Living in solitude

A man lives in a room for 15 years, without contact with the outside world. He gets his food, and he  can ask for other items, and he stocks up on books. This is part of a story written by Anton Chekhov [1860-1904], the noted Russian writer. The story is called The Bet, and it begins with a discussion on the death penalty, an argument between a lawyer and a banker. The banker feels it is better to die then live a life in prison, but the lawyer disagrees. Next the bet takes place–the banker offers him 2 million rubles if he will endure a life alone in one room for fifteen years. The lawyer takes up the challenge. Initially, as he settles into the room, he is unhappy, but then he begins to read. As he reads, he starts to understand the futility of money, and gets a glimpse of the true meaning of life. The fifteen years has almost come to an end, the banker meanwhile has lost all his money. He thinks of killing the lawyer, and creeps into his room, where he finds the lawyer asleep, with a note written to him, stating that he has understood life, and does not want the money. The banker silently leaves the room, and the lawyer escapes from there before the fifteen years have quite ended, thus freeing the banker from his pledge.

I read this powerful story long ago as a teenager, and the memory of it remained with me. I loved the idea of spending fifteen years in a room, with everything taken care of, reading and reading. I think the story is just a device, used to indicate the power of words, and of the true meaning of life.

And there was one person, who actually lived like this through his own choice, and that was Sri Aurobindo. More on him later.

Books on North Korea

This week  I have read a number of books on North Korea. For those who are interested, here is a brief summary.

1. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This is a work of fiction, with a historical background. The story covers about eight decades, set in both Korea and Japan, and its aim is really to depict the complexities of the lives of ordinary Koreans, first under Japanese occupation, and then after the division into North and South Korea. The negative Japanese attitude to Koreans is clearly brought out.
2. Dear Leader by Jang Jin-Sung. An incredible book by someone high up in the hierarchy of North Korea, who then escaped to the South. The predictive reality of Orwell’s 1984 is clear in this book, as while working for the government the author had to take on a fake South Korean name, and write in praise of the North as if he was writing from the South.
3. A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa. An apt title for a really dark book about the poor conditions in North Korea, a life of deprivation and starvation. The author finally escapes, but it is not exactly a happy ending. Being half-Japanese, he was accepted neither in Korean nor in Japanese society.
4. The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee. Another harrowing escape story from North Korea. However, life in North Korea was much better for a Korean, rather than a half-Japanese. She writes of a close knit society, good neighbours, and prosperity during the 1960s and 1970s when the North was well-funded by China and the USSR.
5. In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park. Another escape story, and a description of life in North Korea.

All these books also provide descriptions of the typical way of life in North Korea.