COMMENT -- THE HANGOVER OF THE NONDRINKER -- A GREEN ISLAND IN A BLACK SEA

COMMENT ON – THE HANGOVER OF THE NONDRIKER – FROM A GREEN ISLAND IN A BLACK SEA

James R. Fisher, Jr., Ph.D.
© April 19, 2011

REFERENCE:

This is the most wrenching chapter of this book shared thus far.  I was pleased to receive a comment from someone who might be offended by its language and imagery.  Reference was made in the sharing to Joseph Conrad’s HEART OF DARKNESS, which is the story of an Englishman’s descent into living hell after constant exposure to Africa.

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A WRITER WRITES:

Conrad, indeed.

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DR. FISHER RESPONDS:

I was pleased to hear from you, as I shall now explain.

I've published three parts of this novel, THE PROLOGUE, THE DINNER PARTY, AND HANGOVER OF A NONDRINKER for reason.  Each has given the reader a closer glimpse of how wrenching this work is.  Each explores aspects of the very soul of the protagonist and all with whom he is associated.  The intent is to reveal that place and space where the poison consumes the human soul.  Outwardly, the protagonist appears, for all intent and purposes seems sane, rational, stable, functional and a solid contributing member of society.  

The book could not have been written by this author ten years ago because the patina of society still bought its fiction.  The protagonist is an instrument of what I choose to call "corpocracy," which was just building up its momentum in 1968 to become the unequivocal hegemonic authority of the land. 

1968 also marked the end of the American century.  We went from making things to measuring our success level in terms of finance.  The irony is that we are now a sinking ship losing our credit rating because as banker to the world and consumer of the world's products at the expense of our workingmen and women we are going bankrupt. 

Were I not so busy on this novel I would write about this as many scholars have put pen to paper and have written revealing books of this tragedy. 

Another reason I have shared this with my readers is because I doubt if they believe I can get inside the sick soul of society and reveal its ugliness with brutal clarity, clarity that will offend many readers so used to their church going and safe friends that they either deny or refuse to believe the sordid mess the world has become.

I have noticed that the Don Farr Network has not been privy to this chapter and I am saddened by that because it is tame compared to what is revealed in the book.  The world cannot be simply divided into Christian and Jews and Moslems at the exclusion of all those outside such confines.  Society has been betrayed by its families, friends, churches, schools, and governments. 

Former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, said there is no such thing as society; there is only the individual and the family.  Individualism, what we seem to so applaud, is killing man at a time when only the common good can secure his future.

Be always well,

Jim