Headstart point to cynicism.
Courtesy: a car driver and a college graduate. Both brilliant, sighed-out and anonymous. Both ghost writers to glitzier names.
What it must feel like to pen famous words, but to stop short of inking one's name with a proud flourish... To have no claim to the paeans & sighs it spawns, to master a smile of imposed contentment.
Does a ghost writer never wonder what his tombstone will say? Did he live at all? Maybe he doesn't even care what is etched on stone... Happily living in with dark humour. And why not? It serves the morning coffee and pokes fun at the distracting stomach rumble.
My neighbour panics when he sees his name missing in the telephone directory. "It's like I don't exist!" he worries. Anonymity is the pits. More abysmal when your entire life disappears into another's bejeweled and award-winning name.
Speak of ethics to the ghost writer and you will be spit on. There is no depression there, no talk of faceless glory. Just street logic.
Car driver laughs: "You know the background dancers in film songs who are much better than the hero/heroine and still go unnoticed? They are called 'atmosphere'. They get paid one meal and go home happily unfamous. I'm also atmosphere. Just with two left feet."
One point to dry humour. Draw.
6 comments:
I watched spiderman-2 yesterday evening. Interesting play on anonymity and the resulting dilemma in life, you should go watch it.
It would be very appropriate for your post if I stay anon :)
thanks again. for writing about us. anonimity is security, its the power to be not known, yet making your existence count the way you want to and precisely we dont care about whats gonna be written on our tombstones because our breed does not care about name or the world. we would like to die unlamented, unremembered.
love you for this.
dragonfly
thanx dragon. :)
(He)ro,
I agree with you that the anonimity you mentioned is like a hole in the soul...but i remain the quintessential optimist. Maybe if one took a risk on livelihood for glory...if one approached a publisher with the dual weapons of truth and talent...what if its just a miracle waiting to happen. This attitude might have spawned from supporting the indian cricket team too much and watching too many bad hindi cop flicks, but hope floats...doesnt it?
:) hope sure floats high up there for u, kraz.. it's nice to think a publisher will one day splash ur name all over town and fame will come, but there is some strangely wonderful glory in being the hidden genius. conversely, there is soothing security in being an unidentified loser too. Hmmm... a comment unbecomingly depressing of me?
'unbecomingly' depressing ro? he he...everytime u write some exposed nerve somewhere gets a lil jolt.
keep at it and maybe i'll send u an autographed copy of my first book.
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