MEMOIRS, JOURNALS AND
CONVERSATIONS
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
― William Wordsworth,
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
― William Wordsworth
BLURB
GS. Subbu puts together bits and pieces, slices of life, in metaphors, in conversations, and in humor, to arrive at an understanding of the world we live in, of relationships and empathy, a journey of learning, an inquiry into life, and an acceptance of reality,. Memoirs, Journals, and Conversations’ is metaphorical in its contents, whether it is the author talking to himself or with objects surrounding him, leading one to serious introspection. The author in his own words says “I pause to reflect on what I have seen and experienced, what I have understood about life, and what it means to live”. Appreciation of Art, The Dream of a Disturbed Man a short science fiction story, Homage and A Tribute to All Parents also form important portions of the book
PREFACE
When I reflect on my journey as a writer, I feel fulfilled and satisfied that I have been able to say what I wanted, an outlet for my feelings, views, and explorations into territories that had eluded me before. I now await to venture into fresher pastures. But before that, I wish to share with my readers and seek their indulgence to undertake the journey along with me, for after all, it is they who have pushed me from milestone to milestone.
I found in the process that I could explore all those things that I have been passionately interested in like art – painting, and music. It was on the way, on that journey, I saw things with a new perspective, a perspective that had been sharpened by the experiences on the way. I came across two amazing books that played a large part in my development as a writer and helped me become a published author from a blogger – ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King and ‘Fallen Leaves’ by Will Durant. I learned from Stephen King that “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. Good writing teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth-telling. We read to experience the mediocre and the outright rotten; such experience helps us to recognize those things when they begin to creep into our own work and to steer clear of them. We also read in order to measure ourselves against the good and the great, to get a sense of all that can be done. And we also read to experience different styles.”
To this day I fall back upon Will Durant and it becomes more relevant as you age and the years pass you by. ‘Fallen Leaves’ is considered his most personal book and the last, presenting his own opinions on the major problems of life, politics, religion, and society. I have taken the liberty to reproduce from the Preface to the book where he writes-
“Vanity increases with age. Here I am, going on ninety-five; by this time I should have learned the art of silence, and should realize that every educated reader has already heard all opinions and their opposites; yet here I set out, fearful and rash, to tell the world – or one hundred millionth of it – just what I think on everything. It is all the more ridiculous since at my age, a man is deeply rooted in the ways or views of his youth, and is almost constitutionally incapable of understanding the changing world that assails him, and from which he tends to flee into the grooves of the past or the safety of his home.”
There has been a perceptible slowing down, especially after 2020, and I recognize that. Maybe I can no longer run, but still capable of pushing my way to the next milestone, and like Durrant says, I am also learning the art of Silence.
I pause to reflect on what I have seen and experienced, what I have understood about life, and what it means to live. I ask myself whether it is vanity that forces me to write. Maybe it is there in some measure, but to be truthful, I have found that my writing is a mirror I hold in front to understand the lessons that life has taught me. It has taught me that each day is a celebration. As you wake up to see the sun streaming through the windows and you stretch your limbs, re-enacting the very process of being born again and living one more day, it is a CELEBRATION.
I feel indebted to all those authors and their books for having shown me the way whenever I faced a wall. I find it necessary to list here the learning points and processes I underwent while reading them, especially Stephen King’s ON WRITING and Will Durant’s ‘FALLEN LEAVES’
The need to arrive at a comprehensive view of life through my own and the lives of others has been my inspiration. I see stories in every person I meet and every place I visit, and they inspire me.
When I look back at the road I have traveled, I keep discovering those little joys, some sadness, successes, failures, and questions about life.
All writers undergo the same process: an idea, giving it form, writing it down, reading, editing, re-reading, re-editing, and the final product. It is an iterative process until you are satisfied that you have nearly put down what you wanted. Research becomes an integral part when you write across different locations and timelines.
The most fulfilling aspect of writing is the ability to translate emotions, ideas, and perceptions, which are intangible, into words. It is an outlet for your imagination and a world of your own where you are the creator. Imagery is an essential part of storytelling. I have relied on it to capture the mind of the reader and enhance their reading experience so that they can visualize the setting on which a story is based.
This book is essentially a selection from my writings over the years. I thought it fit to group them in the form of memoirs and journals to give a wholesome picture and bring it out in the form of a book. I am sure the reader will find it seamless and travel on the journey with me.
This journey of selecting from what I have written over the last fifteen years and editing and putting them together has been rewarding and, at the same time, a satisfaction of evaluating how far I have traveled on my journey to self-discovery.
AUTHOR BIO
This is the sixth book of GS.Subbu (the others being- ‘I am just an Ordinary Man’, ‘Darkness and Beyond- A Medley of Many LIves’, ‘Autumn Leaves- Seasons of Life’, ‘The Diary of Mrityunjay’ and ‘Secrets of the Soul’. An Engineer by qualification and a Banker by profession, Subbu started his journey in writing as a blogger, after his retirement. His blog ‘Sublimation’ has been the backbone of his writings. ‘Memoirs, Journals and Conversations’ is a compilation of a selection of his writings over the last decade and half, exploring various aspects of life.
The book is now available on
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0G8FHTDV7
https://direct.notionpress.com/in/read/memoirs-journals-and-conversations/
