Friday 29 June 2012

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A New Look at Biography

I must confess I have long resisted biographies of any sort to be discussed at the monthly book club I organise. Why? Because I have always considered biography an impossible genre to dismantle, dissect and discuss the various motifs, characters or meaning. However, my steadfast views have been shaken upon reading Edmund de Waal's The Hare With Amber Eyes, Vintage, 2011.

the hare with amber eyes editionsIt's not so much the story of how a collection of netsuke (tiny Japanese ornaments once used to tie up kimonos) has remained in one family for two centuries - although that in itself is miraculous. But rather, it's the journey of those little ornaments amid the backdrop of modern history that makes this book so rich, I think. De Waal has looked at religious persecution, fortunes built and lost, European politics and the associated public groundswell, the importance of language, as well as sense of place and belonging. The book would be ideal for anyone considering their own family history (and it made me see just how many holes I have in my own research so far) or for anyone who simply loves a good story. Bearing in mind though, what de Waal thought would take three to four months to research and write, actually ended up taking two years. Now that's a long time to give up your day job. But de Waal writes of his compulsion; that he felt the anecdotal, dinner-party telling of the story was making it 'thinner'.
"Owning this netsuke - inheriting them all - means I have been handed a responsibility to them and to the people who have owned them."
I suspect this foray into biography has made me spoilt. It is a well-told story full of superb detail and language told by a potter who has a far-better-than-average command of English, and it's impeccably researched bringing de Waal's ancestors to vivid life.
And the ultimate test for me: am I a better person for having read this book? The answer is, a thousand times yes, my word I am. Edmund de Waal's The Hare With Amber Eyes is a stunning book, brilliantly sublime and thoroughly un-put-down-able.

2 comments:

  1. It might be interesting to discuss a biography for a change. Michael Kirby's book generated a lot of discussion in my other book club - there's always offshoot debate about social issues, past vs modern ways etc.

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  2. Kerri, I began admiring your writing in a wordpressblog of yours (rabbleofbutterflies), lost touch, regained it again today as a random search for a lost and totally unrelated email led me to the "Social" folder in my gmail (a category whose existence, along with "Promotions," I was not aware of), where I found a reference to a comment I had made on your blog. Anyway, this, along with the topic of biographies, and netsukes, makes me think of the interconnectedness or serendipity of life. I also own a couple of netsukes, and biographies have always fascinated me for some reason, and that in turn makes me think of that idea of a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the globe making some hurricane develop eventually. Oh, there's so much! I will bookmark you now and somehow try to keep a check on your writings, they're inspirational. Greetings from Berlin!

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