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That beautiful (but often ignored) dedication page in books
When you start reading a book, don’t start from chapter one, because, if you skip past the dedication page, you may miss the small but heartfelt/hilarious/uplifting note written by the author.
Pick any book, and chances are high that it has been dedicated to someone — a loving spouse, a friend, etc — someone important enough to the writer to dedicate his/her valuable work to. Sometimes, dedication notes are quite mundane; ‘to my parents’, or just the name of a person.
But when great writers intend to articulate their thoughts, the one-page note becomes a gem.
We start with Humayun Ahmed, possibly the most loved storyteller Bangladesh ever produced. This is the dedication note (in his book ‘Magic Munsi’) to the magician Jewel Aich:
“Jadubiddar Everest e jini uthechen. Everestjoyira sringo bijoyer por neme ashen.Eni namte bhule gechen.”
Such a warm compliment! Ahmed’s dedication is simple and yet so profound, just like his stories -- that’s where his genius lies. Here’s a tip: whenever you take on a Humayun Ahmed book, don’t ever forget to read the dedication page. Those notes are usually as good – personal, funny, or intimate – as the stories themselves.
Dedicating books to family members is common, but the witty Chetan Bhagat penned it in his own way. He wrote in the book ‘One Night @ the Call Center’, “ To my baby twin boys and the wonderful woman who created them ,” then adding with asterisk in a footnote, ‘ with a little bit of help from me. ’
You have probably read Arundhati Roy’s iconic work, ‘The God of Small Things.’ Have you read the beautiful dedication, though? Beautiful indeed, and arguably, makes you curious too:
“For Mary Roy, who grew me up. Who taught me to say ‘excuse me’ before interrupting her in Public. Who loved me enough to let me go.
For LKC, who, like me, survived.”
On the other hand, the following dedication, by the renowned Neil Gaiman in his novel Anansi Boys, is literally for everyone:
“You know how it is. You pick up a book, flip to the dedication, and find that, once again, the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not to you.
Not this time.
Because we haven’t yet met/have only a glancing acquaintance/are just crazy about each other/haven’t seen each other in much too long/are in some way related/will never meet, but will, I trust, despite that, always think fondly of each other...
This one’s for you.
With you know what, and you probably know why.”
Sometimes, an author pours his heart out in gratitude, like the bestselling writer John Grisham did in ‘Ford County- Stories’:
“When ‘A Time to Kill’ (debut novel of the author) was published twenty years ago, I soon learned the painful lesson that selling books was far more difficult than writing them. I bought a thousand copies and had trouble giving them away. I hauled them in the trunk of my car and peddled them at libraries, garden clubs, grocery stores, coffee shops, and a handful of book stores. Often, I was assisted by my dear friend Bobby Moak.
There are stories we will never tell.”
Last but not the least, sometimes, an author just may not dedicate. But, back to Humayun Ahmed, when this happened to him, he actually announced it in his own brilliant style. In the book ‘Aaj Himur Biye,’ a note –
“Utshorgo korar moto kowke pachchi na. Sorry.”
By M H Haider
Photo: The visuals are of dedication pages taken from a few books by Humayun Ahmed