Letter 5: The Independence Move
It is common to regard childhood as being followed by boyhood; but I find the two overlapping. The distinction is, I believe, arbitrary. My own progress was from childhood to youth. It took place during my holidays in Motza: From then on, I developed my skill of politely doubting everything. Acceptance of matters preached in sermons, be they anchored in faith or in dogma, became subject to my own analysis. So was the daily metamorphosis from my home image to my primary school or world image. Still, during my last two years in Ahad Ha’am, I moved closer to the idols of the school — the idols of the Yishuv —and, in many ways, distanced myself from the milieu of my Viennese home. It amuses me to recall that, even at home, I tended to solicit a modicum of orthodoxy and, of course, Zionism...
The encounter in Rothschild Boulevard made me realise the danger of extreme reactions and approaches to violent situations and the importance of a cool head. It reinforced my tendency to consider everything before subscribing to a dogma or an orientation. Shortly thereafter, a chat with my teacher, Mr Livni, made me think about matters religious. When our school reopened, he talked to me about the letter I had sent him from Motza. He felt disappointed by the opening of my letter by Ms Greenberg. His main concern, though, was my observation about free choice. He agreed that the stages in the life of a human being were preordained. But he failed to see what this had to do with the notion of free choice. "But, Sir, why must a person grow up if he does not want to become an adult?”
“Well?”
“Where is his ‘free choice’?”
“I see what you mean. But, Eli, free choice refers only to the option between good and evil.”
“But why?”
“You must learn to opt for good in all the stages of your life: childhood, youth, mid-life and old age. The stages in a human’s life are preordained.”
“But, then, how do we distinguish between good and evil?”
“You can always find the answer in the Bible and in our traditions. Good is what God wants; evil is opposed to his teachings."
For a while, the answer satisfied me. It then occurred to me that both ‘good’ and ‘evil’ were hard to define and identify. Was it really ‘evil 'to switch the light on after dusk on Friday evening — Sabbath eve? Could we dub everything forbidden under any faith as being evil per se? It took me years to try to work out the answer. Doubts, though, set in from the very start. Odd to say, they have remained intact to this very day when I am close to 90 years old.
Winner of Best Debut in English
Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger's Memoirs
In retirement, Peter Ellinger, at an advanced age, pens his Memoirs, embarking on a journey rooted in 1933 Vienna, coinciding with Hitler's rise to power. Part I unfolds his escape from Austria to Israel, navigating influences of Austrian heritage and the Zionist perspective. Arriving in a British-mandated Palestine, he witnesses Israel's birth, practices law in Tel Aviv, and delves into Bible Critique. Part II explores his Oxford postgraduate years, academic career, and early Singapore, encompassing its transition into a city-state and union with Malaysia. His 43-year marriage to Patricia, concluding with her death from leukemia, is detailed. Part III covers his global academia stint and Hamburg sojourn, foreseeing the fall of the Berlin Wall. Part IV reflects on his second Singapore phase, NUS employment, and legal practice before full retirement.
Excerpt - "Letter 5: The Independence Move"
World Scientific, 2023
Judges' Comments
“Autobiography is linked in fascinating ways by Peter Ellinger in his book Down Memory Lane with succinct but insightful reflections on a wide range of historical events and contexts, ranging from England to the Middle East to Singapore in its formative years. The personal and the public are interwoven, using the epistolary form of narration, to create a book that merges memory with analysis in a creative manner.”
“What a monumental undertaking, and what a life lived! Such a deep, detailed plunge into the author's own identity, roots and history, with many invaluable insights. The personal, political, historical and sociocultural are woven together with a beautiful coherence. Peter Ellinger’s decision to work in the epistolary mode is excellent. The narrative succeeds in reproducing the invested intimations, even as the exposition/voice takes on such formal intelligence at times. Such dignity accorded to a truly remarkable adventure of a life. For me, this is the most impressive of the debut works, which were already fascinating, commendable. Indeed, one discovers oneself learning a great deal from this book. That of an academic's astonishing journey and legacy, that of the diaspora experience, to name a few. There remain so many priceless gems right through, and much wisdom. The rewards were numerous, on many fronts—the intellectual, emotive, aesthetic, among other stellar things. This is just a phenomenal gift of a read. So humbling, so moving. Down Memory Lane is an extraordinary work of literature that needs to be read widely.”
“From outsider to insider, switching from social commentary, historical side-narratives to poignant autobiography, the author is cosmopolitan in the truest sense while staying authentically local in every given context that he has thrived and commented upon. His fair but sensitive portrayal of Arab-Israeli history and politics is especially a reprieve in our present time. Worldly, humanistic, honest: from Nazism to Operation Coldstore, in this book no event is too broad or difficult to depict and analyse in empathetic summary. Much like the other works in the shortlist with their diversity of themes and their capacity in bridging personal to political concerns, it is rare to read a Singaporean work that is so much more than the sum of its pellucid parts.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Ellinger
Peter Ellinger, an accomplished legal scholar, earned his MJur from the Hebrew University in 1959, later joining the Israeli Bar. After a DPhil from Oxford University in 1964, he embarked on an illustrious academic journey. Ellinger held Chairs of Law at universities in Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia before joining the National University of Singapore in 1986. An Emeritus Professor since 1998, he authored influential works, including the standard text Modern Banking Law. He specialises in commercial law, particularly banking law.
Short Notes with Peter Ellinger
What does "Mata Hati | 心眼 | Eye of the Heart | மனக்கண் வழியே" mean to you in writing?
The phrase Mata Hati is unknown to me.
What does your writing process look like? Do you type or write? Are there multiple drafts, long pauses, or sudden bursts of activity?
I write on the computer, using Word Processing 11. I revise works as I write them. Occasionally, I need to re-write. A short story usually takes a month or two. For my memoir, I self published it in 2018. It took a year or two for me to write it. After it was accepted for commercial publishing, I worked 7-8 months on it.
What does your working space look like?
Usually, I finish a book in the course of a year or two. DML was first self-published in 2018 and I worked on it for about two years. A short story is usually composed and written down within one or two months. In the case of articles the space varies.
Make an elevator pitch for your shortlisted work in 30 words or less.
Down Memory Lane is a memoir covering my odyssey, commencing with birth in Vienna (Austria), my growing up and education in Palestine and in Israel (including the study of law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem), my postgraduate studies in Oxford and my teaching careers in Singapore, Wellington (N.Z.) and Monash (in Melbourne). I also discuss my legal practice in Tel Aviv and in Singapore and my retirement.
Could you share a pivotal moment as you were writing this work?
My pivotal moment in the writing of Down Memory Lane was my decision to use the form of an epistolary (series of letters).
If you could give one advice to yourself when you were writing this book, what would it be?
My advice when writing the book has been: “stick to the truth”.
