why?

7. The circumstances of his novels’ mise-en-scene remain the same: juxtaposed against the World Wars, dealing with England and no further than America or Australia, possibly areas that Archer knows well and understands best. This time around though, he takes his sagas into contemporary time: the Clifton Chronicles will span decades and enter the contemporary age – this is what will set it apart and I can’t wait to see how he deals with placing characters in a far newer age and era of technology, quite out of his usual comfort zone.

8. Even though Archer’s Clifton Chronicles, starting with Only Time Will Tell, remains Archeresque to the point where they offer nothing new, except a recycled version of his previous sagas, his stories are still knowingly and willingly consumed with as much interest because these sagas work as strong tales. The foundation that every Archer saga shares remains eternal and eminently readable. I am surprised that no movies have been made on any of his sagas. I only wish his publishers and he would not tantalise the readers with breaking the story into five parts and releasing them so far apart from each other – with no clue when the next installment is even due.

Not a Word More, Not a Word Less – Jeffrey Archer

26 Saturday Jun 2010

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Art, Literature & Culture, Interviews (All), Interviews: The Arts, Publication: Verve Magazine

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International Fiction, Interview, Jeffrey Archer, Literature, vervemagazine

Published: Verve Magazine, International Edge, June 2010

British novelist, ex-politician and former jailbird, Lord Jeffrey Archer is an absorbing conversationalist. He’s confident, patient, petulant and raring with sure-fire ambition. In Mumbai for the launch of his latest collection of short stories, And Thereby Hangs a Tale, Sitanshi Talati-Parikh comes away from the tête-à-tête duly charmed

Jeffrey01

Jeffrey Archer explains the act of creation of dialogue, demonstrating how real-life conversation can’t be imitated exactly in fiction. “While talking you may say, ‘Can I have a cup of coffee, please?’ but you can’t put that in a book.” The ever-gracious Taj hospitality team appears bearing silverware and coffee, not knowing that Archer was merely demonstrating a point. “Is that my special?” he asks – having quite missed the force of his spoken word. They look confused. “Is that coffee?” They nod bewildered. “No, thank you, I have my special. I thought they told you all about it. No they didn’t? God bless them,” he mutters. A few minutes later, the somewhat-‘special’ turns up. They couldn’t garnish it with chocolate sauce, they murmur desperately. He takes a sip. “It’s not like Barista’s! They all try to make it like Barista, but they can’t. And who introduced me to Barista? ‘Raoool’ Dravid introduced me to it. I don’t like coffee. I like Barista’s. I don’t get it in England. I love it.” He gives it back, with an unhappy, “Thank you, very much.”

He is surprisingly energetic, he’s refreshingly ebullient and he holds the instinctive ability to inspire. At 70 years of age, he moves with the efficiency – and his voice carries the power of a 35-year-old. He speaks without platitudes and any hint of patronisation. And if you question his creative choices, he responds with effusive mock indignation.

Excerpts from a rollicking, sometimes serious conversation with the author:
(All exclamation marks and text repetitions are entirely based on the interviewee’s tone. Capitals denote elevated volume only.)

Why do you not have more female protagonists in your books – besides The Prodigal Daughter and False Impression?
The Prodigal Daughter is totally about the first woman president of the United States. Who wrote the first story about the first woman president of the United States? ME! Long before Hillary Clinton! You weren’t even born then! I’m married to a woman who runs the biggest, greatest hospital in Britain, Cambridge University. So, don’t you give me that protagonist stuff. In this one (points to his latest book) all the women are wicked. They’re nice in a lot of them, aren’t they? I’m not a women’s writer. I don’t write to please you, I write to please everyone!

And everyone is pleased by men?
Well, no. NO! The Prodigal Daughter is the story of a woman. False Impression, you’re quite right, is about a woman from beginning to end. You selfish thing, isn’t that enough for you? (Laughs uproariously.) God, women’s rights for India! Women to run India!

What happens if you don’t have a story to tell? Do you ever get stuck?
Never. NEVER! No writer’s block! Never. I know my next six stories. The next thing I’m writing is the biggest challenge in my life. I’m writing five books in a row, the story of which starts in 1920 and ends in 2020. They are called The Clifton Chronicles. The first book is dominated by a MAN called Harry Clifton. The second book is dominated by a woman called Emma. Yes!

Is there a sense of completion when your protagonists achieve that position of power – after all, that’s where the books end? What happens if they were to continue?
What you’ve said is going to happen in the next series. One will lead into another. They will all be separate books. I’m a believer in hard work and ambition and achievement – for men or women. (I can sense the aside.) I work for Margaret Thatcher – makes no difference to me. The achievement is in reaching the goal, not afterwards! You don’t want to think about retirement do you?

Do you believe that with great power comes great responsibility – for the storyteller and for the story itself?
No I don’t. I think that’s not realistic. I am a storyteller. I want you to enjoy the story. I want you to turn the page. I don’t want to leave you with any philosophical…well you can, but that’s not what I aim to do. I aim to entertain you.

Is that the difference between popular culture and literature?
NO! That’s insulting. (I’m just saying.) I know you are, but it’s insulting. That is to say you can’t be a great storyteller and write well. The literary failures of this world always try that line, because they are jealous. It was one of your great critics who told me, ‘Jeffrey, don’t worry with the sacred cows of India – read RK Narayan.’ I agree with her. Narayan is both – marvellous combination of great writer and great storyteller. There are very few Vikram Seths around. (He approves of Seth.)

So, your new collection of short stories….
(Answers with practised ease.) Fifteen short stories, nine of them true, the most exciting one for me is set in India, called Caste-off. It’s the story of two people I met in Mumbai three years ago (Nisha Jamvwal and Kanwar Rameshwar Singh Jamvwal). I think it will make a Bollywood film – it’s so romantic. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the story; it’s so remarkable that you can’t make it up.

Do you pull from real life or employ fiction?
It’s half and half. Human beings are giving stories all the time. Why bother to invent someone when I can just write you? It’s so easy. I look at people and I remember details very well. If I get a good story, I write one line that reminds me of it. I always keep notes. Normally everything is all up there. (Referring to his deeply lined forehead.) If you are working the whole time – and I’m always working – memory gets constantly tested. Your memory only gets lazy if you’re lazy.

What does power mean to you?
Power?! Power. (Makes it sound like ‘paar’.) It has many meanings. But sometimes, a writer has power without realising it because people will write to me and say, ‘Your book has changed my life,’ or ‘something you wrote has changed me as a person’. Which one hopes is power for good – for instance young Indians learning to believe in hard work to achieve what they want.

Your stories give people the drive to keep going, to succeed….
Nowadays, people want it tomorrow…not 20 years down the line. A girl came up to me at a restaurant and said, ‘I want to be famous.’ I asked her if she played the violin, sang a song or wrote a book…and she shook her head. She said, ‘You don’t understand me, I want to be famous.’ She didn’t want to do the work. You have to do the work. Now I’m more demanding all the time, on myself.

Does success increase the pressure to deliver?
I always had a story so I never felt pressure. The problem was making sure I worked hard enough. I’m working harder now than ever. People ask me silly questions like ‘Do you write all your books?’ But you would know straight away, wouldn’t you? You’d say, ‘Jeffrey! You didn’t write that!’ I always say to people, my readers would know – they know my tricks. Which makes it harder for me, because my fans are sitting there and saying, ‘Where’s the twist, Jeffrey? What’re you gonna do, Jeffrey? I’ve got my eye on you!’ It’s still a challenge to fool you, to get you to the last line and make you go ‘Aaeee!’ That’s the trick.

Few writers can handle short stories and sagas with equal aplomb….
The thing about short stories is that they are stories. A lot of people who write short stories are actually writing ‘looks at life’ or incidents. I tell stories. They have a beginning, middle and an end. I don’t want to write about the ‘movement in the room, made one feel luminous, as the girl walked toward me, I realised….’ Oh balls. Give me a STORY!

So you’re going strong.
Eh? FOREVER!

Love the spirit. Word.

|  Filling the gaps between words.  |

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