Leaves in the Wind & Pebbles on the Shore A.G. Gardiner aka Alpha of the Plough

     My reading journey keeps on taking many interesting turns all the time. This time it took me to relatively unknown, unventured area that is Essay. One of the most delightful and relaxing yet thought provoking type of genre, it is not that easy to handle. Whenever a list is made of writers who have mastered this type of writing, one name will be there for sure. That name is Alfred George Gardiner aka Alpha of the Plough! 

   

    A G. Gardiner, one of the renowned essayists of modern times, contributed to The Star(magzine) under the pseudonym Alpha of the Plough from 1945. Most of his essays were written during the war, and first appeared in book form during the war. Talking specifically, all these essays are the literary diversions of a time of great public anxiety and heavy personal tasks. Writing them is a happy distraction from unhappy things, and now that the great wind has passed it is a pleasure to find the leaves it blew down gathered between the companionable covers of the "Wayfarer." He left them as they fell. Some really unique ideas like Dressing Style of Men and Women, Qualities of Gentleman, Mowing,On Being Famous are some of my favourite ones from Leaves in the Wind. I'll recommend this collection to any reader of any age group to get more idea of this genre. Maybe some topics are now outdated, but it is still useful to know the thinking of British society in that era. It will surely be a delightful experience! 

   I am really amazed by a variety of topics he has chosen and dealt with. Qualities that shine through his writing are his ease and a total randomness of his ideas. It never gets preachy, boring or too serious. It is an absolute delight to go on reading his simple yet effective thoughts. It feels like your learned and experienced friend is talking directly to you and pouring his heart out. You can not agree more! It happens every single time,when you read a title, you feel like 'how can this be a topic for writing' ? And then he surprises you, offers you something refreshing every single time. Umbrella Users, Habit of Walking, Reading in Bed, Choosing a Name, The Philosophy of Hats, Pleasant Sounds, in Praise of Chess etc. are some topics to give you an idea of what to expect. He is really playful and utterly honest with whatever he writes. While talking about tobacco, he writes" As a youth I abominated the taste of tobacco. It was only by an industrious apprenticeship to the herb that I overcame my natural dislike and got to be its obedient servant…" He is not at all pretentious. He has taken delight in writing on these themes. I am sure this delight will be passed on to readers naturally. 

    Do you like those mint toffees? They are not like the ones that you can finish in seconds. These articles are such toffees. They take their time, you won't get bored and their taste will stay with you for some time afterwards. They won't change your life or teach you a great lesson, but surely they will refresh you and motivate you to think and consider everyday things and ideas in a new way. If you are looking for something relaxing and enjoyable for your next read, if you wish to know a form of essay in its true glory, then these two books should be there in your TBR list. 

-Neha Jyoti Pradip Joshi

(10/09/2022)