Filip Švehelka

5.12.2019

Sullen Betreyal

„The Harmony of the Spheres“ by Salman Rushdie

„The Harmony of the Spheres“ is one of many stories belonging to Salman Rushdie´s „East,
West“ which is an anthology of short stories written in 1993. The work is divided into 3
parts. Those parts are: „East“, „West“ and „East, West“. Those parts are filled with stories
originiating from listed geographical areas. „The Harmony of the Speheres“ interfers with the
„East, West“ part that is described „as both worlds are influenced by each other“. The story
set in Wales is narrated by a friend of Eliot Crane, paranoid shizophrenic, whos name is not
appointed in the story. The text points out that the narrator is bicultural. To be more specific,
an Indian. Nevertheless, the narrator sympathized with Eliot Crane during their friendship.
The narrator explained how he tried to find his balance with the help of his shizoprenic friend.
The narrator and Eliot Crane are descibed as opposite of opposite nature as it is written in
some parts:“ We were the most unlikely of friends. I liked hot weather, he preffer id grey and
damp. I had a Zapata moustache and shoulder-lenght hair, he wore tweeds and corduroy….“.
The narrator is describing various experiences of Eliot Crane and his horrible shizophrenia.
„Then all the lights went crazy, switching themselves on and off, and he made the sign of the
cross with his arms and screamed. ´Apage me. Satanas´.Get thee behind me, Satan.“ Crane is
viewed as an occultist and is said to meet his demon for the first time when he was finishing
his work „The Harmony of the Spheres“. The narrator knew that Crane was of a shizoprenic
nature but he wanted to discover something new about himself. He thought of Crane that he is
an opend-minded person, a scholar leading him into his new self. He forwarded to him his
experiences, his ideals and even though Crane was a shizoprenic he got inspired in a way.
Crane´s wife Lucy finds her husband shot in his room and as the narrator is invited to collect
and look at Crane´s work, he is swallowed by betrayal and anger. Disappointed by his own
friend of whom he thought could change his life. His view on life. All he saw on Crane´s
papers were ravings. „Although in truth, as I found, he had stopped being one years ago.
There was no trace of a Glendower mauscript, or any serious work at all.“ All this nonsense
work consisted of alternative futures, self- pitying versions of life. Also fantasies about his
friends which were mainly hatefull or pornographic. As the narrator felt connected with the
spiritual life of Crane and life of his, this was far gone after he read the papers.“Mesmer´s
´infulential fluid´ evaporated for ever as I plunged through the putrid tea-chests of my friend´s
mad filth“. Decieved by himself and his friend the collapse of harmony came.