This is psychological novel based in an depth analysistypical to highly gifted artists and accomplished scientists who are usuallymisunderstood by common people. In this well-narrated story, the main protagonistis Mezgebe, a child prodigy by nature. Thescene is the historic Adi Grat whose natural landscape with its ever greeningtown center and surrounding rocky mountains had a big impact on his life as asculptor and painter as well. During his formative years, he was an object ofabuse and ridicule among his peers. His constant aloofness and adrift may beattributed not only to that lonely life of a scholar or an artist, but tosafety concern as well.
Mezgebe work shop was not his house, but the rocky river bedslocated at the outskirt of Adi Grat where he used to make busts out of carvedstones from morning to nightfall. Every human being such as beautiful women attractedhim even to the point of making a chiseled beauty out of shapeless rocks. He was obsessive with Art which was an endpart of his wondering mind. For this, he lost touch with himself and with hisimmediate family members and friends. That is the problem of craftsmanship demanding an extreme isolation,mental energy as long as its contributions to human growth and development areconcerned.
In this connection, the writer insisted time and again, howsuch social isolation determined his tragic life at the expense of communallife. Particularly, he was labeled as aninsane in a society which is not sensitive and tolerant to the people who aredifferent than general population. This is because his unique persona was adirect reflection of his modulated brain faculty which is beyond his control.The real and enchanted worlds for that matter are incompatible, to the say theleast. As pointed out earlier, the art of craftsmanship can robe your time, andlife as human being.
To take an example, to Dr. Albert Einstein, the universe wasan extension of his imaginative mind not the real world he once used to live. Ithappened one day, Dr. Einstein was invited to present a lecture to a learned societyof Europe on Relativity Theory that only few scientists of his contemporarycould understand. But he didn’t show up ontime due to the delay involved in train schedule. The fact is he didn’t learnhow to drive inspite of his supernatural mind. Upon his arrival, the audiencewas stunned to see him with his uncombed hair, shoes without stocking, and anecktie which he used as a belt for his wrinkled trouser. Similarly, Mezgebe showed such behavioral manifestationas the story progressed with ease and wonderment.
This is the greatest psychoanalytic novel in the very societywhere the artists and craftsmen are looked down as Tebiban or buda. They are special people whom we cannot takethem for granted in our changing world.
The translator, Huriy Ghirmay did a superb job indeed in translatingthis book from Tigrigna into English. It is highly readable, and for the mostpart, a very fascinating masterpiece by the late Beyene Haile who is virtuallythe conscious actor behind the story.
The translator can be reached at:- www.beyanhaile.com or at:-
www.azabpublishers.com