By Barry Rubin

Taking a break from the tough world of contemporary politics, I’m delighted to relate to you this story that tells something about the interrelated nature of our world and our constant connection with history and with those who have gone before.

On February 13, 2008, I wrote an article for PajamasMedia about a rare book I possess on Burma, Peacocks and Pagodas. The point of the article was to show how, despite contemporary propaganda that the West always looked down on the Third World, was racist, etc., etc., there had long been many examples of profound respect, a desire to understand, and a willingness to learn on the part of Westerners.

Marvelling at the strange paths taken by books and ideas, I just happened to mention that the book was published in 1924 and some decades later some unknown person purchased it from a bookshop in Madras, India, noting the name of the store. Today I received a note from a man in India who was the grandson of the bookstore owner, Mr. T.N. Jayavelu, asking if I had more information on a grandfather who died when he was a young boy.

Since I am fascinated by genealogy and our links with our personal ancestors–and how that shows a great deal about the course of history–I was especially pleased to make this connection.

There are three additional neat ironies here.

For some reason, my article doesn’t show up in an Internet search and the connection can only be located because a gentleman who owns a bookstore mentioned it in a note of his own. 

Mr. Jayavelu once told a friend that it was so sad that the demise of a book collector meant the end, the dispersal forever, of his collection. Prophetically so since when he died thirty years ago his own collection of thousands of books and antiquities was sold off  In this case, though, his name lives on through at least one of his well-travelled books. So if you come across one of them, somewhere around the world, let me know and perhaps it can be restored to his granddaughter.

 The other is that in doing this research I came across an example of my work being plagiarized–perhaps inadvertently but nevertheless in practice–by someone, in fact a person who I am acquainted with. The amount of such plagiarism is astounding and now we can catch it. Years ago, I discovered that a student at American University took an article of mine, simply put his name on it, and published it in the university newspaper. I warned him about this and suddenly a “correction” appeared that the byline was a mistake.

 A very well-known Iranian writer has been exposed as stealing my work word for word in a book some years ago and attributing it to his secret sources. You’ve almost certainly read his work. I don’t have the time or energy to pursue this matter though his fabrications continue to pollute the Internet. If it happened today I would do so. 

 For Mr. Jayavelu I have a much higher regard. And with the Internet we are far better able to appreciate those who have labored hard and added to the world, as well as far better able to expose the thieves and liars who all too often populate it as well.