Fictions with words of wisdom

Fictions with words of = wisdom

Vani=20 Mahesh writes about the category of books that blend the pleasure = of=20 fiction and the wisdom of philosophy.

Has the idea of exploring a motivational read = been=20 crossing your mind, while your love for fiction always gets the = better of=20 you? No need to wait any longer, as a new genre has come to help = you.=20 =91Visionary Fiction=92 spins tales of fiction with hidden wisdom. = These books=20 do not preach you, do not prescribe a spiritual diet for you, but = simply=20 tell you a story from which you glean the motivation you=20 want.

Books branded visionary fiction are inspirational or=20 spiritual tales of quest and adventure with a mystic undertone. = These are=20 different from serious works of philosophy where you need a = concentrated=20 effort to gain the wisdom imparted. Unlike the self-help books = suggesting=20 30-day plan for a perfect life or tips for instant calm and stress = busting, the underlying message of these novels make readers look = at the=20 world differently, insisting that there is more to life than what = meets=20 the eye.

They achieve this onerous task by enthralling the = readers=20 with insightful conversations, describing a journey laden with = uplifting=20 experiences or simply by depicting the tumults of everyday life = and=20 insinuating how you could tame them.

Though the art of = sneaking in=20 a lesson or two through entertaining stories is age old, this = genre gained=20 popularity and momentum in recent times through the book Alchemist = by the=20 Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The story centers around a shepherd = boy who=20 travels far and wide in search of a treasure he one night dreamt = of. The=20 most ordinary men who act as his spiritual gurus help him realise = that=20 =91life is in the journey itself, not in the destination=92. =

Then=20 there is the runaway bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull by = Richard=20 Bach. Here, the struggles of an outcast seagull tugs at your heart = and=20 makes you realise that being different from the flock and standing = your=20 own ground is quite a virtue after all. In the book The monk who = sold his=20 Ferrari author Robin Sharma tells the tale of a high profile = attorney who=20 denounces his wealth and treks the Himalayan mountains in pursuit = of a=20 life of harmony. Mutant Messages Down Under by Marlo Morgan, = Chasing Rumi=20 by Roger Housden, What If God Were the Sun by John Edward are a = few simple=20 reads packed with gumption.

Though visionary fiction = evolved as a=20 category recently, certain classics, written worldwide, were = indeed the=20 forerunners of this genre. While most classics are religious by = nature,=20 modern works are spiritual with no religious leanings. Works of = the German=20 writer and philosopher Herman Hesse, Arabic prophet Kahlil Gibran, = American mystique Bunyan are examples of popular classics written = decades=20 ago.
Another gem of a classic often missed for being labelled=20 Children's Literature is Little Prince by Antoine de Saint. Here, = the=20 author gently makes a mockery of the vain pursuits of adult life = making=20 the reader feel a pang of regret for losing the innocence of = childhood.=20

Slightly more abstract and complex modern reads of the = genre=20 include Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, by Robert = Persig,=20 Walden by Henry David Thoreau, My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, and On = the Road=20 by Jack = Kerouac.


	Deccan Herald, = Sunday, May 23,=20 2004