Commercialisation of Bengali literature

Dr Rashid Askari
Published : Sunday, 17 May, 2015,  Time : 12:00 AM,  View
Count : 50
Although there lies a whole lot of debate as to when precisely the golden
age of Bengali literature is, it can be taken for sure that contemporary
Bengali literature is furthest from its heyday. We do not really know by
which metallic symbol we may symbolize this stage of our literature!
With our printing media's coming into the powerful grip of the electronic
one, pieces of classic Bengali literature have to survive at the mercy of
the electronic media, and fall prey to indiscriminate dissections at the
hands of the serial makers. Maybe, this is saving the existence of these
proud possessions of our literature from sinking into oblivion, but for
sure at the cost of distortion. The increasing human interest in the audio-
visual matters gives rise to a serious misgiving about the consequence of
our literature. The existence of Bibhutibhushan's Pather Panchali or
Tagore's Ghare Baire presently hinges more on the celluloid versions of
Satyajit Ray than the old printed texts gathering dust on the library
shelves. These classic books are reportedly reaching a wider audience by
being turned into films.
As a matter of fact, people are by and large losing interest in the act of
reading itself. It appears as if reading itself is a backbreaking task. Back
at home from long day's work, they, weary and exhausted, tend to fall
back upon the electronic media for easy and effortless entertainment.
The tendency towards reading for passing exams or getting good grades
may remain unabated, but the tendency to reading for pleasure is
alarmingly on the wane, which is a big hurdle standing in the way of
literary pursuits.
At this hard time of Bengali literature, the ghost of commercialization
has befallen it as a trouble on a trouble. Prompted by mercantile
interests, the authors and publishers are jointly doing a roaring business
in literature. Books having high market value, high demand, and high
supply are considered as valuable books. Their authors are deemed
popular. Authors whose books hit big in the market are in great demand.
The larger is the sale, the bigger is the author! The occasional book fairs
turn into the seller's market for books by those 'big' writers. The
publishers are investing heavily in this literary merchandising. They
kneel in supplication to those popular authors with a colossal amount of
advance against royalties. The book is advertised as a marvelous read.
However, the charismatic author may have not yet taken it into his head.
So what? This is not at all worth caring about. Our author is a superstar
writer, and is possessed of supersonic speed of creative skill. Therefore,
one fine day he will get to a luxury suite of a five-star hotel, and
suddenly come up with a complete manuscript as if by magic. Miracle
still happens! Mention may be made here that some of our writers have
beaten the record by writing full-length novels overnight.
Anyway, books get out sharp on time wearing colourful dust jackets.
Then, follows the marketing of the products. Books go on sale. Post-
publication advertisements keep continuing. The city walls and even
billboards are plastered with posters. Sales shoot up. Business gets brisk
and thriving. Both the authors and publishers make a quick profit, and
jump at further similar attempts entering into new bonds on the
mountain of money. There goes a trade-off between the author's ability
and the publisher's financial support. Authorship of these writers is a
highly saleable commodity. Therefore, what they bring forth is an
outcome of the artistry of an author who has sold his soul to Mammon,
and whose moral considerations are sacrificed at the altar of profit. This
trend is heightening so alarmingly that Bengali literature is being
dreadfully commercialised.
What would these commercial authors contribute to our literature?
Delicious trash! They are writing tacky novels, tawdry stories, and dirty
doggerels, which cater to vulgar taste, and bring the authors cheap
popularity. Therefore, the authors are very careful so as not to hurt the
feelings of the majority of the readers. Things that the readers are fond
of must not slip their pen. The likes and dislikes of the readers are,
again, manufactured by the same authors. The audience's taste for
literature has thus been held hostage by the tricks of the literary trade,
and hence they dance to the tune of their favourite authors. This
literature is somewhat like pulp literature, which had begun to appear
during the First World War and remained popular up until 1930s. Pulp
literature was trash what Aldous Huxley described as 'inconceivable
twaddle'. However popular it may be, it could not survive for want of
true literary essence.
This is the present condition of the bulk of Bengali literature, which is in
a very sorry state. This can be called commercial literature that grows in
a circle of authors and publishers, which is too mercenary. This sort of
literature is intended to make a profit without regard to quality.
Although apparently it tastes sweeter, it is not as such worthy of sitting
at the same table with quality literature. It can, in other words, be called
'disposable literature' for; it is worth reading just for once. We can
however, go through it for a second time only at gunpoint. Disposable
literature is usually brushed aside by the literati.
Since this stream of literature is gaining the upper hand, the wing of true
literature is on the wane. The soft glow of genuine art is being
overshadowed by the dazzling flush of the fake craft. Due to the lack of
pecuniary support, creative writing in Bengali literature is not being
stimulated. If anybody comes forward single-handedly in pursuit of
creativity, he will not come by a patron of the arts as a publisher. Even
now, if he publishes books by himself, he cannot survive the cutthroat
competition with the get-rich-quick writers, the publication tycoon, and
the books of high merchantable quality. This is why, the seemingly
unimpressive books of the helpless writers are failing to catch the
readers' attention, and are flopping headlong into the ditch of monetary
loss. So they naturally feel demoralised, and many of them do not want
to go about the same job once again. Nor does any publisher, at risk to
himself, show any interest in publishing their books. The publishers also
show small interest in publishing the new authors' books, which
discourages the advent of fresh creative writers.
Small wonder that some of the good writers who have to earn their bread
and butter by writing are also resorting to commercialisation. If the
readers do not relish their books, their subsistence would be threatened
with extinction. They are fully alive to the possible dangers of
unpopularity, and therefore never take the risk of going against the
reading public's predilection. On the contrary, they are keeping their
readers well supplied with what can be called 'delicious literature'. The
more the demand grows, the more increases the supply, and the busier
gets the market. On the basis of the demand, the supply is primed, and
the price is fixed. From this vantage point, this sort of literature may also
be called 'open market literature'. Literature capable of meeting the
needs of market is surviving, and the one failing to do it is getting
extinct.
Since the basic structure of the society is founded on a capitalist
economy, 'open market literature' has grown as an offshoot of what we
call 'open market economy' which is born of the capitalist economy. This
is how, commercial literature, its unprincipled practitioners, and
mercenary allies grow in the dumping ground of vulgar capitalism.
Nirad C. Chaudhuri has severely dress downed these commercial writers
by comparing them to a four-footed herbage-eating animal with horns,
sometimes beards, and always a boring bleat. To quote: "Heedless to
their own tastes the goat-authors write and continue to write what the
readers want to read ? writing can be said to be the profession of the
goat-writers" [Amar Devettor Sampatti]. The primary objective of their
writing is a world of profit. Nirad Chaudhuri too, sees eye to eye with
this and substantiates his unique 'goat-writer theory' by giving reference
to a host of 'he-goat authors' and 'she-goat authoresses' from England
and America.
Bengali literature today is very badly damaged by Nirad-called 'goat-
authors'. To fulfil the illimitable demands of the open market, these
'prolific' writers are producing tons of trashy literature tirelessly, and the
tame readers are being made to swallow this with lip-smacking relish.
This is a sort of exploitation, literary exploitation, very crafty and
cunning. The tools of this exploitation are the commercial authors and
their unscrupulous publishers. They are rotting our literature by
increasing degrees. Hence, an epidemic of literature is about to break
out. The prospect of an ensuing literary plague is looming large.
How can we combat this literary plague? This calls for a large-scale
revolution in our literature. It should be time for an awakening, for an
awareness, which may lead to an upsurge among the writers, the readers,
and the connoisseurs of art and literature for a radical change. The
consciousness emanating from this rude awakening will help develop
creativity for the writers and sensibility and artistic bent for the readers.
This may also help to separate the sheep from the goats and winnow true
literatures out of the false ones. We ought to give a pitiless farewell to
this fake literature, and a warm welcome to the true one. Although it is
easier said than done, it is not virtually impossible.r
Dr Rashid Askari writes fiction and columns, and teaches English
literature at Kushtia Islamic University.
Email: rashidaskari65@yahoo.com
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