BOOK TALK: The Spy
School of Business Studies and Social Sciences
Christ University
July 19, 2019
Class: 3PSYCH

Presenters:
Tanya Sinha 1833296
Ananya Manoj Nair 1833286
G. Sai Siddharth 1833210
Sriram Nair 1833225
Radhika Rastogi 1833280

Ellipsis: The English and History Forum organised its monthly event, the BookTalk in the library on July 19, 2019 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The objective of the booktalk is to nurture and create a culture of reading among all. This booktalk was presented by the students of 3rd year Psychology honours. The gathering was welcomed by speaker one who briefly introduced the book, author and the protagonist, Mata Hari. Her points about Mata Hari were elaborated by speaker two who explored the effects that the protagonist’s childhood had on her adulthood.
In his 2016 published novel The Spy, Paulo Coelho, well-known for his best-selling novel The Alchemist, explores the life of Mata Hari, the glorious dancer of the 1900’s, who was executed by the French firing squad for being a double spy. His book is written as a series of letters in voice of Mata Hari herself.
The talk shifted to the second topic of whether Mata Hari was actually free. While she herself feels free, the other soldiers think of her as a caged bird. One of the speakers made a distinction between being caged and being shackled. While being shackled is truly a loss of freedom, being caged gives some sense of liberation. He noted that caged birds cannot survive in the outside world, and perhaps that was the fate of Mata Hari; she was not meant to roam around freely in the outside world.

The 3PSYCH students then discussed how The Spy differs from Coelho’s other works. Elements of philosophy and faith are integral parts of Paulo Coelho’s books. The discussion was focused on to what extent The Spy was philosophical. While at first it was agreed that this book was not philosophical as such, the conclusion was that although at first glance the book looks simple, it does have a lot of depth in it. On the other hand, the element of faith is missing in the book. Mata Hari was focused only on herself and her journey to find as well as empower herself.
The highlight for one of the speakers was Mata Hari’s last letter in which she tells her story through the tale of a bird. The story written in the last letter of Mata Hari is about a bird who sacrifices her love for a student who loves someone else but is not serious about that love. The speaker liked how well that story reflected the mental state Mata Hari was in; She believed that she was giving her all while others around her were carefree.
The discussion ended on a positive note; a fun fact was shared by a speaker. Mata Hari’s preserved head was stolen back in 2000. Somewhere in the world, the iconic figure, who was known for her independence and individuality, still enjoys her freedom.
The booktalk was attended by the students of 1Eng (honours) and faculty members of English and History cluster.