A book that I bought on one of my visits to Kerala just because it was written by the much revered OV Vijayan. I believe Vijayan's style of writing revolutionized or at least opened up a whole new set of possibilities for Malayalam writers. You never read one of his books without feeling that you have come across something great. The wonderful part is, this happens with every single book of his I have read so far. 'Madhuram Gayathi', 'Gurusagaram' etc stand out and of course the much famous 'Khasakhinte Ithihasam' (Legends Of Khasak) . I'd even go as far as to say his writing is the Malayalam prose equivalent of Kahlil Gibran's poetry. I confess I have not read Gibran as much as I have read Vijayan and that could be why. The Gibran poems that I have read and the Vijayan books leave me with the same feeling of awe about the writer.
In 'Thalamurakal' (Generations) Vijayan tells the story of the ancient family of 'Ponmudi'. It is written as told by one of its last generations through the numerous family legends he was told and heard and witnessed. Vijayan's use of rarely used words are stitched seamless into the narrative and never stands apart. It looks at the different casts and religions of Kerala over the years with a discerning and leveled eye.
It almost feels like a biography where the narrator is Vijayan himself. 'Ponmudi Tharavad' has found a special place in my memory shelf. Click here to read an excerpt in Malayalam.
4 comments:
Ofcourse I've hrd of him....i guess all malayalee's are familiar with his name but feel terrible to say tht I have not read any of his books. DOes he have any written in English...or are any of his books translated to english?? I really am interested.
Vijayan used to write well in English. Later he turned to Malayalam wondering why he didn't do that earlier on. I hear that he has translated his own boos and so your question prompted me to look. I found the Legends of Khasak in amazon.com and linked it to the book's mention in the post. This is his first book and I am sure you will be captivated and that is only a beginning...
"O.V. Vijayan: Selected Fiction" by Penguin books contains the Legends of Khasak, the Saga of Dharmapuri, the Infinity of Grace And After the Hanging, and is available on Flipkart and Amazon within Rs. 700. This is the collection containing all available translations of Vijayan till date.(MY thesis is on Vijayan's Fiction. So, you can take my word!)
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