THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS: A Good Norwegian Book for Indian Readers
Traversing the length of the library I make a random decision. I
will take a book home that is not connected to what I am doing presently in
terms of my professional commitment, that of a researcher. Then I spot Jostein
Garder. In fact, I spot Sophie’s World
first. Then I move on to read the name of the author. What a delightful moment,
to realize the author always stays at the second position in the ladder. First
comes the work itself. This positioning takes away a lot of shameful
inhibitions. As an author or artist, everyone has inhibitions at certain stages
in life, like when you get too many positive reviews or none at all.
Sophie’s World was sold more than any other book before the Harry Potter era. Then Potter came and
the depressed mom made the whole world go gaga about the boy wizard, and especially
about his friends.
I opened Sophie’s World
and found the fonts a bit unimpressive. Ariel or Calibri. These are a good pair
of word processor fonts. I have my reservations regarding book fonts, though. Ariel
or Calibri are not good-looking fonts on printed pages. Online, they work just
fine. It was a paperback edition, of course. Perhaps, they make hardcover with
a bit more affection. Adjacent to Sophie’s
World was sitting a volume of The
Christmas Mystery.
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| Image Courtesy: Pintrest |
Never before had I read Garder. Sophie’s World grabbed my attention many times. I never had the
chance to read any other of Garder’s works. I decided to take The Christmas Mystery too because it was
Christmas time. For the past two years I have been pondering on spending the
Advent time reading Charles Dickens’ Christmas books. One of my professors
tells me that it was Dickens who helped engrave the essence of Christmas so
closely to the hearts of people all over the world, especially of the Victorian
England. Long sentences, craftsmanship, beauty... ah, Dickens.
Factors of unknown texture and origin kept hindering my plans to
read Christmas books during the Advent season. Advent is celebrated in the
Catholic tradition as a period of awaiting the Good News of the Messiah’s
birth. The birth of Christ Jesus was already known through many prophesies
performed by messengers of God throughout the Old Testament. Therefore Advent
also proclaims the period of expecting the Good News. The Christmas Mystery satiates the desire of a believer to read a
freshly nit yarn garnered with Christmas themes.
The story begins with a boy named Joachim discovering a hand-made
advent calendar in a bookshop. Advent calendar is a
mystery in itself to readers from India and for that matter, many other parts
of the world. Although a Christian population lives in India, many conventions
differ from that of the European tradition. In Kerala, there is some first
century Christians as well as a teeming population of Latin Catholics and Protestants.
Advent calendar is incorporated into celebrating the waiting for the Good News
of Christmas. The tradition began by German Lutherans in 19th
century. The advent calendar has many flaps, each one of which would be marked
with a number. Opening each flap may provide the person with images related to
the Christmas story or something like that. The advent calendar one could find
in The Christmas Mystery is bound to
provide more than mere images. The Magic Advent Calendar Joachim finds reveals
a mysterious story. This gives the book its name.
The mystery that Joachim resolves at the end of the book leaves
one wanting for more from author Jostein Garder. This book reminds one of
childhood mysteries and fantastic times we had during those magical days. Also The Christmas Mystery is an opening for
a foreign reader to the nature, life, and nostalgia of Norwegian people. The
book is originally written in Norwegian language and includes many substantial fragments
of wisdom. The translation has come about as a unique blend of English language
and Norwegian tradition. In order to achieve this, the translator, Elizabeth
Rokkan has even spelled some words different from their English counterparts,
especially names.
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| Image Courtesy: Google |
The Christmas
Mystery undertakes a uniquely fulfilling journey
into time and through the magnanimous landscapes or Europe to Bethlehem. The journey
into time proves to be a great lesson in history for any high school student
interested in European and Middle Eastern history. Also the magical journey
through continents irrevocably seals one’s affection towards the narrative
strategies of Jostein Garder in taking us on a geographical ride to the
birthplace of Christ. The Christmas Mystery is a book that nourishes the minds
of its readers. “‘There are two ways of becoming wise. One way is to travel out
into the world and to see as much as possible of God’s creation. The other is
to put down roots in one spot and to study everything that happens there in as
much detail as you can. The trouble is that it’s impossible to do both at the
same time’” (55). The Christmas Mystery
offers the chance to travel beyond time and space. It also humbles an
individual reader to look around one’s immediate precincts and admire the
magical moments around.
My reading The Christmas
Mystery coincided with a series of train journeys undertaken for the
purpose of keeping my spirit in alignment with my family. Every morning and
evening I took train journeys to go back and forth about 90 kilometres, on a
daily basis. By train this journey does not tax much on my physical well being.
Because I get to spend my evening at home, I get to renew my spiritual and
emotional self at home. If I were to convince you to the reasons for taking the
daily train rides rather than taking lodging at the university itself, where I
work as a Researcher, I may have to hide some of the crucial cones of the
railway experience. The cones may be many, such as issues of hygiene to seating
that lacks comfort in general compartments. However, in order to bring my point
home, of the flouring spiritual and emotional comfort I receive at home, I must
render other unfavourable aspects into an eclipse. This is the answer I learnt
to the question that hasn’t been asked yet here, or perhaps will be asked quite
evidently down below in the comment box as soon as you finish reading this
review. Is Christmas the real birthday of Jesus?
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This question has been in existence for many years. I have come
across the question many times in relation to the authenticity of my faith. If one
were to judge The Christmas Mystery
based on this unsettled dispute, this premise would push the story off hinges by
default. The simplicity of The Christmas
Mystery and its beauty is in the courage it takes in exploding the logic of
reality and to burst free from the normal. Define it whichever way you want. Willing
suspension of disbelief? The story takes you to places you have never thought
you’d be able to traverse. The same is true about the real Christmas story too.
Someone was born somewhere at some point in time. There is the psychological
and archetypal evidence to that event in the hearts of those who believe and
survive the brutalities of human existence. They fill their existential vacuum
with the effortless grace of their convictions and believe. This is, the day we
await during the Advent, the day of new birth, the day of hope, the day of
courage to believe.
May this Christmas brings you clarity of thought, sincerity of
purpose, and purity of action.
You can visit the following link for your Christmas and New Year
shopping:
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