Keerthi, Naresh
(2016)
Translating Ashokamitran’s words – and his silences.
The Times of India.
| Abstract: |
Octogenarian Tamil writer Ashokamitran is one of the most prolific authors in what is referred to as the bhasha scene Indian language literature. He is one of few Tamil writers to have a decent representation in English translation, and what is available is still a small part of his formidable oeuvre. Two new translations by N Kalyan Raman for Penguin Books: The Ghosts of Meenambakkam (Paavam Dalpathado in the original) and Still Bleeding from the Wound, a collection of twenty short stories, are the latest additions to this set. Ashokamitran weaves his stories around the most commonplace personae, and expands the plot using an unadorned style of prose narrative. His stories don’t have surprise endings or clever twists in the plot, nor are they social commentary disguised as fiction. Instead, these stories are written with an aim to understand the lives of his characters -as vignettes from the very human circumstances of ordinary folk, presented with a masterly hand. Even while dealing with themes such as violence, bereavement or the preternatural, there is a measured restraint that adds to the potency of his stories. |
| Item Type: |
In the Media
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| Subjects: |
School of Humanities > Literature
Doctoral Programme > Theses |
| Divisions: |
Schools > Humanities |
| Date Deposited: |
19 Apr 2016 10:47 |
| Last Modified: |
03 Jul 2021 18:46 |
| Official URL: |
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tracking-... |
| Related URLs: |
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| Funders: |
UNSPECIFIED |
| Projects: |
UNSPECIFIED |
| DOI: |
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| URI: |
http://eprints.nias.res.in/id/eprint/1050 |
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