Chandigarh, November 1
‘Mind over heart’ is the matter of Cecilia Antony’s first book, which is making waves in France. Here in India, the novel is gleaning attention for a different reason. It is the first French novel ever to be written by an Indian settled in India, claims Cecilia, still relishing the flavour of her maiden literary creation.
The bubbles in her contentions are natural. She has, after all, blazed a trail by writing in a language that’s not her own. And yet, she has earned admirations from men of eminence, including Jean Dutourd, member of the French Academy at Paris, who describes the work as “of superior quality where the sensibility and the vulnerability of the author are evident in each page”.
For a new entrant to the world of serious writing, this is good enough appreciation to keep going. And Cecilia, a professor of French at Panjab University, is not looking back. She has, after all, dodged many a hurdle to reach where she has.
“The theme had been lurking in my mind for long. But I was struggling to find expression until one day I chanced upon Victor Hugo’s quote. It said “words are mysterious visitors of the soul”. “That day and this, I have never felt prohibited by language. I believe, I have a French soul,” chuckles Cecilia, who had her days of desperation when top three French publishers failed to respond to her work.
But then, Societe Des Ecrivains, another reputed publishing house working out of Paris, wrote back; their mail dotted with compliments. “They enjoyed the subject of the story. It is about Flora, the heroine, raised in a modest Indian family. She ends up as American Consulate General in France. The plot unfolds over three continents and is narrated with wit, wisdom and vigour,” the author avers, apprehensions lining her voice. Responses of some of Cecilia’s French readers, however, suggest there is no reason for concern.
The novel is not misplaced in any way. Its story takes root in Kerala, where the author grew up before moving across the world. “Somewhere along the line, the work gets autobiographical. I chose a Christian heroine because I share the religion and I could portray its nuances well,” says the author, before she makes another confession: “My heroine defies the theory that love happens only once. She loves in abundance and lives in abundance.”
As the novel finds feet in an alien country, Cecilia hopes it would create interest in India as well. “It can serve the institutions teaching French. It can be a valuable resource to the extent that it profiles a teacher of French and her journey on the creative road. I still believe one can’t know the language unless one has expressed in it. Everyone teaching any language should write in it to feel its wholeness,” Cecilia feels.
Her 300-page book priced 18 euros is available online at ww.dilicom.net. It will be released tomorrow by Haryana Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai.
