A historical novel.
Vos, Cas
Sleigh, Dan. 2010. Afstande. Kaapstad: Tafelberg. 648 p. Prys:
R275,00. ISBN: 9780624051107.
Dan Sleigh's novel, Afstande, is a historical novel. It is
based on the Anabasis by Xenophon, the Greek soldier-writer who was a
pupil of Socrates. Anabasis means "going up" or
"advance". This is also the concept around which the story
turns. It has been described as one of the greatest adventures in the
annals of human history as recounted in any genre. The Anabasis begins
in 401 BC and it is the account of human deprivation, endurance, rage,
envy, political ambition, bloodthirstiness and power hunger. An army of
10 000 Greek mercenaries under the leadership of Cyrus mustered to
dethrone Cyrus's brother, Artaxerxes Mnemon, the former king of the
Persian Empire.
The army covered long distances until a major battle was fought at
Cunaxa, near Babylon (close to present-day Baghdad). As was customary in
warfare, the head of the vanquished Cyrus was plucked from a bag of salt
as a warning to his army.
After the campaign had failed dismally and the leaders of the rebel
army had all perished, it fell to Xenophon to lead the defeated and
dejected army through arid deserts and across snow-clad mountain peaks,
in the scorching heat and the biting cold to Trabzon on the Black Sea
and thence to Byzantium (the present-day Istanbul). Only then did the
survivors arrive home, bearing the marks of death. Hunger, deprivation
and belligerent and vengeful Persian forces compelled the army to
continually reconsider the issues of leadership, tactics, rations and
the destination of their retreat.
Xenophon represents classical Athenian culture, the symbol of
science, art and learning. He was quiet, pensive and detached; typical
Athenian virtues (p. 161). He reflects the influence of his Socratic
education and schooling. Socrates was accused of contempt for the gods
and undermining the morals of the youth. He was also forced to drink a
poisoned cup without flinching, dying in 399 BC. Socrates' enormous
influence did not diminish after his death. He attached great importance
to the ethical nature of actions. All knowledge is knowledge through
concepts. He engaged in daily conversations with friends and strangers
in the marketplace in Athens on the deepest problems of life and death.
Unlike the Sophists, he made no charge for this. His method of discourse
was known as the majeutic method. His mother was a midwife, a fact which
may have served as a metaphor in his discourse. His question-and-answer
method was a quest for new life and the delivery of the truth. Xenophon
was a plain, honest soldier. He had no great insight into any
philosophy, Socratic or otherwise. Nevertheless Xenophon's
meticulous chronicle of this campaign is still an influential piece of
military history today. To give an example: Alexander the Great is said
to have used the Anabasis as a field guide on his first expedition to
Persia. Socrates makes an appearance in the text and his wisdom is
apparent (p. 123, 579). The question, however, is whether Sleigh could
not have made more intensive use of Socratic dialogue to enhance his own
dialogue. Sleigh possibly overestimates Xenophon a little.
The author is eminently successful in turning the chronicle into a
shocking, revolting and deeply human novel. Very creatively, he
introduced a fictitious character, Nagri (stranger). In many respects
Nagri is the opposite of Xenophon. He represents the Jewish people in
exile. He grew up as a prophet in Babylon. As a Jewish slave he was
castrated at an early age to serve in the Persian court where he heard
voices.
The Israelites were in exile there. The exile was an extremely
creative period. Many of the psalms and the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah
date from this time. There was light in that darkness: the return, the
Messiah, water flowing in the desert and flowers in bloom. After the
exile there was Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Esther,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Daniel and some of the Psalms.
Sleigh appears to be unaware of these, however.
In the novel Nagri is employed by Xenophon to compile the Anabasis
from his cryptic notes. The title Afstande refers to the distance
between the two accounts, but is also a reference to the way the
distance can be bridged by intertwining the two chronicles. The soldier
and the prophet stand side by side; the clamour of battle and the words
of the prophet. The same story and yet so diverse, each with its own aim
and vision. Nagri was the bearer of the messianic tradition of his
people. He was convinced that the Messiah would be a Greek, hence his
concern with salvation history. He saw an opportunity to return to
Jerusalem where he could spread the message of the coming of the
Messiah. He saw himself as a second Isaiah (p. 161-162, 176-177).
The concluding section of the novel portrays him as the
prototypical wandering Jew, however. His story has no end. All he has is
dreams, hope and expectations. Xenophon records the particulars of the
journey of the Ten Thousand every day and Nagri copies the information
for him. If Nagri remains behind in Byzantium at the end of the journey,
he will write the gospel of Nagri, which he believes will be added to
the books of the prophets. Many prophets have made that mistake! The
gospel of Thomas comes to mind. Nagri's interpretation of
Job's beliefs to Xenophon is a distortion of the Job story. Faith
is turned into a demonstration, an achievement (p. 473). Political
systems are relativised. In the hands of people any system can be
manipulated. God and freedom are coming (p. 610). Put not your trust in
princes!
There are three writers of this human story, namely Xenophon, Nagri
and Sleigh who each have their own objectives. Sleigh incorporates some
of Xenophon's other insights, for example on democracy (p. 579).
Even democracy can be a reign of terror. "Now nobody's life is
sale." (p. 579.) Sleigh also uses the works of Homer (p. 572).
Psalm 137 with its sadness and cruelty has a profound effect on
Sleigh's novel (p. 179).
Sleigh does an excellent job of giving his account a contemporary
ring. He uses the device of "domestication". This means
translating something from a foreign culture from afar with a concept
that is familiar to the reader in the recipient culture. The issue is
really the Wirkunggeschickte and reinterpretation of a text and the
blurring of horizons (Gadamer).
Even if it is a story of historical and cultural distances, there
are nevertheless tangential points. Identity, a rapidly changing and
merciless period, obsession with power, lust, dreams, cruelty,
conflicts, fraud, betrayal and egoism are timeless. The soldiers of that
time were not swayed by brand names, but, nevertheless, tried to acquire
the best shields, hand-made stabbing weapons, et cetera. On p. 453
General Cheirisophos with his coat pin of costly gold is described as
follows: "The Nike or Winged Victory of Samothrace clings to his
breast like a locust." The subordinate position of the Athenians in
the country where they had ruled is reminiscent of the white loss of
power (p. 453). Since the expulsion from paradise man has inherently
been a rebellious and selfish being, always searching for something.
To sound a critical note: the novel gets off to a slow start. A
great deal of detail is given, along with innumerable names.
Nevertheless, the main characters stand out clearly when the emphasis
falls on them and carried along the reader as if by a current, crystal
clear and fresh. Nevertheless, I would have liked more dialogue for
example in "Huis toe" (p. 145-152).
Nagri suffered from a few misconceptions: Moses did not write
Genesis (p. 17) and Jonah was not swallowed by a whale, but by a big
fish (p. 178, 222).
Sleigh employs the word afstand (distance) on various levels:
spiritual, truth, spatial, time, culture, life, journey, silence, divine
(p. 566), between gods and men (p. 550). "Has the God of Israel
deserted her?" (p. 566) (Apollo is the god of distance, p. 67).
Sleigh's language is wonderfully accessible and occasionally
poetic: "There were no stars as yet, but bats fluttered past in the
dusk, small and black, noiseless but as rapid as sling stones." (p.
30.) The dialogue is credible, if a little sparse. An example of this is
the chapter "Terugtog" (p. 145). Sleigh describes the rites
accurately and movingly. The sacrifice of the calf to the priest is a
good example (p. 42). Sleigh conjures up visions!
Dan Sleigh was a worthy winner of the K. Sello Duiker Memorial
Literary Award in 2011 for his novel Islands, translated by Andre P.
Brink.
Reviewer: Cas Vos
Universiteit van Pretoria
