Of 'Comfort Books' and The Power of the Written Word

That I’ve made a few good friends through this blog is something yet to sink in though I have met two of them a couple of times. Last week I met one such friend and had a long conversation with him about favorite books, favorite writers, grammar even, and also writing. Coming home from that stimulating talk I wondered how powerful the written word is. Words havethe power to make us laugh, cry, reach out to people and entertain us unlike anything. I’ve read of books that have changed people’s lives. It is quite common that a lot of people lead their lives according to the scriptures or holy books of their religion- the Gita, the Koran and the Bible. The people who’ve written them existed long back but they continue to provide solace to all those who read them. Today, I read about a book by an actual author that someone termed as a ‘comfort book.’

In today’s (Sunday) Sunday magazine supplement I read an article by Usha Jesudasan titled ‘An Act of Discovery’ in which she writes about books that see through people through grief, loneliness, pain, fear or doubt. She calls these books as 'comfort books.' She writes about Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women’ and another book by an author I hadn’t heard before- Henri Nouwen and the book was ‘The Inner Voice of Love.’ I have read about ‘Little Women’ but it was the first time I was reading about the latter book.

Usha Jesudasan writes that ‘The Inner Voice of Love’ was actually a dairy of deep personal thoughts recorded by Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, who was deeply hurt when a close friend rejected him. She writes that the book echoed her own feelings of fear and despair at being left alone. She was comforted by the Nouwen’s words and expresses her gratitude to the author for bringing her out of grief and negative feelings about herself. Such is the power of the written word!

How she got the book is another interesting tale in itself. It was given to her by her friend who gave it to her as her need for comfort and solace was more than his. It seems the friend wrote to her that the book saved his life several times and was one of his most precious possessions. It is incredibly unbelievable that a book written by someone can affect someone’s life so deeply. I am very curious about this book and now will be on the lookout for it during my book hunts.

This is the link to the essay: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/05/25/stories/2008052550150500.htm