Michael Chabon is an interesting writer. If one were to be crude about it, you would say that he is a hybrid writer. Or as
we Malaysians would put it, a
rojak writer. He writes
literature, but his works often take on the guise of genre fiction. Fantasy, Comic Book Historical Novel, Mystery, they are a varied lot.
If there’s a common ground connecting his works, it is his deep, deep concern about the Jewish life experience in a distinctively American setting ( think a hipper Philip Roth ). It is precisely this versatility, however, that is Chabon’s strong point. It also probably explains his Midas touch and why so many of his works has seemed to turn into literary gold.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Last year alone, Chabon
published two novels.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is ostensibly a detective novel, but grows increasingly complex. It opens with a murder case, handled by a detective with problems of his own. What seems a simple case, however, soon brews into something much larger. In the land of Alaska, a district that was once a refuge for the Jews is reverting back to American control. The murder victim is found to be related to the political anxiety, and events are triggered off.
Taken as literature,
Yiddish’s central premise is the issue of exile. Not very original, perhaps, but it is the way Chabon deals with it that merits praise. He handles a sensitive topic with restraint and maturity. The book also indirectly explores the themes of alienation, politics, and uh… chess.
Literature, however, has the drawback of being essentially plotless. Let’s face it, most readers, if given a choice, would rather read a page-turner. Chabon does noir well, and creates a radically different world with its own set of implications. Israel and the USSR have already collapsed, and nuclear weapons were used not against Japan but Germany. The story is dark, and peopled with organized gangs.
Gentlemen of the Road
Not too long after
Yiddish was published, Chabon published a simpler, less conventional novel. His latest book,
Gentlemen of the Road, is not exactly an original work. In what is a departure of form, the book takes on the shape of a serialized novel. It collects together in a single volume installments that was published in
The New York Times Magazine from January to May, 2007.
Set in the Kingdom of Arran during the year 950AD, the author has a palpable interest here with the Khazars, a Turkic people who embraced Judaism. The book relates the adventure of two Jewish confidence men. Caught up in a rebellion, they try to restore the throne to a dispossessed prince and along the way run into warring armies, vicious rogues, Vikings, beautiful women, swordfights, and elephants.
A large cast of characters, convoluted plotting, and at times dense language mar the book’s flow a little, but these are indicative of works originally published in multiple installments. Incidentally, Chabon’s prose resembles the Victorian novels, many of which were also originally published in installments. There are advantages to the book’s structure, however. New characters and plot twists in each chapter mean that the surprises just keep coming, and the story is brisk and lively. Nothing is ever as it first seems.
The book is accompanied throughout by magnificent drawings from the pen of comic artist, Gary Gianni. Gianni’s drawings are simple yet filled with a lyrical quality, and the whole work brings to mind a lost tale from H. Rider Haggard or the
Arabian Nights.
For a writer of literature, Chabon displays remarkably keen insight and a refreshingly open attitude towards pop culture. After all, the guy has succeeded repeatedly in the fields of fantasy, children’s book, and detective/noir.
What is apparent from all this is that there is a certain air of unpredictability, as well as a level of accessibility you don’t often find in works of literature. Though certainly not unique, there is something extraordinary in the respect and aptitude that Chabon has thus far shown for genre fiction.
Both books serve as a good start for new readers of Chabon. What ultimately matters more however, is that these books serve as excellent introductions to the world of literature.