Madame Verona comes Down the Hill - Dimitri Verhulst

The village of Oucwègne, set in the middle of three hills has a fast depleting population. People continuously left the village and the cold to cities and many outside the country to far off lands. Now with merely 40 people, the village is to witness the descend of their legendary beauty "Madame Verona" coming down the hill to the village, where she stayed with her musician husband and later alone in the company of the dogs.

This short novel by Belgian born writer, is a cute little tale of love transcends the lives and death. Verona was married to the composer Potter and was moved in to the hills of the village, for he wanted a silent and isolated place to compose. An attraction for the entire village, people longed for the sight of Verona in her youth. Even after the passing away of her husband, who committed suicide hanging from a tree,(instead of suffering from the diagnosed cancer), she did not come down. Monsieur Potter piled up enough fire woods for the rest of her life before taking his own life. However, to the disappointment of the villagers, Madame Verona did not descend, but continued to stay in their hut in the company of dogs ( she had a special gift of attracting them to her) and teaching Piano lessons to her students. She continue to live in the memory of her beloved husband, wanting to immortalise the love by carving a cello from the same tree which took the life of her husband. She had to wait for 20 years for the wood to mellow and be ready to build the Cello. It isn't the ideal wood for cello and she ignored the warning,

"She played. It sounded ugly, but she played. Faure. The pieces she had played with her lover at the Academy, but now her cheeks weren't red....This was how she would do it every evening from now on. She would sit at the window with legs spread and play the cello. An ensemble that wasn't, a duet with absence. Talking to the non-existent, which might be the only correct definition of very deep prayer."

Now at 82, in a cold February, she finally descend from the hill to a deserted village. She came down, after burning the last piece of wood, her husband had stored for her, with her Cello, the only connecting device to her lover, knowing perfectly well that she will have no strength to go back to her attic.

Verhulst writes beautifully, creating an image that is very poignant and vivid. The language is often poetic and in line with the image that is suiting the narration. The story is simple and somber. and a fast read. Nice little tale of enduring love, poetically written. Good , little book for a quick read.

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Madame Verona comes Down the Hill ( 2009)

Dimitri Verhulst ( translated from Dutch by David Colmer )

Portobello Books

145 Pages
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Independent

Lost Paradise - Cees Nooteboom

Alma, a young Brazilian woman of European origin, travels to Australia with her friend Almut after she recovered from a physical assault and rape at a dark neighbourhood of Sao Paulo. She definitely needed a break before "a hate and rage so deep that they could swallow you up forever"  and sooner they were on the flight to Australia. Since the money is hard to come by, they have equipped themselves with the a qualification in Physical therapy ( that is one profession that can be used in any part of the world and can spare them from the jobs like waitresses etc) , which should fetch them a job and money for their living. Intrigued by the lives of aborigines they set out to explore their mystic world. The images and dreams one created around the way of aborigines soon turns to be a disappointment after a short term living with an aborigine artist and their few attempts to get to their settlement with few tips. It was at this time they were offered a role in the annual literary festival to dress like an Angel for the 'angel spotting tour' attraction.

On a parallel thread, writer and critic Erik Zondag, at the wrong end of middle-age, divorced living with his girlfriend almost half his age, working at a news paper as literary critic known for his in-famous stand against the new generation of writers and for taking 'potshots at few of the literary giants', is on the cross road of his life. His girlfriend tells him that he has no future. On her advise he takes a trip to an Austrian Spa which can rejuvenate himself.

The story converge here as Alma appears at the Spa as a replacement masseuse to Zondag. It is not their first encounter. Zondag, had met her during one of his trips to Perth on a literary event. The 'angel' he met and 'observed' part of the tourist fair at the Perth Festival is now back in his life across the continents at the physical therapy section at Austria. Crossing the paths again at a different continent , circumstances and different roles is no common.

Milton's Paradise lost looms over this in great influence. The quest for lost paradise in one's life, the angelic lives that appear in our earthly existence along with the images of heaven and hell, the quest for spiritual and existential side of the life is explored in a subtle and masterly way by the writer. From a non-existent theme and sparse participants with narrow story line, he creates a unique experience to the reader.

Lost Paradies is not a straight forward novel. It is a riddle and symbolic. May be,I havent been able to get the full of it as it is my first book of Nooteboom. This book might not be an opener to the world of Nooteboom's writing. However, one is left with the strong impression of a writer, with his unique style and imagination. A rather silly and absurd novel at the outset, is crafted into one transcendental and spiritual experience.

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Lost Paradise ( 2004)

Cees Nooteboom ( translated from Dutch by Susan Massotty (2007) )

Vintage Books

151 Pages

Rs 475
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