| ஒத்திசைவு | प्रत्याह्वय | resonance |

I have always been fascinated by the way my beloved Ashokamitran – delicately weaves & writes remarkable stuff — without resorting to any literary ‘device’ embellishments or verbal hijinks or melodrama or  self-flagellation or laboured constructs or faffing roundabouts or philosophical blather or put-on erudition.

IMNSHO, Ashokamitran is definitely one of the grand literary gems that adorns not only the Tamil culturescape, but also the other knowable culturescapes.

Yes, I am an unabashed admirer of Ashokamitran, in spite of what philistine scurrilous squirrels squeak ad nauseam. (Ref:  squirrel squeak, my screeches 1, 2)

The main objective of the post is a plug for the KalyanRaman translations of some of the recent works of Ashokamitran. I plan to buy (may not be kindle aversions, but only deadtrees versions) and devour them in the course of next 6-8 months or so; have a loooong enough backlog of unread tomes as it is.

Knowing the calibres of the author and translator, am really sure the books would deliver great value for the time spent on them. Strongly recommended.

Am reproducing verbatim, a mailer from my dear K about the subject.

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Hello:

I bring you news of two recently published volumes of Tamil fiction, both translated by me into English. They are also part of the prestigious Penguin Modern Classics.

Still Bleeding from the Wound, a collection of short stories by Ashokamitran.

A perfect amalgam of irony, wit and wry humour, Still Bleeding from the Wound is a collection of stories from the greatest living Tamil writer. Ashokamitran’s deceptively simple narratives take the reader deep into the poignant struggles waged by ordinary middle-class men and women for survival, dignity, and a hint of moral grace. His nuanced prose is richly diverse in the range of characters and situations they portray, marking him as a master storyteller of our times.

Amazon.in link: http://www.amazon.in/Still-Bleeding-Wound-Ashokamitram/dp/0143423282/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457579603&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=still+bleeding+from+the+wound+ashokamitran

The Ghosts of Meenambakkam, a novella by Ashokamitran

One dark and stormy night, Dalpathado unexpectedly crosses paths with the narrator at Meenambakkam airport. The faceless, middle-aged man from Dalpathado’s past is there mourning the unexpected death of his daughter in a plane crash. After they spend a dangerous night in each other’s company, lashed by rain and reminiscence, neither man remains the same.

The Ghosts of Meenamkbakkam is a meditation on the violence that detonates human lives and the idea of love that endures all mayhem, even in death.

Amazon.in link: http://www.amazon.in/Ghosts-Meenambakkam-Ashokamitran/dp/0143423274/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457579660&sr=1-1&keywords=the+ghosts+of+meenambakkam

Both books are also available on Kindle.

Please forward to others who might be interested. Thank you.

Kalyan Raman (Translator)
Chennai

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