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Book Reviews
But, reading his stories and novels is a different experience. One will definitely identify with the characters, as they are mostly common man and woman we come across in life; it can be even you or me. Thirteen of his short stories have been translated into English by N Kalyana Raman with the title ‘The Colors of Evil’. Translating regional stories into English is unquestionably a task. The nativity, flavor of the region and the style of communication have to be retained without damage. Ashokamitran’s stories might be in simple uncomplicated language. But the profundity could be understood only by a regular reader of his writings. Kalyana Raman had done full justice to this. He had not deviated from the Tamil original at any place but kept the crispness of the words in tact. In fact, I read the original ‘Pulikalaignan’ in Tamil after reading its translation ‘Tiger Artiste’. The translation is simply sincere. Ashokamitran’s characters are mostly erring, flawed simpletons. They are far from the imaginary paper heroes and heroines. The incidents are day-to-day happenings, sometimes to the point of being terribly mundane. Here only the writer’s ingenuity surfaces by communicating something that misses the normal viewer or reader. Apparently one cannot expect sudden twists or turns in these stories. But they are there; hidden very sarcastically in the carefully chosen words. This book will provide a good time for those who like serious reading; Ashokamitran’s language and Kalyana Raman’s true translation add color to our otherwise colorless insipid life. December 5, 2005 "The Colors of Evil" translated from Tamil by N Kalyana Raman; Manas; Published by East West Books (Madras) Pvt. Ltd., Price Rs. 135
The Week of December 25, 2005 |
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Tamil writer Ashokamitran is not a pompous writer. He is a simple but
subtle communicator. Those who reads his short story or novel for the
first time might bound to be slightly baffled; because his narration
will be sans frills or embellishments. The emotions would be either
brutally raw or gently subtle. There might not be a drama. Even if there
is one, it would have been underplayed. Finally, the story will make one
think after reading it. You search for the core or the moral; this would
again be clearly straight or ambiguously hazy. The success of
Ashokamitran’s writings lies here only; making the reader feel and
think. 