Two nights ago, I found myself reading a ghost story at midnight. For someone who avoids horror movies like the plague, this is a big surprise. Except that it was assigned reading for children's lit class, and all my daylight hours had already been spent completing other assigned readings of a more academic nature. Another big surprise - I fell asleep in the middle of the ghost's appearance.
Said ghost tale was From Another World, written by Brazilian author Ana Maria Machado of Hans Christian Andersen Award fame. Imagine sitting up by a campfire under the stars, listening as others tell their stories of their of another time, and another place. Imagine their voices, pregnant with emotion, break under the weight of memory and passion. These are not who we'd call master storytellers. They are merely ordinary people, like you and me, telling stories from their lives, simply because they have to. We listen, not mainly because the suspense excites us and sends our hearts racing, but because we sense that our friends who are telling their stories need our attention. And so we sit through the night, in the company of dying embers and despite heavy eyelids, listening with our hearts. Such was my experience with this book.
I was impressed by the authenticity of each of the voices in the book, as they took their turns to tell their stories. I feel as if I have heard a gentle knocking on my door in the middle of a stormy night, and opened it to a pleading traveler asking simply for shelter for a night - but not for his physical body under a roof, but for his story in my heart. It is as if that traveler has left behind a note, which is the gentlest plea to keep on listening, for everywhere there are other travelers out there like him with their stories, thirsting to be told.
I don't think it's necessary (or even my role) to provide you with a synopsis of the stories told in this book. Only know this - someone is needing to tell her story. If you will, spare her an hour, and listen with your heart.
Hi Florence, I have heard a great deal about Ana Maria Machado but have not had the chance to read any of her works yet. This sounds like a truly lovely book, and would I love to have an assignment such as yours. Maybe instead of journal articles, I should assign my graduate students to read children's books and YA lit instead! Will see how I can weave those in. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Myra, we get assigned both journal articles & children's lit. It works out to be about one journal article plus one or two books per week. We also have to each follow a kid lit blog & 'report' about latest news from blogosphere each week in class. Without a doubt, this has been my favorite class (not only in grad school) thus far! For my other classes, we sometimes get assigned children's books & YA lit too, but this is in a book club format, where we have time during class (maybe two or three classes) where we get to have a book club with others who read the same books as us.
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