Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Sunday Scribblings - "Messenger"

I’ve been a Stephen King fan for as long as I remember, although that said, I can’t actually remember which of his books I read first, or at what age, or even how I latched on to him first. All I know is that apart from a few blips here and there (“Rose Madder”, “Gerald’s Game”), I’ve read and enjoyed every one of his books, fiction and non-fiction. Some books, of course, are way ahead of the others, but on the whole I think he’s an amazing writer. I might have said this before, but I’ve frequently found his imagery and descriptions almost poetic in their lyricism... and how I’ve wished that I had just a wee fraction of his ability to paint word-pictures! (I haven’t really stopped wishing it, actually.) Considering he’s a “horror” writer, it speaks volumes for his genius that poetry is what comes to my mind even in the midst of gore – and let’s make no bones about it, there is usually plenty of gore.

But futile wishing and hours of breathless reading aside, I’ve also gained unexpected knowledge from his books. For instance, I learnt that sparrows - those tiny, drab, nondescript, cheerfully chirpy little birds once so common in Madras - are considered to be messengers of death, sent to escort newly deceased souls to the afterlife. The novel from which I gleaned this information was “The Dark Half”, which is replete with hundreds of sparrows swooping and swirling innocuously – and yet menacingly - throughout the novel, finally taking away the evil alter ego, George Stark, to his well-deserved ending.

I love Stephen King. Long may he write.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh... I shan't bother finishing it then now I know the ending...

lol..only kidding..read it a while ago and agree..you can learn an awful lot from the most unusal of places. But keep wishing, keep reading..one day, who knows..
:)

Altonian said...

Have to agree with you all the way, Stephen King is a great writer. Wonderfully weird imagination.

Shammi said...

Wordsasunder: You know, the thought did cross my mind that this post might be a spoiler - but then the book/movie aren't exactly recent, so I figured it wouldnt matter :) Glad I didnt ruin the book for you, though!

Old Altonian: It's always nice to know another Stephen King fan :)

U said...

You and my husband both. Stephen King makes me ill. I've read two of his books and that's more than enough :)

Kamini said...

I haven't read any of Stephen King's books, but I've read so many passionate reviews of his books on your blog that I'm seriously tempted to give him a try!

Shammi said...

U: I know, he isnt to everybody's taste :)

Kamini: Welll.... I'd say your best bet would be to read "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" - a long short-story which has also, by the way, been made into a fab movie "The Shawshank Redemption"! :)

Kamini said...

Thanks Shyam - I will certainly give it a try. I loved The Shawshank Redemption!

Anonymous said...

stevie rocks! did you like his under the dome? i actually cried off a family engagement one day to finish it :)

Shammi said...

Ummon: Didnt I JUST! :) I thought he was back in full form with "Under the Dome".