Topic suggested by Kanchana on Thu Aug 13 16:16:04 .
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Review recently read books or evergreen favourites. Whether the reviews are unconected or a 'book of the week' is chosen, we leave it to the DFers to sort out. |
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- From: Idhayan (@ ss05.nc.us.ibm.com)
on: Fri Feb 12 13:16:56
RV,
It came as "Thupariyum Sambhu" 8.30 A.M on Sundays.
- From: RV (@ synvpn.synplicity.com)
on: Wed Feb 17 14:17:19
Chittirap Pavai by Akilan
After reading Sathiyas comments, I searched for this book and luckily found it.
I am not a big fan of Akilan. Akilan tends to be rather didactic. His heroes are in an elevated plane because they are "arty" - the writer in Pavai Vilakku, the painter in Chittirap Pavai etc.
Na. Parthasarathy seems to bring out this elevated plane much better than Akilan.
Despite my prejudice, I did like Chittirap Pavai. The characterization is forceful. Though several characters tended to be caricatures ( The editor, Kadiresan, Saradha, Manickam, Dandapani etc. ) some characters, notably Sundari, had come out quite realistically. Akilan seems to hv realized that the world is not black and white; thus there are shades of cowardice in Anandhi, naivete in Annamalai ( though naivete seems to be common all arty heroes of Akilan ), avarice in Mestri, helpfulness in Dandapani etc. But his efforts at making his characters less than black and white is a failure.
The standout feature is the forcefulness of Akilans views on soceity as it was then and his frustration with it. The problems are his failure at making his characters greyer, and his inability to understand that art is matter of taste; what looks vulgar to Annamalai could be art to me - what looks like art to Annamalai could be meaningless to me. It looked rather childish to condemn everything that doesnt correspond to Annamalais/Akilans vision of art.
- From: RV (@ synvpn.synplicity.com)
on: Wed Feb 17 14:19:10
As Sahitya said, the ending must hv been revolutionary then; it has lost its "revolutionaryness" with time, though.
- From: pg (@ gate02.merck-medco.com)
on: Thu Feb 25 12:52:43
I read prabanchan's two historical novels sometime back -
mAnudam vellum and vAnam thottuvidum dhooram dhAn.
Both these novels are a milestone in Tamil literature. These are true historical novels in the sense that they portray the life of the times they are set in not just costume dramas and spy thrillers masquerading as historical novels.
Both these novels are set in pre Independence French controlled pudhuchEri - mid 1700s. mAnudam vellum is part one and vAnam vasappadum is part two. These novels are based mainly on diaries of a piLLai (whose name I forget I read the book about 4 months ago) who was the assistant to the French Governor's 'dubash' in the first novel and becomes the dubash in the second novel (the second French Governor is Dupliex who ruled puduchEri just when Robert Clive was starting out in the English Army).
The book details life in pudhuchEri, the politics and treachery in Maratha, Arcot (Nawabs) and French and English trying to control Indian territory. It also details Indian caste system and its evils, christian evangelizers trying to convert the non-believing Hindus, how sudras remain sudras even after converting to Christianity, the role of devadasis and how they were exploited by everybody. It covers the totally divided politics of India, how each regional ruler was busy swindling the nation and trying to save himself. While some of the small characters are fictional, the majority of these are based on facts.
This is a must-read for anybody trying to understand why a once great country was subjected to 300 years of imperialism.
prabanchan has used archaic words to capture the period and I think it is extremely effective.
I read prabanchan's foreword and I thought he was boastful. But now that I have finished reading both the novels I think his pride is justified.
Forget about kalki, sANdilyan, kO.vE.maNisekaran. This is Tamil literature's true first historical novel. I hope prabanchan follows this with a similar work on Islamic imperialism in India.
- From: pg (@ gate02.merck-medco.com)
on: Thu Feb 25 12:54:35
BIG TYPO !!!
The second novel is vAnam vassappadum and not vAnam thottuvidum dhooram dhAn which is by vairamuthu.
Shame on me !
- From: Bhoori (@ synvpn.synplicity.com)
on: Thu Feb 25 20:46:57
pg: Sandilyan's writings are of real poor quality. Comparing him with Kalki is blasphemy! ;-)
- From: pg (@ gate02.merck-medco.com)
on: Fri Feb 26 12:21:09
I have not read sANdilyan's books (except for the steamy sections he used to write in kumudam a long time ago :-) ) but he is a popular "historical" novelist.
I have read kalki's works - sivakAmiyin sabadham, ponniyin selvan, pArthiban kanavu. While these novels are highly enjoyable and are very popular I wouldn't term them "historical" or "literature". These novels do not offer any real insight into history or its historical characters - they shall remain popular fiction and nothing more.
Anyway the piLLai I mentioned about in prabanchan's two novels is Anandharangam piLLai. A real world character, he was the dubash - or the second in line to the French Governor Dupliex. His diaries form the basis for prabanchan's masterpieces.
- From: Kanchana (@ spider-we022.proxy.aol.com)
on: Fri Feb 26 16:09:02
PG, good to see you back. Those books do sound excellent from your detailed critique. I've read prabanchan's social stories, time to get these two books now.
- From: pg (@ client-151-198-136-82.bellatlantic.net)
on: Fri Feb 26 20:38:19
prabanchan's sugabogath theevugaL is also an excellent political novel.
His short 'inbak kENi' (which was serialised some time back in Kumudam) is OK.
- From: Gokul (@ 142.akron-01-02rs.oh.dial-access.att.net)
on: Mon Mar 1 21:57:03
Sampled Zero Degree. As Kanchana rightly pointed out it is not an ordinary thamizh novel. This novel[I dont think it can be called as a nove first of all] has surprising dimensions of aabaasam,perversions, poems & indian idiosyncrasies. I loved the 20 odd Poems written to genesis and the last few chapters containing letters to his daughter. Other than that, this book, even though higly acclaimed by critics, is not my cup of tea.
Charu Niveditha is the author of Zero Degree published by grahanam. It costs Rs.100.
- From: Kanchana (@ spider-wo061.proxy.aol.com)
on: Wed Mar 3 11:44:08
asOkamithranin "sila AsiriyargaL sila nUlgaL"
A compilation of magazine articles where Asokamithran shares his views on writers like thi.jAnakirAman, William Faulkner, Mauni, Jean-Paul Sartre, Sujatha, Graham Green, sA. kandhasAmy, Athavan and others.
1980- .̑ :
̑ ̛ ͳ ב. ̑
̛ 谑. π 鹰 㑍
"" " " э. π
̛ ;̫ 俺 'Ѵ' .
͟ ̑ 䙍 ґ ̟ ˱
꿻ϙ. ϙ 왍
ב Ƒ̑׳ 俺 æ
؝ ֍ ґ. [refers to the countercultural,
controversial nature of thi.jA.'s works :-)]
1972- :
Ƒ ҙ ҙ ґ
ת إ æױր. א ׀
ϙ Ƒ ґ.
1970- .ƿ :
. 限 ϥ㑍 ౙ
Ϻ̑ ͟ בƳ Ƒ. ...
ҙƴ ̳ װ ґ.
'Ƒ' ҙƴ ֍. ҙ Ѣ
Ѣ 꿻 . ҙ Ѣ
Ѣ э㑍 ꙗэ晐
'Ƒ' э ̛ ƿ
.
[Seems like Asokamithran's expectations for Kandhasamy are justified, looking at the latter's weighty contributions to literature without
compromising his thinking and standards. He seems to have resisted the urge to cater to the masses' lowest common denominator as well as that to
to pander to the so-called literary/intellectual elite, and has continued to relate to the common (wo)man thru his works over the past two-plus
decades.]
Even though sketchy, makes interesting reading for anyone interested in the history and evolution of modern thamizh literature.
indhirA pArththasArathiyin "vendhu thaNindha kAdugaL"
A conventional middle class indian wife. A typical indian husband. Wife suddenly realizes there's more to life than being the usual cook-maid-accessory-sex object-baby machine-nanny, expected of a woman and shocks her husband by walking out. A businesswoman who is not a good wife or a mother. A disfigured artist who hides his inferiority complex behind a facade of intellectuality.
IP paints an excellent portrait of the quest for individual freedom by characters who are all products of a highly conditioned/repressive society. Shows truthfully that freedom is a non-existent concept in the absolute and there's a price to pay for those who leave the cosy comfort of social conditioning. IP falls into the trap of most writers and portrays the successful businesswoman stereotypically as a 'bad' wife and 'bad' mother. Strong thinking presented in the typical 1970s mass media style. A bit outdated, IMO, but worth a read.
- From: pg (@ gate02.merck-medco.com)
on: Thu Mar 4 14:33:04
Check out this link :
(Review of Arundhathi Roy's The God of Small Things in Murasu Anjal)
http://www.angelfire.com/ak/nkannan/letter.html
What caught my attention was the last paragraph :
(a loose translation) :
"Why couln't a Tamil write this novel ? ...
Tamil cannot handle the sexual descriptions in this novel. Tamil remains a shy language and that remains a fault of the language. Under the guise of culture, we have failed to adapt Tamil for modern use and it remains a big issue."
To Kanchana & Gokul :
Since you both have read and reviewed 'Zero Degree' what do you think of this criticism ?
Is 'Zero Degree' as bad as it sounds or is it bad only because it is written in Tamil ?
- From: Kanchana (@ spider-wa051.proxy.aol.com)
on: Fri Mar 5 11:19:14
PG:
Here's my two-cents worth....
1. those who moan about thamizh being a shy language are not aware of the history and literary heritage of the language, IMO. As I continue with my research in ancient sangakAla thamizh literature [100 B.C. to 2 A.D.], I keep marveling at the openness and lack of inhibitions in the ancient thamizh culture and, hence, the language. Somewhere in the middle prudery seems to have crept into the culture and the language. Knowledgeables, please correct/add.
2. I loved Arundhati Roy's book. One major reason: she reinvents the English language itself throughout the book to arrive at a hybrid, poetic style without resorting to explicit crudity which would have destroyed the lyricism of her narrative. Such writing is very do-able in thamizh too, IMO.
3. Zero Degree by Charu Nivedhita is filled with explicit psychological sadism, abject pain, and humiliation (usually, of females) and is far from being lyrical. I would have been turned off by such a book regardless of whether it's in English, thamizh or Latin--just a personal preference, not to be confused with prudery or hypocrisy.
So, even though there were some clever observations in the book, I found myself unable to finish the book and ended up just scanning it and liking his poetry. My husband did manage to finish the book and wishes that the author did not go for such a craftily fragmented writing style; his observation is that sections of this book blurs the lines which had defined what is legitimate literature in thamizh so far. I agree that could be a shock to some.
To sum my opinions, thamizh is not a shy language, but modern thamizh folks (unlike their ancestors) have been conditioned to pretend a shyness they really do not feel under the name of mass morality. The success of Charu Nivedhita's book in TN partly reinforces this notion. As with any language, thamizh can be reinvented by clever writers as they go along since the basis for such reivention already exists, IMO.
- From: Gokul (@ atl-qbu-zpg-vty93.as.wcom.net)
on: Fri Mar 5 19:11:41
PG:
chAru nivEdithA's thamizh to describe the sexual perversions runs dangerously close to the language that is seen in "sarOjadEvi" books. If I read only parts of ZD without any pre-knowledge I would classify it stuff from the stapled cheap porno magazines available throughtout TN. That kind of thamizh is not enjoyable;cheapens, violates readers sensibilities & values.
The author redeems himself toward the end of the novel with well-written poems.But, I couldnt read the book completely and also without feeling sick at times. I had promised couple of my friends that I would send this book to them, now I feel different.
Regarding thamizh as a language for sexual variations and description:
Populist Thamizh novels typically have always described sexual acts in a restrained manner. thi.jA definitely comes to my mind when I write about sexaul perversions in thamizh lit. ammA vandhAL, naLabaagam, marappasu & mOhamuL have distinct sexual undercurrents throughout. thi.jA's subtle description of the night when bAbu and a neighbour end up together is a masterpiece in thamizh lit, IMO. I have heard Balakumaran too has written very well on this area. I am yet to read them.
From the popular segment of thamizh fiction, authors like hEmA anandhatheerthan, pushpA thangathurai, Sujatha [to some extent] & some [whose names fortunately havent registered in my mind] have written a lot about perversions but whether the language they employed is enjoyable depends on individuals perceptions.
Infact, I have read reviews raving about chaaru nivedhita's ZD, as also condemning him. Kaalachchuvadu recent review of ZD is an interesting critique.
I have read sanga thamizh literature [like kuRunthOgai etc] have some very bold themes. I havent read them to comment on the language, but IMO, thamizh is defintely not shy.
Thanks for bringing up an interesting issue.
Another Interesting,disturbing novel is "Rubber" by JayamOhan. I am still reading it. Chilling Sado-Machism in a chapter. After reading that, now I am afraid to pick that book again.
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