Raju Gusain
Mussoorie: The Mulini Press, based in Australia, has come up with a noble idea to pay tribute to John Lang, the first Australian born novelist who died in Mussoorie. This publishing house will republish all the novels and work on John Lang by 2016. As a part of the project a website dedicated to john Lang, www.JohnLang.net, was launched recently. It will provide latest information on the literary project.
One or two books will be reprinted annually. Next year The Mulini Press plans to publish Lang's first novel Violet the Danseuse (1836). It also plans to produce Indian stories penned by John Lang separately. The planned titles are: Legends of India and Sketches of Life in Hindustan.The press is collecting copies of all letters by and to John Lang and reviews/ criticisms on John Lang's works. It also aims at encouraging research on life and work on the Australian novelist and to establish Lang memorials.
The Mulini Press series begins by taking out a compilation of short stories published in Household Words and other periodicals. The included stories in this title are those that did not featured in Lang's two books, Botany Bay and Wanderings in India. It will be recalled that John Lang wrote over twenty novels. Most of his work were serialised in his newspaper, 'The Mofussilite'. It is said that five of his novels had appeared in serials in the newspaper. The Mulini Press is in the process of publishing these unknown novels.Lang's writing minutely captures the life of Australian, India and England.
The coming week is special for lovers of John Lang as a biography of this unsung Australian novelist is all set to release. Written by Victor Crittenden and published by Mulini Press the title would release on 15 September 2005 at the National Library.Lang is best known in the literary field for his novel The Forger's Wife and short story collection Botany Bay or True Tales of Early Australia. It will be recalled that John Lang mastered the Hindi and Persian languages during his stay in India. While fighting the case of the Queen of Jhansi, he was able to argue in court and to converse with Rani Laxmi Bai without an interpreter. He also used this talent for his newspaper by translating some 'serious' poetry from Urdu to English. The press would also print these translated poetries in a book form in coming times.The Mulini Press should be lauded for the effort to preserve and also promote literary of an unsung writer.
Garhwal Post
September 2005
Dehradun
Uttaranchal (INDIA)
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