'Epitaph' to the great writers
The Picador Book of Cricket, edited by Ramachandra Guha and published by Picador
Sankhya Krishnan
30-May-2001
Historian Ramachandra Guha flits seamlessly and with distinction
between the far removed worlds of environmentalism and cricket. His
latest production, `The Picador Book of Cricket', is an anthology that
brings together in one volume the distilled essence of some of the
game's most insightful writings. In his own words, it is 'both homage
and epitaph, a tribute to the finest writers on the game and an
acknowledgement that the great days of cricket literature are behind
us.'
Guha blames the modern preoccupation with pyjama cricket for marking
the death knell of the golden age of writing. 'Watching a one-day
match is like smoking a cigar, fine while it lasts' but incapable of
spawning a canonical literature. The other baleful influence, Guha
suggests, is television which strips the game bare so that there are
no secrets left between writer and reader. It's true that Cardus-style
profiles which fondly recount the idiosyncrasies of players are better
appreciated without an already formed visual impact since it is the
process of recreating the picture in one's mind which makes them so
enjoyable. The challenge before the writer now is to look between the
scenes and fill the gaps in the viewer's consciousness; to express
what the reader feels but is unable to articulate himself.
Oscar Wilde once said that the difference between journalism and
literature was that 'journalism is unreadable and literature not
read'. Sometimes literature is not read simply because it is not
accessible enough. The signal service of this book is to showcase some
of the classics, notably obscure ones, within the confines of a
teeming but not too ponderous volume. Although Guha says he has
'preferred literature to journalism', there are a number of
journalistic pieces written originally for newspapers, mostly in the
last twenty years. He obviously believes literary value exists in the
timelessness of their appeal, although judgement must be reserved
since these are contemporary.
The opening two sections are on the big names from Grace down to
Tendulkar (on whom the best is doubtless still unwritten), followed by
a paean to their journeymen compatriots or 'little heroes'. A brief
interlude on great matches intervenes before a final miscellany of
'styles and themes' ranging from the Brilliance of Left-Handers to the
Pleasures of Reading Wisden. All the masters are present with Cardus,
CLR James, Jack Fingleton, Ray Robinson and John Arlott being the most
heavily represented. Alan Gibson once noted that "it was fortunate for
cricket that Bradman and Cardus existed at the same time: fortunate
for them too, since the best of batsmen was recorded by the best of
critics." Cardus makes seven contributions but, conspicuously, none on
Bradman; his 1930 appreciation of the Don has been passed up. Also on
the cutting floor falls Mailey's classic account of his first
encounter with Trumper, the author preferring to go with separate
pieces on either player.
'Little Heroes' is briefer but arguably as fascinating as the space
given to the popular favourites. CLR James' poignant memoir of Wilton
St. Hill, a gifted player who was a terrible failure on his only tour
to England in 1928 is present. Hill does not merit one reference in
Michael Manley's monumental `History of West Indies Cricket' but James
remarkably declares that in his gallery, Hill is present with Bradman,
Sobers and the rest. There are no fictional narratives in the book but
an account by Rowland Ryder on his correspondence with PG Wodehouse
nails the link between Bertie Wooster's inimitable valet and an
obscure Warwickshire cricketer, Percy Jeeves.
For all his disdain of one-day cricket, Guha has managed to sneak in
Mike Marqusee's account of Sri Lanka's triumph in the 1996 World Cup
final. Hardly a great match and hardly even a surprise result but
presented as a concession to his avowed intention of showcasing
'writers and subjects chosen from across the great and growing
territory of the game'. While the subjects have a wider sweep, the
authors are skewed towards the traditional strongholds of the game. Of
the 76 contributions, four are by Asians (all Indian). Sujit
Mukherjee, the doyen of living Indian writers, is here through his
account of a Jesuit schoolmaster in Patna from 'The Autobiography of
an Unknown Cricketer' but his 'Romance of Indian Cricket' which offers
endearing sketches of some of India's early greats unfortunately goes
unrepresented.
Indeed this is the second such work edited by Guha, the first entitled
`An Indian Cricket Omnibus', was devoted to Indian cricket, although
not restricted to Indian authors; curiously enough no selection from
that work makes it here. Guha has written two books on the game
himself: 'Wickets in the East' and 'Spin and Other Turns', both
following a racy style depending heavily on a bottomless trove of
anecdotes, some authentic, others apocryphal, fondly recalled with a
raconteur's zeal. Most anthologists are sorely tempted to insert one
of their own pieces but he has resisted manfully. The book's epilogue
sees Guha carry out a perilous exercise in tightrope walking by
picking out his 50 favourite books on the game.
This, then, is an unabashed celebration of the game, skirting clear of
the discordant notes: only a brief hint of Bodyline, no mention of
Packer and certainly none of match-fixing, nothing that threatens the
pristine splendour of the game. But Guha promises to take a more
critical look at the game's flaws in his next work, to which he is
lending a more active participation by writing it himself. A
sociological history of cricket in India, titled 'A Corner of a
Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport', the book will
hit the stands to coincide with India's tour of England next summer.
It could well be Guha's tour de force.
The Picador Book of Cricket, edited by Ramachandra Guha and published
by Picador. Pages: 476. Price: Rs 395. England price: 20 pounds