Indian post-colonial literature in a Leistungskurs English As pointed out in my introduction to Sonja Keibel's assessment of William Sutcliffe's travel novel Are You Experienced, the anthology The Vintage Book of Indian Writing, 1947-1997, ed. by Salman Rushdie and Elizabeth West, London 1997 affords various aspects of Indian post-colonial writing. As all great literature does, the texts reflect in their Indian causes the concern of humanity at large, which is one of the points of the first text in the collection: J. Nehru's speech on the eve of Independence: "It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity." I have chosen interpretations of two texts. One of them deals with the ethical aspects of colonialist inhumanity and the other one treats various facets of European and Indian ethnicity. Both interpretations were written as a homework. Th.-M. Wulff

I chose this multi-faceted story because it is a stirring example of how profound ethnic and personal differences are not only tolerated in an Indian community but rather constitute specific relationships of human warmth and humour. On the other hand, the Austrian and Jewish protagonist of the story has a problem that goes beyond the scope of his Indian friends and neighbours so that eventually they cannot keep him from committing suicide. Wulff

1. Give a summary.

The story deals with a Dr Schlamm (Salaam is the Indian pronunciation) who is an Austrian Jewish refugee in the Second World War. After living and practising for a couple of years in the city of Madras, Dr Schlamm moves into the Hibinett house, a house of the Nungambakam locality of Madras, next door to an Indian family who very soon take a liking to Dr Schlamm. A wonderful friendship develops between each member of the family and this totally whimsical and peculiar Dr Schlamm. But this friendship has to end in a tragic way: feeling guilty for having left his nation and for being alive while his people in Austria are dying under fascist rule, Dr Schlamm has serious depressions which eventually drive him to commit suicide.

2. Characterise Dr Salaam and determine the narrator´s view of him.

Dr Salaam is a man who is desperately longing for love and friendship but who still is a deeply lonely man (p. 198). He feels like a coward, almost a traitor because he left his country and fled from the war (p. 197), in fact acting like his uncle, a person he really dislikes (p. 196). Dr Salaam suffers being aware of his nation´s pain and humiliation. He does not allow himself any luxury (p. 187) and is not able to enjoy his life, feeling he does not deserve it, that it does not belong to him (p. 198). He feels guilty for being alive and in "good" health, therefore he twice attempts to commit suicide to do away with his life.

But despite his suffering Dr Salaam is a kind, polite person who is caring for his friends and their children (pp.189, 198). He is a magnanimous man who accepts the weakness of the others, realising their strength (pp. 187, 193). And he himself needs acceptance and human warmth, he adores beauty and wants to be loved (p. 192). But he is afraid of having a serious relationship with a woman because it would demand him to go out of his little world where he is living totally shut off (p. 191).

Having the nature of a dreamer (p. 189) and at the same time struggling with his depressions, Dr Salaam reminds the reader of Dostojevskij´s The Idiot.

The narrator and her family feel complete in Dr Salaam´s vicinity (p. 198). They do not consider him to be just a visitor (pp. 188f.), and in some way he is their doctor (p. 198). The narrator spends much time with Dr Salaam and learns from him, calling his existence a "part of the bewildering business of growing up, of learning to fill in blanks that one had not even known existed" (pp. 198f.). Dr Salaam is a friend, a teacher to the narrator, he is a person who makes her see so many things she did not know before. She has fun with him (p. 198), she respects and admires him for she accepts him the way he is (p. 198). Even the knowledge of his suicide attempt, which shocks her at first, makes her admire and respect him more than before (p. 198). The news of Dr Salaam´s death then make the narrator´s world "brake to a stop" (p. 201). She was missing him during the whole time he visited Europe, his death means the loss of one of the most important persons in her life (p. 201).

You will find the story on pp. 182 - 202.

A Raj Quartet, also interpreted by Anastasia Mattern

Contact for further information: Thorsten-Michael Wulff