Jottings - Slice of Life - 235 ( Kane & Abel - Jeffrey Archer’s theme of underdog that gripped the public imagination)

Jottings - Slice of Life - 235 ( Kane & Abel - Jeffrey Archer’s theme of underdog that gripped the public imagination)

Some of the greatest books of Literature begin with unforgettable sentences. The first lines set the tone for the entire book, and what follows will seem a mere commentary or elaboration of what that line meant or how its meaning unfolds. Hemmingway believed all that a writer had to do is write one true sentence, and the rest will follow. It is true. Consider the following opening lines: Dickens begins his masterpiece on French revolution “The Tale of two cities” with this stunning line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..” Leo Tolstoy’s magnum opus “War and Peace”, a thousand page tome on life and times in Russia during the Napoleonic wars begins with one of the most quoted lines in world literature : “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” starts with a poignant observation. She writes “ It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” - what followed thereafter is considered to be one of finest and insightful pieces of writing on the joys and travails of love and marriage since the art form of novel was born. Or Consider Toni Morrison, the Nobel laureate, known for her incisive portrayal of Black Americans and their lives in modern America. She commences her magnificent novel “Paradise” with the following six words: "They shoot the white girl first” - the stark economy of this line and the incongruity of a while girl shot in a predominantly Black American story jolts and grips the reader, who can only put the book down after the last page is devoured. Or consider Colette, a maverick french writer ( one of my favorites). She begins her series on Claudine with the line " My name is Claudine. I live in montigny, I was born there in 1884. I shall probably not die there.." In four successive books, Colette develops this theme with precision and power. Such is the power of art, and in particular of great work of fiction, that in able hands a few words can set the stage, evoke mystery and take the reader along an unforgettable journey.

In 1979, Jeffrey Archer, a relatively new writer, published his second novel which began with the following intriguing line “She only stopped screaming when she died. It was then that he started to scream”. In the next seven hundred pages, Archer weaves a story of richness and poverty, friendship and deceit, love and hate, jealousy and magnanimity that gripped the imagination of millions, making Archer not only a household name in literate circles, but his story was etched into collective consciousness of a generation growing in an increasingly unequal world, where opportunities abounded, but luck, chance and sufficient enterprise were still necessary to embrace it. The book was titled “Kane & Abel”. It was a best seller for many years.

Archer himself is a product of his generation with all its goodness and vices, He is an enigmatic figure in British literary world. As a child his father was non-existent to him, and known more as a con-man than a respected parent; young Jeffrey lied his way into schools and colleges, studied literature without any serious commitment; as an adult lived an extravagant life style beyond his means, found a way to dabble in politics and surprisingly became a member of the parliament at 29; restless again, he started art galleries to make money and abruptly closed them when it led to calculated losses; jumped into recklessly investing in all manner of commercial enterprises that inevitably bought him near bankruptcy; and towards 1974, at thirty five years of age, almost penniless, on the road with nothing to fall back on, except bad reputation, he turned full time to writing fiction - an art that came naturally to him. His first novel “Not a penny more, not a penny less” was well received by critics and readers. It was about a man who commits fraud and later redeems himself. It came straight out his life. But what was surprising was the fluency of Archer’s writing and command over the narrative. He told the story really well, and kept readers engaged. Critics couldn’t find fault with his command of language or structure of the story. The style bordered on the mass novel form, but had passages which revealed a sensitive literary writer with good feel for description and dialogue.

He published Kane & Abel in 1979 in England, and 1980 in the US. If one reads the book now, after thirty five years of publication, its story may not evince the same breathtaking quality it had then. Naturally so!! Times have changed, and society has become more cynical of social equality. The principal theme in Kane and Abel of the underdog becoming successful has metamorphosed into a cruel Joke in modern times. We may not believe in the fairy tale quality of such successes, and perhaps shrug it off. But in 1980, an age of optimism all round, the story was gripping. Abel (born as Wladek Koskiewicz), one of the two heroes of the story is found in war crippled Poland, bought up in meagre circumstances by his adopted parents, witnesses the cruel rape of his guardian by war intoxicated soldiers, struggles his way to America, and works up the ladder seizing opportunities as it comes - is pitched against William Kane, to whom life has provided all the material and social advantages one can have. Born on the same day, under completely different circumstances, they grow up to be as different as two men can ever be. Their path cross, their children mingle, but underneath all this change, the simmering anger and discontent Abel has for Kane for a chance misunderstanding - never changes. It is difficult for Abel, a man who has seen poverty and death at close quarters to acknowledge the effortless affluence and grace of his rich alter ego in Kane. Archer stages the rivalry well, and brings it to a crescendo like a master conductor directing Handel’s choruses, with page after page following each other with impeccable structure and tension. Each chapter in the book builds up the story in measured manner, and not a page goes by before the reader doesn’t gasp at a phrase or sentence, or turn of events, or the perfect coincidence the author had managed to weave into his masterpiece. Till the very end of the story, Abel and Kane dont meet, and when they eventually do, they merely condescend to exchange the slightest of understanding nods - a nod that sums the intense tale across 800 pages.

“Kane & Abel” is not a literary classic, and Archer is not a wordsmith is the highest traditions of the genre; but his sense of story-telling, and ability to evoke a tale in the readers mind with simple strokes of his pen is commendable. I am sure he wrote it with an eye to commercial adaptations. American television adopted and transformed the story into successful miniseries. Hollywood also surreptitiously used this theme in innumerable films, and strangely, on Indian soil, the story found great resonance. In an unequal society, there is always a preference for underdogs. We like people who come from behind, and the story perfectly suited Bollywood style
of dramas and our artistic preference for those who work hard for their success, and slightly skeptical of those born rich and well placed.

What prompted me to write this essay was I happened to see a young man sitting next to me on the Plane last week, reading Kane and Abel. I quietly smiled. Its been ages since I saw someone with this book in hand. In the eighties, almost every household had a copy in the living room . Now, it has faded in popularity. I have Kane & Abel in my Library, the first hard bound edition printed in 1980 with young and handsome Jeffrey Archer’s picture on the back cover. I bought from ebay, just for its nostalgic value. For Jeffery Archer - this book was a personal triumph against odds. Kane and Abel made Archer a millionaire and a preferred novelist for years. None of the books that followed, however, quite reached the standard of Kane and Abel. But that didn’t matter. All it takes is single Herculean effort in art; other performances can bask in its shadow. Archer should be a happy man.

God bless…

Yours in mortality,

Bala