(published in “Avrupa” newspaper)

By Zehra Mustafa

There’s something thrilling, exciting, if you will, when you come across a piece of literature, or art, that you don’t completely agree with, nay, one that you completely disagree with, especially when you do so with an open mind. Keeping the World Away is made up of seven parts, including a prologue. The story, or stories one should really say, are centered around a group of women, ranging from Edwardian Gwen, to Gillian, nearer to our present day. The other characters, such as Charlotte, Stella, Gillian, and Lucasta all work as a bridge between the two. What entwines each of the women and their stories is one single painting, a painting of a solitary room. The painting is significant, as it means something completely different to each individual woman, whilst sharing one important meaning. Forster’s Keeping the World Away, addresses the meaning of being a woman, but what it is to be an artist and a woman at the same time.

At first, one becomes decisively irritated at the number of cliché’s that Forester seems to thrust at the reader. She portrays her views on what an artist should be like; what they should think, and what they should feel, but also the need for each woman to stand outside of society. In fact, for most of the women in this novel, to stand outside of society is a must, but this in itself, fights whole heartedly against the function of the artist, who in a way is a seer, who has the duty of sharing with us, a new insight of the world. If the artist becomes completely cocooned and only part of the world that they have created for themselves, then there is no room for growth. The vision is wasted.

Once the avid reader marches past the mountain of clichés, they are able to find themselves in an opening, with many options lined upon the horizon in front of them. One begins to note the well thought out path which the novel embarks on; such as the strength of the women, each one (not all artists) questioning their own abilities in an oppressive world, one in which one is expected to marry when the time is right, to the right person, and to fulfill family obligations. As well as questioning their artistic abilities, they also question their own functionalities; an example of this is Gillian, who knows that she can not paint, yet she can not tear herself apart from the magical world of art, and this is why she chooses a path which allows her to remain a part of it in such a way, that it becomes a gift to art itself.

Knowing ones own path is the guiding force in Keeping the World Away, although the meaning of the painting holds one true meaning to each woman, it also holds the key to the difficulties they suffer when trying to express themselves. The painting becomes a safe haven and a place of solace when the world’s distractions become overwhelming.

The reader is able to sense the safety that the painting conveys to each woman, the infectious feeling, arouses ones own curiosity when it comes to viewing art, reading a poem, or even writing a novel. Is it possible for us to all see something in the same light, all at once? It is settling, and comforting to know that sometimes, in one clear moment, that there are invisible threads acting together, pulling us all at once to the same point.

©Zehra Mustafa