Arthur Koestler-Arrow in Blue-Part 1

Frankly, to write autobiography is always very subtle matter!! There’s always place available,

where you can’t resist to fall in love with yourself and self praise becomes more inevitable!! It is truly an effort of looking past and may be very interesting as well. To that context, every common person deserves for autobiography and can create interesting.  Somebody said in past is, age 25 is the correct age, where you can account your life details more precisely.  It is true that after say 20, your mind is getting rigid or perhaps overshadowed with various experiences, nuisances etc and depicts your mind adversely. So, at later part of age, your thoughts remain affected with prejudice mind set and never able to analysis neutral. There exist self praise.

On this scenario, Koestler stands tall. Very beginning, you will get amazed to see that, this person born in Hungary, migrated to Germany, then move to France and finally in England. I took view on his linguistic superiority, because eventually, he traveled almost entire world!! So, he had absolute mastery in 4 languages where as to understand mother tongue, itself is, Herculean task!! After he migrated to England in 1940, he decide to learn English prolifically and his almost entire literature is in English. In 1940, he was around same age!!

There are very few writers, who can absorb so many subjects, the way, Koestler has covered.  Initially, I got his “Ghost in Machine” and “Act of Creation” and later on “Sleepwalker” which is a trilogy on human brain, it’s functionality, adversity and all the details. The subject itself id so intriguing and perhaps strenuous too, but, the way, Koestler has presented it, you have nothing but appreciate his writing skill and basically, his authority on this subject. Please remember, Koestler’s career shaped as Foreign Correspondent in News Paper industry. He shifted to Palestine on project work spend almost 4 years, again back in Berlin, again moved to France and so on…..

So, against this picture, he started studying on Human Brain, it’s kind, after so much busy schedule spend as Correspondent. This is tips of ice burg against his entire literature. Still, I feel, yet he never get recognition, he richly deserved.

Now, back to autobiography. Born in Budapest-Hungary in middle class family, childhood spent just like routine European life. His father was, though adventurous, still face failure in every entry in business. So, naturally, it used to badly affected on Arthur’s childhood. His mother was very courageous, still manage to find some in roads for survival. In one incidence, Koestler has vividly illustrate his desire of cakes, which were distant in his childhood.  Obviously, in this scenario, there’s no wonder, insecurity remain with him for ever!! In future, whenever he faced happy or disguise situation, still couldn’t be able to enjoy or digest it. Around 1910/15, even Europe was also, though comparatively developed than other countries, still Hungary never witness for scientific progression.Right from beginning, Koestler, has explained his physical and mental development in childhood and how it became his feature of the life. Due to financial insecurity, he and his mother never enjoyed any success in fullest, always falling apart against some fear!! Later on, he joined Ullstein Publication house, which is amongst the most widely acknowledge in Germany, started earning for comfortable life, still fear of insecurity never disappeared!! It seems, he never get rid of guilt,fear and loneliness in his life. That seems to be surprising, just because in later part, he was appointed in Palestine as foreign correspondent, then went to Paris, almost entire Russia, Spain etc, how he manage to conduct himself !! Later on, on his intellectual development, he categorically mentioned that, “there was a strong trend towards infantilism with pronounced fixations. In plainer language,I acquired cleverness rapidly, but wisdom very slowly. At ten, I was infant prodigy; at twenty-five still an adolescent”. Considering this scenario it is amazed to see his developed interest in Maths and Science is phenomenal.

When he join “Ullstein“, very soon deputed to Palestine as foreign correspondent and that underline his entire career. Later on, he started as Freelancer Journo, it starts from Palestine. Infact, that time, his earnings was not so sufficient to enjoy the life. So, naturally his suffering and starved days has started and it took for years to gain some financial stability in the life. That time, though he earned some money by writing articles in other publications, still it’s never enough!! In this period, he developed art of meeting people and conducting interviews. It was meaningful change to shift to Tel Aviv and Palestine, though financially not so lucrative. It was completely turnover of cultural change, where life style, food and other routine factors differs at large.

The most fascinating part of “Arrow in Blue” is writers tour to Arctic. He selected in the team of Arctic expedition and the entire episode is so thrilling and readable that, you need to read it thoroughly. The selection process, the boat for the expedition, the unexpected problems, the food, climatic change, experience after reaching the END is just amazing to read. Even today too, still Arctic is almost unknown place. So, around early 30′s it was most adventurous tour and it seems, he developed his interest and knowledge in science begins to increase professionally.

In one separate chapter, he describe completely on meeting with King Faisal of Iraq. As a European Journalist, he got King’s appointment comfortably. In his own words,” As my name was announced by Tahsin Bey, it gave impression of immobility. I knew,The King spoke French and was disappointed to call Private Secretary for interpreter. we sat in armchairs with Ivory smoking table.I asked His Majesty’s opinion on perspective of Pan-Arab renaissance. The King spoke slowly as if tasting each word on his tongue. The Unity of Arabia, rebirth of the so mighty Empire as everybody’s wish. But progress was slow and hampered by the present peculiar circumstances. He seemed to swallow down what he was about to say. According to him, foreign influence is not favourable to this development.The King continue – However history will take its course,and in the end,our idea will triumph.Now, this interview taken way back almost 80 years back and situation is still in Dark!!

After completing, Palestine assignment, Koestler moved to Paris. Climatically, Paris suits him very well. He got financial stability and his writing skill sharpened at large. Ullstein allowed him to do free lancing journalism and his articles in Telegraph, Daily became benchmark for himself. About Paris stay, Koestler really gives in depth story of Parisian community, their life style and their attitude towards foreigners. According to him, Paris do accept you in his Country but never accommodate or absorb you, in their family. Infact, Parisian are very reluctant to invite you in their home, should be sizable observation of Koestler. He was there for few years, became quite famous in literature and intellectual inner circle, kept close contacts with writers, still he never invited to any Parisian friend!! To stay in Paris was never easy task but his own admission,”my education seems always to have proceeded by shock and jolt.To each of these,I responded by a mental jump,some sudden mutation of consciousness. The process of quiet maturing,I can find nowhere in my past”In his Paris account, he elaborate more in depth life in Paris. Out of the 10 years, that he lived in this town, apart from initial days, which were dullest in appearance yet most deeply satisfactory, rest years were professionally successful. There’s courtship, falling in love and married life!!

“My first impression of Paris was the sleep-swollen, unwashed faces of the crowd” are the major factors. Then come his professional life,involvement in Brothel World etc. To him, French,next to the Americans,are probably the most individualistic people in the world. While working in Paris, his was very hectic in profession,infact he use to work day-night continuously!!  His insight view of Parisian brothel is really worth to read in his own words and style. Normally, brothel world known for its underworld activities, and many notorious activities. In this kind of world, he spend relentless nights and preserve the entire account in depth, without involving once!! It’s not easy to remain aloof after spending so many nights in brothel world, but that is Koestler to you.

The last episode of this book is really turnaround!! The Road to Marx, is the path of self destruction and entire change in his own ideology. It is the mental lure of Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist creed. In his own way, stepped from an intellectually open into intellectually close one. Marxism,like, orthodox Freudianism,like Catholicism, is a close system. Means, a Universal method of thought which claims to explain all phenomena under the sun and to have a cure for all that ails men. It is further,a system that refuses to be modified by newly observed facts, and still sufficiently elastic defenses to neutralise the impact – that is to make them fit the required pattern by the highly developed technique of casuistry. It is a system which once you have stepped inside its magic circle,deprives your critical faculties of any ground to stand on. So, within the closed system of Freudian thought, you can’t argue that for certain reasons you doubt the existence of the so-called castration complex. The immediate answer will be that, your arguments of rationalizations of an unconscious resistance which betrays that you, yourself have such complex.

To be precise, in every conversion to the Communist faith, some guru plays an important part, males his appearance in most memoirs. On this surface, Koestler decided to join Communist party. Considering his childhood and early youth bore markedly individualistic stamp and on the other hand, his progress towards the Communist Party followed a typical, almost conventional pattern of that time. It seemed to confirm the Marxian dictum that Man is a product social conditions, and his mentality a reflection of them.Regardless of individual crochets of his mind, his political progress was essentially determined by these conditions. Also, here he too confessed as, these are again judgments after the event. At the time when the decision to join the Communist Party was maturing to him, neither the process of elimination, nor the process of polarization in which he was caught , was clearly in focus of his mind. Again in his own words,” Social pressures were working on me; I was carried by the tide; my impulses and decisions were a reflection of those pressures, but not a conscious reflection”.

There’s clear evidence of Koestler’s mind of split personality available in this episode. But, rarely you can see a person attracts with different ideology and surrender himself without any confusion arises. Early 30′s there’s no escape from the choice between Fascism and Communist. Western Europeans never completely understood the compulsory character of that dilemma and historical fatality behind it. The conscious experience of which, during that period , he was aware of a different order and predominantly not of a logical, but of an emotional nature. It’s like “Rebellion and Faith!!” What distinguishes the chronically indignant rebel from earnest revolutionary is that former is capable of changing causes, the later not!! Though the mixture which set off the explosion varied from case to case, the reaction was same for a large numbers. Barbusse, Romain Rolland,Malraux, Brecht, Seghers,Auden Stephen Spender, Sinclair,Steinbeck and Caldwell are all influenced with Communism.It was a sincere and spontaneous expression of an optimism born of despair; an abortive revolution of the spirit, a misfired Renaissance, a false dawn of history. But, still Koestler as an honourable error!!

The Soviet myth – as distinct from Soviet reality, acts on its victims both on rational and irrational level. The both are so intimately tangled up in experience that it is difficult to reconstruct the various stages of becoming myth-addict in their proper sequence.

In this scenario, Koestler join the Communist Party in 1931.He had nicely sum up in the Epilogue. It seems to be fitting to end this volume at the decisive point of my joining the Communist Party as those old time film serials used to end with Hero suspended on a rope over a crocodile-infested river, followed by the promise: TO BE CONTINUED. But,then the audience knew that the Hero would not really fall among the crocodiles, where as I did; which makes this tale, all more improving. You can never get such fitting lines to subscribe the future. As V.S.Pritchett rightly pointed out,” Perhaps the most remarkable autobiography since the confessions of Rousseau”.