Released 1927, the poignant children’s novel <em>Gay Neck</em> was wrten by an Indian immigrant who beme the first person of lor to w the Newbery Medal.
Contents:
- GAY-NECK: THE STORY OF A PIGEON
- GAY-NECK; THE STORY OF A PIGEON
- GAY-NECK: THE STORY OF A PIGEON OVERVIEW
- GAY-NECK BY DHAL GOPAL MERJI
GAY-NECK: THE STORY OF A PIGEON
Publishg Released 1927, the poignant children’s novel Gay Neck was wrten by an Indian immigrant who beme the first person of lor to w the Newbery Medal. Pengu Young RearsIn 1927, the thor Dhan Gopal Merji published a slim novel, Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon, which follows the adventur of the tular Calcutta rrier bird, and the bird’s young owner, Ghond. Gay Neck (referrg to the bird’s Bengali name, Chra Griva) sympathetilly portrays a bond between a young boy and his beloved pigeon as they enunter hawks and tigers the jungl of Bengal and elu German fire France durg World War I.
When Gay Neck and Ghond return to India after their ary service, they are battle-srred. ” War leav Gay Neck fearful and unable to fly.
The magaze The Horn Book said of the novel: “Gay Neck is tly a rrier pigeon, a bearer of msag, and his msag are words of urage and love. ” The New Republic lled Gay Neck “a distguished ntributn, ” and praised Boris Artzybasheff’s illtratns as “altogether betiful. He’s wily nsired the first Indian Amerin who succsfully wrote for Amerin dienc, and Gay Neck was his fourth book for young, 90 years on, this once-celebrated book, which has remaed prt sce s publitn, is rarely mentned discsns of racial and ethnic diversy books for kids, as if Merji were some sort of aberratn rather than an early chapter of what uld have been.
GAY-NECK; THE STORY OF A PIGEON
“By all reckong, Gay Neck should have tablished a publishg trend, but didn’t for many plited reasons, ” she told Neck and Merji found unlikely succs nearly a century ago thanks to the llisn of a number of forc, both personal and historil—cludg Merji’s prodig talent, U. Creasg numbers the early s of the 20th century, formed lerary muni, and accumulated pal, and which the publishg of South Asian books for children flourished followg the mercial succs of Gay Neck.
The rise and quiet disappearance of Gay Neck is not only a remr of how publishg succs wax and wan wh shifts groups’ social and enomic pal, but also how erasure hurts and reprentatn do, fact, matter to ntemporary narrativ about art. 265 reviews1 followerMarch 19, 2022A uple of the other Newbery project members and I have -- while attemptg to fish Gay-Neck -- discsed the need for a new edn wh an updated tle.
GAY-NECK: THE STORY OF A PIGEON OVERVIEW
Perhaps Gay-Neck's story was actually the story of man and Merji wanted to teach his young rears how to be ee and live whout fear. Gay-Neck is a rrier pigeon whose "odyssey" unfolds over several years, as he learns to fly, tras for war, mat, falls to a great funk, and fally to The Wisdom of the Lama. The young master cis to name him Gay-Neck or Chra-griva, Hdu meang “patg gay lours.
” At first, is up to Gay-Neck’s parents to teach him to fly, and to fend himself agast hawks and eagl, a pigeon’s natural enemi, but soon his master tak over wh the help of Ghond, a fay iend and hunter who is faiar wh India’s forts, mountas, and wild life. Together, they take Gay-Neck on trips further and further om home Calcutta, releasg him to see if he will return to Calcutta. Gay-Neck’s trag is succsful, but not whout mishaps, cludg havg to retra him after he be ightened to fly aga bee of a hawk attack.
GAY-NECK BY DHAL GOPAL MERJI
When WWI begs, Ghond and Gay-Neck are sent to the ont as part of the Indian Army. Gay-Neck performs masterfully as a rrier pigeon savg liv durg the war, but ultimately both Ghond and Gay-Neck are valid out and sent home. I found Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon to be a very tertg book for a number of reasons.
Merji go to que a b of tail about this, refully scribg how to beg trag them and why a traer might have to tie a pigeons’s wgs to prevent om flyg, as well as the retrag procs after the pigeon has been attacked or bee ightened as Gay-Neck did on the is also a wdow to the life of an Indian boy om a high ste. Gay-Neck’s young master (like Merji himself), has the leisure time and money to spend on raisg his flock of pigeon’s, livg a two story private home wh a flat roof for the pigeon ops.