This hardback omnibus edition collects three of M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s previously published works—Mist and The Soul of Darkness, Kaalam and Kuttiedathi and Other Stories. The volume features an introduction to M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s work by P. P. Raveendran, an eminent academic and a scholar of Malayalam literature.Mist and The Soul of Darkness are translations of M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s highly-acclaimed novellas, Manhu and Irutinde Atmavu. Set in a hill station, the Mist narrates the story of Vimala, a school teacher who continues to wait for her beloved Sudhir, with whom she once shared a passionate affair filled with promises. The Soul of Darkness, on the other hand speaks of Velayudhan, a young man regarded by his family as ‘not normal’ and is thus treated abominably, tortured and beaten. Though his cousin Ammakutty really cares for him, she is helpless and cannot do much to save him. In both stories, Nair voices through mists of memories and emotions, some lost hopes and evocative experiences. The narratives are deeply touching, dramatic and realistic.
Set against the backdrop of a crumbling matrilineal tarawad system of the Nairs in Kerala with its manifold conflicts and problems, Kaalam is the story of Sethumadhavan Nair who starts out as an ambitious and confident adolescent—but in his journey towards adulthood, where material and social success go hand in hand, he is faced with an overwhelming sense of disillusionment. In its revelations, the story is beautifully adorned with the emotional experiences of the protagonist, which is also reflective of Nair’s own childhood in many ways.
Kuttiedathi and other stories is a collection of the finest stories of M. T. Vasudevan Nair that encompasses the ordinary middle class lives and sufferings of people in northern Kerala. Nair’s engaging style of storytelling is touching throughout. If the lead story Kuttiedathi mixes tragic memory and domestic martyrdom, When the Doors of Heaven Open plays out another life upon which centre a group of lives, all selfish, caring and indifferent by turns. In Insight however, strange and unfathomable bonds of passion emerge as the main theme. These are little tragedies of the soul told with a finesse characteristic of Nair’s profound, yet minimalist sense of expression.
Born in 1933 in the small village of Koodallur, Kerala, Madath Thekkepat Vasudevan Nair is the best known among his generation of storywriters in Malayalam. With a publishing career spanning a little more than fifty years, he is renowned as a chronicler of life in the matriarchal joint family of Kerala, a milieu he describes with intimacy in novels such as Nalukettu (1959) and Kaalam (1969). He won the State and Kendriya Sahitya Akademi awards respectively for these two novels. He is also among Kerala’s most popular script writers and directors of mainstream cinema. He has won four National Awards for his screenplays. The very first film he wrote, produced and directed, Nirmaalyam (The Floral Offering) won the President’s Gold Medal in 1973 and Kadavu (The Ferry) won the Japanese Grand Prix. He was also awarded the Jnanpith in 1996.
Apart from short fiction in which he has excelled, Nair has published novels and novellas, travelogues, literary criticism, books for children and a sizeable number of miscellaneous notes, reviews and memoirs. Nair’s stories have been translated into major languages in India and abroad. He was associated with the editorship of Matrubhumi for well over four decades. The Government of India honoured him with the Padmabhushan in 2005.
Gita Krishnankutty has a doctorate in English from Mysore University. She has a number of translations from Malayalam to English to her credit, including Cast Me Out If You Will, a collection of short stories and memoirs by Lalithambika Anterjanam (Stree, 1998), several short stories by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and his novel, Nalukettu. She is the author of A Life of Healing: a Biography of P. S.Varier. She won the Sahitya Akademi Award for her translation of N. P. Mohammed’s The Eye of God, the Crossword Award for M. Mukundan’s On the Banks of the Mayyazhi and for Anand’s Govardhan’s Travels. She lives in Chennai.
A seasoned and sensitive translator, V. Abdulla (1921—2003) knew M.T. Vasudevan nair since his youth. His earlier work included translations of Malayalam writers like S. K. Pottekat, Vaikom Mohammad Basheer and Malayatoor Ramakrishnan. V Abdulla won the Yatra Award (1995) and the Sevarathna Award (1996) for translation. He retired as Divisional Director of Orient Longman in 1981.
The translations in this volume were completed before his death in 2003. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
2 comments:
B4 I started with this book I had not much idea abt MT's work besides tht he wrote for a few films. I was yearning for such translations as I am not good with the vernacular form. It is such a sad state of ours that our curricula depends on the compilations for foreign authors to teach our children when there are stalwarts like him and many more. Hope that this is a small step towards enlightening our generations with the past that have long forgotten. Hope to c many more of such works.
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