Cultural Revolutions and Cultural Heritage

February 3, 2013 4:34 PM

What have, and do, politically-motivated writers say about the drinking and drug use in important, nationally lauded works when a new political era is not as accepting as previous eras?

I'm specifically interested in the machinations of the Islamic and Chinese Cultural Revolution, though I am also more generally interested in every country's similar experience. I'd like to know how *The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám* and the work of Li Bai fared. Also, does *The Black Book of Communism* go into this subject?

posted by slowlikemolasses to Writing & Language (1 answer total)

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam continued to be taught in government prescribed syllabi in Pakistan even during the heavyhanded Islamization that took place under General Zia. The drinking of alcohol was banned, heavy penalties were put into place for drinking and drug use, and for all sorts of sexual activity outside of marriage.

The relationship between poetry and intoxication is often treated as metaphorical in these circumstances. If you look at Urdu (and, I think, Persian) poetry, the use of earthly love and earthly delights as a metaphor for spiritual love and spiritual union is pretty widespread. This gave lovers of literature the leeway to continue teaching works that would otherwise be completely unacceptable. So high school Urdu poetry continued to include all the mentions of wine, women, and song that one associates with the Rubaiyat.

On the other hand, one of the university English departments had the devil of a time dealing with a moulvi who was upset that Pope's Rape of the Lock was being taught, because it mentioned *gasp* rape. That it is a satirical work went completely unheeded.

In short, specific works may suffer or elude vilification, purely as a matter of happenstance.
posted by bardophile at 5:29 AM on March 23, 2013