“I have a whimsical tale to tell,
starting beside a grave…” – this is the opening line of the novel Newton’s Brain. Even before knowing what’s coming, what captivates us right from the
start is the voice of the unnamed narrator.
The story begins with the
narrator remembering his friend Bedřich Wünscher, who was killed at the
Battle of Sadowa (Königgrätz) in the Austro-Prussian War. Friends from their
childhood, both of them are inclined to science, driven by curiosity: while the
narrator enjoys mathematics, Bedřich develops an aptitude for magic
tricks. Hiding away from the world, they form a secret world of books,
instruments and experiments in the narrator’s garret. Bedřich
enhances his skilfulness and dexterity in doing tricks, taking from science or
pseudo-science and turning them into magic performances. At moments, even Bedřich’s
closest accomplice, the narrator, is dumbfounded by his performances. But all
this is cut short, and the two friends are separated from each other, away from
their fascinations and aspirations. Bedřich is sent to join the army cadet of
the Royal and Imperial Prince Constantine of Russia Infantry Regiment. The
silent friendship is then dotted with few letters until one day the narrator
receives a letter from a Parish priest. The narrator witnesses the graveyard
burial of his friend, whose skull had been split by a pallasch in the battle.
Now forget that Bedřich
had ever died!
He comes back again one evening
to invite the narrator to the welcome banquet at the chateau, across from the
narrator’s home. Bedřich has set everything up to put on his grand performance
like he once wished. We’re already in the midst of a mystery, a dream, a
stupefying illusion, and a believable reality. The novel is a romanetto, and
these elements are expected. There is no excuse other than believing the
science. Until we know, something is an illusion, it is reality; just like a
science unknown is magic. Like the narrator, we again hitch the ride of grand
illusions!
But I do
have one favour to ask: If I do fall in battle – mourn thou not! Call all our
old friends together and remember me over brimming glasses!...
If you fulfil this last wish of mine, you may be sure that I shall visit you again, at least once…
The narrator is caught unprepared
in the maze of corridors at the chateau until he finally finds himself in the
great banquet hall – among princes, aristocrats, people from church, army
officers, people from parliament, doctors, writers, scholars, and many other
dignitaries – where the trick and the intelligence are going to unfold: Bedřich
has replaced his brain with the Newton’s brain and he has so much to tell about
our age and its aspirations, its weakness, futility, its tragedy, its false
believes and hopes, its war and blindness, its battles, brutality and deaths,
its ego and pride… Once we are through with our existence, once we’ve seen
enough of what we are, and once we’ve understood what there is to understand, Bedřich
reveals something more: a device that can travel faster than the speed of light
and a spectacle that lets you see across billions of miles in the space. Where
are they going to take it? What will they see? Which colours has painted our
history? What message we have sent across the space? Newton’s Brain takes us on
a voyage! Bedřich’s devices and Arbes’s literary devices both are
fantastic! It is quite suiting to accompany the story with AI generated images.
They have perfectly captured the mood and ambience of the novel.
“It
is, I maintain, easier to think with someone else’s brain, boast of someone
else’s idea and make oneself and others happy than to spark an idea of one’s
own out of one’s own brain…”
“Each
of us thinks in his own way, each conceives of, defines and gives names to
various concepts and objects in the manner in which he has been taught, the
manner to which he is accustomed, the manner that has taken in his fancy.
Whatever the consideration behind how he name things, nothing changes – they
remain just as they truly are…”
Jakub Arbes is a resourceful writer.
Science, history, philosophy, critical and logical reasoning, mystery, social
commentary, humour – Newton’s Brain has blended it all. I couldn’t believe this
novel was written in 1877; it was way ahead of its time. The novel takes us on
a journey to reflect back on our past and present. The novel advocates
creativity, humanism and peace amidst war and innovation for warfare. The world
is just like Arbes and Bedřich had understood it; the world has become just like they
had understood it. The novel reflects our age of pride, prejudices and
foolishness, questions the achievements, satires or even mocks our status quo, interrogates
our advances which have served to harm each other than to protect our
collective existence. We, Our Purpose and the Oblivion – this romanetto
connects three dots, just like a triangle. One may tend to find Bedřich’s
discourse somewhat pessimistic, a dystopian view of life. We may disagree. But
we cannot ignore the essence of the novel, its provocation and urgency. There
is something we’ll remember of, between the mystery and science. Isn’t it the
place we linger all the time? Newton’s Brain narrative style is playful but we can
also hear the echo of war and the bereavement of the age in its wake.
For me, the novel is the Triangle! You’ll know what I mean when you read it.
Highly recommended for the fans of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells and Edgar Allan Poe (That must cover all of us.)!
I wish more of Jakub Arbes’s
works (romanetto) were translated into English. David Short’s translation and Peter Zusi’s
introduction are really commendable!
Book Info:
Author: Jakub ArbesOriginal Text: Czech
Translator: David Short
Publisher: Jantar Publishing