Italian born TizianoTerzani’s A Fortune Teller Told Me documents how he dealt with still fulfilling
his journalism duties in Asia, whilst refusing to fly during the year of 1993. Terzani’s fortune
took him on the journey of a life time across Asia by any means possible, other
than air. It is one man’s journey delving into the myths of fortunes combined
with his life obsession of Asia. This is literary journalism in the first
person, at its best.
Full of questions, mental growth, Asia, Buddhas, history,
politics and the rise and fall of countries, Terzani brings together his
passion for Asia and his journalistic skills to deliver this sentimental novel.
It probes and questions, through a want and need of a deeper understanding of
Asian life, belief and culture and personal fascination of deeply traditional
Asian beliefs.
Born in 1938, the journalist was known for his extensive knowledge
of 20th century Asia which is extremely evident within the book. As
mentioned, perhaps more than once, Terzani was one of the few westerners to
witness the fall of Vietnam’s Saigon to the Vietcong as well as the Khmer Rouge
taking over Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Pehn in the mid 1970s; a time when roads
in Asia were unbeaten and journalism was real.
It is one thing for an Asian to explore their own land, but
when a Westerner is able to open one’s mind and accept other cultures with a willingness
to learn and experience, their reflections and journey is more than appealing. His
philosophy is not too heavy, neither is it preaching. He follows the natural
flow of Asian life and Buddhism by not enforcing his beliefs upon the reader.
Yet, there is still western cynicism and hints of sarcasm inside making for
enjoyable light laugh here and there.
Whilst living in Hong Kong, Terzani left his fate up to a
single fortune teller. He advised Terzani under no circumstances to fly during
the year of 1993. Without giving away the full extent of the plot, Terzani adheres
to this fortune, and luckily so; a helicopter he was supposed to be on crashed
with no survivors. However, Terzani’s fortune is not really the focal of the
novel.
Even though Terzani accepted the wisdom of the first fortune
teller, it didn’t cease him seeking out the ‘best’ and most well known fortune
tellers throughout Asia. From sourcers, shamans and soothsayers -Terzani saw
them all. Starting with merely dipping into Chinese culture and wisdom, mixed
with equal parts of curiosity and fun, it seemed Terzani was hooked. He took what
he called, ‘the first step into the unknown world’ of his beloved Asia, which
he claims turned out to be one of the best years of his life; he was ‘reborn’.
Eventually, after
taking the Trans-Siberian railway, Terzani realised he had enough of constantly
seeking his fortune and avoided the fortune tellers pointed out to him on his
way home – back to reality.
A Fortune Teller Told Me
comes fourth in Terzani’s list of English published works, after Giai Phong! The Fall and Liberation of Saigon, Behind the Forbidden Door: Travels in Unknown China, and GoodnightMr Lenin: A Journey Through the End
of the Soviet Empire. As evident from the titles, Terzani covered the major
acts of Asian modern history, and had something to say about it too. He went on
to write four more publications in Italian, before his death. His first book, Leopard Hide(1973), documents the end of
the Vietnam War while GiaiPhong!documents Vietnam’s capital being taken
over by the Vietcong which he witnessed for himself. Yet, this didn’t all come
without its perills. Terzani almost faced death at the claws of the Khmer Rouge
in Cambodia. Held up against a wall at gun point, he saved himself with his
little knowledge of Chinese.
The novel gives a fair and truthful account of the recent
histories and brutalities many Asian countries have faced, largely at the hands
of the Chinese. Long reeling sentences make up the
detailed paragraphs which are full of punctuation. Commas, hyphens and semi
colons bring the character voice of Terzani to life on paper.With striking phrases
such as naming Singapore’s shopping obsessed Orchard Street as the Bethlehem of
a new religion, or that air conditioned air is apparently the only type of air
Singapore can breath- he notes the important changes between an Asia he once
knew, and one he is coming to know again.
At the heart of the novels focuses on following Terzani’s
physical journey, through Asia by foot, boat, train – any means other than air,
and of course his mental journey; questioning fortune and mental strength.
Impressively, he reached Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,
Vietnam, China, Singapore and Malaysia overland – each a journey in itself in
the middle of the 90s with minimal roads between each intriguing and separate
country. However, when it came to getting to Indonesia and Japan, the glory
days of foot passenger boats were already over, even in the 90s. Here Terzani
reaches a difficult point, and about time too. Finally, he talks his way onto a
cargo ship, heading in the right direction.
Terzani tears into the largely myth like act of ‘fortune
telling’, like a wild dog tears into meat. He wants to understand it, but still
ignores and often discredits the fortune tellers’ words as generic sentences
the person wants to hear, accepting vague words and placing them in your life
to suit you.
He interrogates fortune tellers with questions that
assimilate with his life, much the same as letdown religious people do in their
time of need. He asks ‘if fortune tellers could not foresee the destruction of
the Khmer Rogue coming, then they must be frauds’.
Yet he is strangely more than happy to ‘slot in’ Cambodia’s
destruction into the Buddha’s prophecy, making the fortune tellers correct, and
proving they are not frauds. Here is where Terzani slips up; he accepts
something he has previously so vehemently denied, in order not to admit that he
was ridiculous to take the fortune tellers wisdom of not flying for a year so
seriously. It goes against everything else he has questioned throughout the
book.
Even the author talks about how even in the glory years of
travel and Asia in the 70s, countries like Thailand and Cambodia had already
been destroyed, (albeit from the Khmer). The irony being that Terzani is
writing in the 70s in these countries, and is still exploring, learning and
finding new places. Yet, it leaves the thought, what hope does the reader of
today having the same experience on a similar journey, or even the less
fortunate future readers. He is condemning the one thing he is highlighting in
the same sentence. He is also encouraging travellers and journalists to find
their own news worthy story and life journey in another country that needs
help, one that has been less ‘discovered’.
It is clear he is a true traveller, when he talks about that
‘sense of relief that fills me when I know that I cannot be reached, that I am
not booked or expected anywhere, that I have no commitments except those
created by chance’. It is something all travellers wish for, especially in this
technological obsessed day and age.
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