Nonfiction – Page 27 – neilhayeswrites

Joseph Anton (A Memoir) by Salman Rushdie

October 1, 2016May 6, 2020 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Where to start with a review of this book? I was a young man at the time of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and never had anything but sympathy for the author. I have to say, I was totally unaware of the negativity and blame that was attributed to him for the whole situation. It seems inconceivable now that an author could be thought responsible for the issuing of a death sentence against him. How could he possibly be at fault? Surely no one deserves to be killed over words. In my opinion no one deserves to be killed for anything.

This is a memoir, but mainly concentrates on the years of isolation and hiding during the fatwa. But it begins during Salman Rushdie’s formative years, so you get an idea of his family situation and school years. As well as a fast forward through his early professional life. I don’t know about you, but I love reading about creative people’s careers and lives. It can be an invaluable insight. For instance, I had no idea that this author began in advertising and created some very familiar slogans.

But when the success comes, the author has very little time to revel in it. While reading this book, you get an incredible insight into the terror that you would feel, if you were in this situation. But in some ways there is a calmness there, which I think some people mistake for arrogance. I don’t believe this is arrogance, on the author’s part, but bravery. I don’t know if I could handle the situation like he did. While he was protected, his family was not. This must have been excruciating. One of the great insights of this book is the effect of the fatwa on his family. Can you imagine being a young boy and not being allowed to be with your father? And if you were allowed, it would be with police protection and surveillance.

Eventually, as we know, his protection is lifted and some kind of normality resumes. But, before this, the world was shaken by the events of 11th September 2001. This is when the world came to realise what fundamentalism can do to people, and I hope that some people somewhere came to realise what this author had been hiding from.

Overall, I found this book to be a gripping tale of life in hiding. But it also includes many stories of the high and mighty of the literary world. I will certainly be looking for more memoirs of this kind in the future.

Pretend

October 1, 2016 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

I love watching my children use their imagination. When you are a child, life is a game. It is a shame so many of us lose that. There is no limit to where they can go and what they can do. Because in their mind, they are free. One minute a fireman saving lives, the next minute a racing driver enjoying the thrill of the drive. I dread the day that they lose that, but maybe they won’t have too. Maybe they can keep it forever. Fingers crossed!
via Daily Prompt: Pretend

My Amazing Bilingual Family

October 1, 2016 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

My children amaze me every day. They are loving, smart, inquisitive and inventive. There is only a two year age gap, so they form a great team. People keep saying, “that will change, they will grow further apart”. But it hasn’t happened yet and I see no reason why it should. Just because it has happened to their children, people seem to think that makes it a rule. Of course, it may happen but I see no reason to expect it.

David is six years old and Tereza is four. David has always looked after his little sister and Tereza has always learnt from him. She looks up to him but, at the same time, she is very strong-willed and won’t do everything he says. Because David has always taught her, as he has learnt, she already has many of the skills which he has.

It has been an amazing journey to watch them grow and their languages develop. As they grow older they seem to follow the same patterns as each other, making the same mistakes and the same improvements. I think my children are the most amazing kids in the world, but doesn’t everyone? I hope they do!

Before they were even born, my wife and I did research into the best way to raise bilingual children. And, so far, I think the rules we have followed have been shown to work. We didn’t reinvent the wheel, we just followed the advice which seemed to make sense to us.

I believe the most important rule is simply to separate the languages. I speak English and therefore that is the language I speak to my children, God forbid they should speak Czech like I do! So, of course, my wife only speaks Czech to them. My wife and I communicate in English but it is never used as a common language for everyone. This has meant that there is not so much confusion for them between the languages.

Another piece of advice, that I remember reading, is that your children are not performing monkeys. People will be amazed when they hear children speaking two languages, effortlessly switching from one to the other. But never let people request a show, “Say something in English, go on, please”. If the person they are speaking to is Czech my kids cannot understand why they would want them to speak English, so they don’t want to.

A lot of the credit for their successful development has to go, of course, to their amazing mother. Sometimes I wonder where she gets the energy, but she always has enough to ensure they get what they need and more. She has worked very hard with them so that their first language skills are above average and so they are not held back by being bilingual. There are certainly other children their age who don’t speak Czech as well as them.
My son has just started the first year of Primary School and he cannot wait to learn, learn, learn. He has already decided that he would like to speak French. This seems to be an added benefit of being bilingual, the early understanding of the fact that different languages exist and the wish to speak them. So who knows how many languages they will know in the future.

But, as proud as I am, I am not a pushy parent. I certainly believe in allowing children to find their own path. Then, I hope, they will be happy to follow it’s many branches to their final destination.

If you want happy, intelligent and loving children my final piece of advice would be this. Find yourself a life partner with those same qualities and hold on to them tight. That’s my plan anyway.

Intentions

October 1, 2016 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Well, here it goes. I have been wanting to start a blog for some time and finally I am taking the plunge. It is strangely nerve wracking, but also exciting. My intention is to use this site to publish both my experiences and thoughts.

I am a foreigner living in a foreign land. My story began in Wales and continued through England and Australia. The current chapters are being lived in the Czech Republic and this is home. It is a land of both immense beauty and frustrations but I wouldn’t change a thing.My passions are my amazing bilingual children, literature, photography and music. Therefore these are some of the things I will be discussing. But I will also cover any subjects which are, in my humble opinion, worthy of discussion.

Teaching is my current profession, but only for the last 9 years. Previously I have had a variety of jobs, in different countries, and these experiences will of course inform my writing.

I feel the need to share ideas and promote discussion and any comments will be truly welcome. This is just the beginning of this journey and I will be happy to be given some direction along the way.

Summer’s Last Hoorah!

October 1, 2016 neilhayeswrites2 Comments

Well, what an Indian Summer that was! A week of temperatures around, and often, above 30 degrees in September. It truly was summer’s last hoorah.

Although I love summer, there is a part of me that looks forward to autumn. Not the Welsh autumn that I grew up with, rain and wind and more rain, but the Czech autumn. Here it may become cooler and cloudier but the colours, which greet you every day, more than make up for it. This is the first country I have lived in which truly has four distinct seasons in a year, not in a day.

As I look outside I see gently swaying trees of red, gold and brown. I love being outside at this time of year, nature is at its most beautiful and most comfortable. I don’t enjoy being slowly roasted, as has been the case on some days this summer. Sunny, hot days in Australia were often offset by cool ocean breezes and during the Czech summer I miss those days.

The weather’s mood is changing as I write. Yesterday was the last hot day and today is cooler and I am expecting a storm. But as in Australia it will be a proper storm, will last a short time, and it will be cooler but fresher afterwards. But if and when will it arrive? I live on something of a weather island, often the bad weather skirts around us and it is never a good idea to cancel plans because of a bad forecast.

For me, it is also the time of year to dust off my fishing rods and be next to the river. I am the opposite of most fishermen and enjoy the seclusion of the banks in the colder months. Eating freshly cooked sausages and washing them down with steaming hot tea. I can already taste them now and look forward to being next to some water until the ice begins to form and I am forced to retreat back indoors.

But that is for the future. For now I have enjoyed summer’s last hoorah and look forward to whatever nature brings my way.