The online journal Sydney Review of Books publishes many literary criticisms. I would like to discuss the book review which is written by Sasha Grishin titled “Through The Contemporary Darkness: Blood Mystic by George Gittoes”.
The book, Blood
Mystic is an autobiography, and perhaps, that is why the book review
discusses the author more than the book.
Nevertheless, this review is important because it discusses the artist's
works in which his duality of art and life has influenced him to further engage
with people around the world and led to explore the newer dimensions of
human life. This review is also significant because it focuses on the book,
which opens up our perspective particularly on harsh realities in conflict
zones around the world.
The review
shows how the artist has chosen his mission in life, and despite numerous risks
throughout his dangerous journeys, he has survived and successfully overcome
evil. The review states that Gittoes success in his mission correlates highly
with his upbringing in the early ages in Rockdale, Southern Sydney, where he
grew up in a family that taught him arts and toughness together. Experiencing
the contradictory aspects of life has underpinned the author's character from
the early ages. The article features
this effect in all the activities and works of the artist. From meeting with
Mother Teresa and many other celebrities, visiting the war-torn regions in Asia
and Africa, bringing art into a deprived community in Jalalabad, all the way to
the title of his autobiography, Blood Mystic, what we notice very
vividly in Gittoes life is the presence of dichotomy. What seems important here is that various
characteristics or even conflicting aspects of life have not been neglected in
reviewing literary work.
The form of the
book is also examined in this review. According to the review, the writing of
the book employs many other techniques of narrating arts such as cinema,
painting, and cut up methods, but does not follow a conventional style of
autobiography. The review assesses the
book as a non-linear narrative, which is not in any way comprehensive. The review defines this book as an
autobiography, and therefore, as a biographical work it comes under
non-fiction, but some features and quality of fiction art are used to portray a
person's life. This is particularly important in the literary criticism for it
explores some new ways of combination for further enhancement in the
genre. In this way, the significance of
literary criticism is in its inspirational effects.
A review opens
up the book for a reader and works as a spectacle providing a wide angle for
comprehensive reading. This requires a closer opinion of the reviewer to
reflect upon the core subject of the book associated with its particular
historical or cultural context. Although
this review admits that there are not enough details about the involvement of
the author with mysticism, it states that the author has experienced various
manifestations of mysticism throughout the years and has always been interested
in Sufism. The review even goes farther and predicts that the future works of
Gittoes would be more mysticism than adventure.
Considering the fact that Sufism is the intensification of an Islamic
creed and practice, this important question had to be discussed - how Gittoes
will retain his inherent duality and preserve the essence of artistic diversity
in his tendencies towards Islamic mysticism.
Reference:
Grishin, Sasha.
Through The Contemporary Darkness: Blood Mystic by George Gittoes. n.p.
Feb. 2017. Sydney Review of Books. Web. Retrieved on 7 May 2018 from https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/blood-mystic-george-gittoes-review/
