Diamonds in Literature
PostBy Avi Paz Group At 01.09.2010
Diamonds have captured the human imagination since they were first mined and polished in ancient India. It's little wonder that diamonds figure prominently in western literature and popular fiction. Here is a small sampling:
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Truman Capote): This flawless novella chronicles the friendship of mysterious party girl Holly Golightly and her introverted writer neighbor, Paul. When Holly is plagued by what she terms the "mean reds," she seeks refuge at Tiffany's. But she is living on "change for the powder room" and can't afford any Tiffany diamonds, so she and Paul do the next best thing – take plastic prizes to be engraved by Tiffany jewelers.
The Moonstone (Wilkie Collins): Widely regarded as the first detective novel, The Moonstone traces the disappearance of heiress Rachel Verinder's 18th birthday gift – a cursed family diamond.
The Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett): Sara Crewe lives at a London boarding school in the lap of luxury, until her father loses everything investing in a diamond mine. Sara is reduced to a drudge, but learns that a few loyal friends and her rich imagination make her a princess inside.
A Diamond as Big as the Ritz (F. Scott Fitzgerald): John T. Unger accompanies his school friend Perry home for the holidays. Percy's family lives in the only non-surveyed section of land in the United States, lives in a jeweled house and eats off jeweled plates, and will sacrifice whatever is necessary to keep things the way they are.
The Eustace Diamonds (Anthony Trollope): The third in Trollope's Palliser series centers on Lizzie Greystock, a pathological liar who marries Sir Florian Eustace. When she is widowed, Lizzie refuses to return an heirloom diamond necklace to Sir Florian's relatives. On a visit to London, the diamonds are stolen, and Lizzie's compulsive lying only makes matters worse.
Diamonds Are Forever (Ian Fleming): James Bond assumes a fake identity to investigate a diamond smuggling ring, only to discover that his nemesis is running an extortion scheme. Sean Connery starred as Bond in the film adaptation.
How to Sell (Clancy Martin): 16-year-old Bobby Clark and his older brother Jim make scamming customers an art form in their New York jewelry store. Clancy Martin's debut novel contains plenty of diamonds, drugs, and philosophy (Bobby's signature patter involves quoting the likes of Spinoza.)
The Diamond Hunters (Wilbur Smith): Benedict Van Der Byl inherits the family's diamond company, charged by his father – the company's founder – to "destroy" Johnny Lance, the family's estranged foster son. Motivated by a double desire to fulfill his father's wishes and bring down Johnny, Benedict sets out to do just that.
The Diamond Maker (H.G. Wells): After devoting half his life to experiments, a man finally figures out how to make diamonds. How to sell them, on the other hand, remains a conundrum.
The Necklace (Guy de Maupassant): In this tragedy with a twist, a clerk's social-climbing wife sentences the couple to a life of poverty after she borrows a friend's diamond necklace and loses it. After spending years working to replace the jewels, the woman meets her friend – with whom she has long since fallen out of contact – and learns something surprising about the diamonds.
