The Problem of the Unicorn Recently, I lent my review copy of Erin Morgensterns The Night Circus to a friend, harboring

hope that she would find the tale of a nocturnal and magical circus amazing. Madly in love with the book myself; I waited eagerly for her reaction. You know, its such a fun book, she said, several weeks later, But its just fantasy. Just fantasy is the bane of my reading life. Whether it is well-meaning blog readers trying to instill some maturity in me (How come you review just fantasy? Dont you read any real books?) or friends shrugging off my reading choices, (How cute, she still likes to read just fantasy). I cannot carry a Neil Gaiman book in my bag because people will read the blurb at the back and then comment, Oh, its just fantasy, is it? Is it about unicorns? Heres just a few conceptions of fantasy literature that I have come across in Indian media: We can only hope that in the near future, teens will embrace actual literature and read books that are closer to reality in their premise. Implying that fantasy, as a genre, is somehow lesser than what friends term normal books; books that serious readers recommend in a profusion of difficult to understand adjectives: promotes a deep, larval understanding of the human condition or shimmers with pyrotechnic descriptions of baroque splendor.

Readers of Harry Potter are immature children, fans of Twilight or the Inheritance trilogy are apparently airheads, and if you are seen reading a Monstrumologist novel in educated company, chances are youll get a few chuckles and a pat on the back for having such a child in you.

The rising popularity of fantasy books among young adults could be due to cracks in the social system and a need to escape from the pressing troubles of life Thank you, I didnt know that the reason I needed a wizard on a broomstick was to save me from falling through the cracks in the social system. Apparently, something is wrong with a person, or a society, that promotes larger-thanlife fantasy literature. It seems that in the opinion of analysts, a perfect utopia would perhaps not have produced a Harry Potter or even if it had, no one would have read it because there would be no need for escapist fiction in our lives. Oh, and no one reads fantasy just for the delight of it. Its because we all have such pressing troubles.

Anyone can write fantasy. Anyone can make up stuff. Its harder to write about reality. I think about Tolkien when I hear this. About J.K. Rowling. I think about Neil Gaiman and Lewis Carroll and Terry Pratchett and C. S. Lewis. How difficult it must have been for Tolkien to dream up the whole world of the Middle Earth! How intricately Rowling had to plan the rules of her magical world! The anti-logic of Alices Wonderland wasnt simply born out of observation: there was a heaping spoon of imagination involved. We loved Quidditch almost as much as any real sport and rooted for Harry more than weve ever

rooted for any real person. So how is a fantasy writer, in any way, less accomplished from other writers? Why are their books regarded more as childrens fiction? With new Indian English authors reluctantly foraying into the genres of fantasy and paranormal (and they should, India being a land of fantastic myths!), I hope that we learn to love the genre for what it is, and to love that child in us for relishing it, instead of calling it plain silly or branding it childrens literature. Leave the unicorns to graze in their rainbow-pastures and dont write them off as products of an eccentric imagination, born out of social ineptness. As Oscar Wilde said, A dreamer is someone who finds his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before anyone else. Lets not add to his misery by scoffing at his reading choice! Varsha Dinesh Sreelakam, VRN F:10 Poojappura Trivandrum- 695012 Kerala Email : varshadinesh92@rediffmail.com Blog: http://www.fictionflaire.blogspot.com/