The Books: “The World and Other Places” – ‘Turn of the World’ (Jeanette Winterson)

Daily Book Excerpt: Adult fiction:

The World and Other Places: Stories, by Jeanette Winterson – a short story collection. Excerpt from the story ‘Turn of the World’.

The kind of writing and imagination on display in this story is my main attraction to Jeanette Winterson. It’s the kind of bravery that allowed her to tell the story of a woman whose heart was actually taken (in The Passion – excerpt here), and the story of princesses who flew out of their window at night (in Sexing the Cherry – excerpt here). It’s not that she’s re-inventing the wheel. It’s that she allows magic to be a part of her books in a way that is not hokey, or strictly sci-fi. She’s more into myth. The element of myth playing a part in our lives. And fairy tales: the eternal truth of them. What can Hansel and Gretl or Rapunzel tell us about how we live? Winterson is truly inventive in this regard. She’s not like anybody else.

“Turn of the World” describes four islands that lie “at the turn of the world”. The names of the islands are Fyr, Hydor, Aeros and Erde. She describes each island – how they work, what their defining characteristics are. The story reminds me very much of Gulliver’s Travels (excerpt here). Each island obviously represents one of our four elements. The worlds she creates you will not forget (the drowned island, the volcanic fiery island, etc.)

My favorite is the island of Erde. Obviously “earth” – because the entire island is based on mines, and jewels. But on this particular island the values are opposite from our own.

I don’t know what it all means – that is sometimes the case with Winterson. She states her case, describes the world, and you are left with: So … what does it all mean? What should I think about this? Sometimes that means that Winterson’s writing is purposefully opaque, which can get boring – but in this case, it just means she’s writing on a mythical magical level … where meaning is never certain. It’s just something to think about. You can charge in and say, “Oh – this is what this MEANS …” but you may be missing the point. Winterson wants engagement. She wants us to meet her halfway. Otherwise, she is not interested.

Here’s an excerpt.

EXCERPT FROM The World and Other Places: Stories, by Jeanette Winterson – a short story collection. Excerpt from the story ‘Turn of the World’.

The island of Erde.

Here are mines and jewels. The climate of Erde is blustery and damp with frequent snow fall in the long winter. To keep warm, the inhabitants have perfected a cast-iron stove that burns diamonds. Diamonds are the cheapest fuel source on Erde. The coal seams are so ancient and undug that their carbon is no longer carbonaceous rock but crystallised carbon. Anyone who foots a spade into the earth will find a shovelful of uncut diamonds, which will burn unattended for two weeks.

It is true that certain mines on the island are still young, and these are highly prized. The richest women wear coal earrings and coal necklaces and the coal merchants of Erde are the wealthiest men in the world. Tourists are taken round the filthy, black coal-cutting studios near the mines, and marvel at the treasures on display. The King of Erde has a crown made entirely of coal, including the largest lump of coal ever brought up from the coveted mine. The cut lump is two feet by three feet and weighs as much as a Tamworth Sow. On state occasions, when the precious crown is carefully blacked and sooted, four men must walk beside the king to support thie fabulous glory. To be covered in coal-dust is thought a great honour.

For the most part though, the people are modst and content, sitting quietly by their winter fires, poking the diamonds.

Visitors to the island come for the caving and the hunting. The underground passages of Erde are hung with stalactites and furnished with stalagmites. Carving is a national hobby, and the growths of minerals, deep in the caves, have been fashioned into beds and chairs, elephants and whales, making a world within a world. Cavers drink their coffee out of fossil cups.

Beasts of every kind still roam Erde and hunting parties are organised throughout the season. The guides and beaters are strict; no one must stray from the route. If the prey reaches the interior, it is given up for lost.

There have been stories of foolhardy hunters who have rushed ahead into unmarked places of Erde, and they have never returned. The guides are silent. No search party is sent out. The guides themselves would not return.

What is the mystery of Erde? It is said that when a man or a woman of that place has done all they wish to do in the world, they set off, without warning, drawn as if by a magnet, towards the interior.

If the people of Hydor are known for clairvoyance, the people of Erde are known for prophesy. It is said that the Norns live in the interior, weaving their fateful rope.

Perhaps they do. The traveller has seen three sisters beckoning to him, as he nears the magnetic pole of the island. There is a tree there, whose top stretches up to heaven and whose roots push down to hell. The tree is eloquent. In its branches seem to be the tracings of the whole world. The traveller rubs his hands against the thick bark and his hands are sapped with time. He puts his head against the tree, glad to rest, and hears the rumble of history coursing through the trunk.

Perhaps it is the World Ash Tree. Perhaps it is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Perhaps it is the alchemists’ tree, under whose shade the self will grow again. The traveller does not know but he starts to climb.