Vikram Seth began his literary journey as a poet in the early 1980s. Therefore, when he published his first novel in 1986 (The Golden Gate), readers naturally anticipated the eloquence of a poet. However, he exceeded expectations by crafting the entire novel in verse.
This particular genre is, in my opinion, one of the most challenging for any writer. Poetry is the voice of the heart, while a novel is often rooted in the logic of the mind. Combining these two forms represents a remarkable achievement. The ability to maintain the musicality of every phrase or sentence while simultaneously developing characters and plot is truly extraordinary.
Of course, Vikram Seth was not the first writer to experiment with this form. His verse style was notably influenced by Aleksandr Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, a masterpiece of Russian literature written in verse. That’s why it’s called Onegin Stanza.
What is Onegin Stanza?
Onegin stanza is a 14-line stanza with a specific rhyme scheme (AbAbCCddEffEgg) and iambic tetrameter.
What does all this mean, you might wonder?
AbAbCCddEffEgg means there are fourteen lines where first line (A) rhymes with third line and second with fourth. Then, fifth rhymes (C) with sixth, seventh (D) rhymes with eight. Finally, ninth rhymes with twelfth, tenth rhymes with eleventh, and thirteenth rhymes with fourteenth.
What about iambic tetrameter?
It’s a poetic meter with four stressed syllables per line. It sounds more like da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM.
To understand it better, let’s read the first stanza of the novel.
To make a start more swift than weighty, (A)
Hail Muse. Dear Reader, once upon (b)
A time, say, circa 1980, (A)
There lived a man. His name was John. (b)
Successful in his field though only (C)
Twenty-six, respected, lonely, (C)
One evening as he walked across (d)
Golden Gate Park, the ill-judged toss (d)
Of a red frisbee almost brained him. (E)
He though, “If I died, who’d be sad? (f)
Who’d weep? Who’d gloat? Who would be glad? (f)
Would anybody?” As it pained him, (E)
He returned from this dispiriting theme (g)
To ruminations less extreme. (g)
I hope now, dear reader, you’ve understood the Onegin Stanza.
The Golden Gate Novel
You’ve learnt a little bit about the protagonist, John. A young fellow, asking some deep questions while dealing with the practicalities of life. There are three other important characters: Janet, Phil and Liz.
Janet is John’s ex-girlfriend (now a friend) and a Japanese-American sculptor. She plays a prank on John by setting up a personal ad to find a companion for John. Interestingly, it works and John finds a girl.
Liz is that girl who responds to that ad. She is a trial lawyer and becomes romantically involved with John.
Phil is an activist and John’s close friend. He initially has a brief romantic affair with Liz’s brother Ed but later marries Liz after her relationship with John ends.
Now, I am sure that you’ve got some idea of the plot. It’s a story of love, identity and loss (spoiler alert: someone dies). More importantly, it’s a work of genius where the characters, dialogues and narration are allowed to grow freely while staying inside the confines of Onegin Stanza. It’s not a page-turner by any stretch of imagination. You’d do yourself (and the book) a great justice if you savour it slowly, one stanza at a time. That’s when you’ll truly appreciate it.
Here’s a narration of a few stanzas from the book:
PS: If you’re looking to read some of the best works by Indian writers, you should explore the list of Sahitya Akademi Award winners.
Kalampedia 