Here are some translated works from Hindi, Urdu and Tamil that you would enjoy reading.
Each book has its own merits. Day and Dastan are so different in the style of writing from one another that it is a surprise that the same author wrote both of them. Day is more descriptive and languid, while Dastan is a mix of stories with a magical twist to the real historical events that happened in India. While Nirala gives a glimpse of the political changes in India and the social discrimination through A Life Misspent, Murugan does the same with his allegory of human life through Poonachi.
Some excellent novellas translated from Urdu, Hindi and Tamil that are worth a read. Click To Tweet
Day and Dastan
Day and Dastan was a delightful read that I picked up during my 30 books in 30 days challenge. Day is steeped in a distinct air of melancholy and longing. The story unfolds in a rustic village setting over a haveli drowning in debts over a relentless summer. It reveals the young, innocent love that the protagonist has towards his cousin, the discrimination against girls in families and displacement. The novella boasts of prominent descriptive passages on nature – the flowers, the trees, the butterflies and everything else that is ordinary but makes us whole.
The second novella, Dastan offers a stark contrast compared to the realistic Day. The historical aspects of Indian history (Sher Shah, Tipu Sultan, the war of 1857) are woven into the narrative with a twist of magical realism. The oral storytelling session by Hakim Ali is a mosaic of many folk stories narrated in lyrical prose. The writing evokes wonder and transports you to the land of princesses, mysterious rivers, wars and prophecies.
This was my first book by Intizar Husain and I am convinced he is a master storyteller and phenomenal writer who can flaunt different styles of writing with panache. Also an added word of praise to the translation of the book – it was effortless and splendid and probably one of the best translations I have read recently.
Author : Intizar Husain; Translated by Nishat Zaidi and Alok Bhalla
Publisher : Niyogi Books
Publication: 2018
Language : English (translated from the Urdu)
Pages : 192
Rating : 4/5
Day and Dastan (from Urdu) is one of the best translations published recently.@niyogibooks Click To Tweet
A Life Misspent
Suryakant Tripathi Nirala is called the first modern poet in Hindi literature. A Life Misspent is a biographical memoir of his friend, Kulli but sheds light on the author’s life as well. At the age of sixteen, Nirala is married and sent to the village, Dalmau, to fetch his wife. Here he meets Kulli Bhat and strikes a friendship that is frowned upon by his wife’s family. The book shows the contrasting aspects of gaining acceptance. On one hand Nirala is struggling to be recognized in the field of literature. On the other hand Kulli (an untouchable who does not hide his feelings about other men and in the end settles down with a Muslim woman) is trying to fit in a society that does not want him. Touching on themes of caste, sexuality, political changes in the country, religious rules and friendship, this book packs a punch.
Author : Suryakant Tripathi Nirala; Translated by Satti Khanna
Publisher : Harper Perennial
Publication: 2018 (originally 2016)
Language : English (translated from the Hindi)
Pages : 128
Rating : 3/5
A Life Misspent, translated from the Hindi, is a memoir that touches themes of political change, caste and sexuality @HarperCollinsIN Click To Tweet
Poonachi: Or the story of a black goat
A goat is gifted by a mysterious man to an old couple and they name it Poonachi. The story follows the life and survival of the goat and is an allegory to the many facets of human behaviour told with a strong socio-political undercurrent. While this was a short and powerful read, I felt some bits were lost in the translation. We explore belonging, lust, love, betrayal, greed, longing and the triviality of life through the life of Poonachi and the old couple. The book opens up several social issues such as problems faced by a girl child, unfair treatment of citizens by the government and racial discrimination.
#Poonachi translated from the Tamil is the story of a black goat. It is an allegory of human behaviour with distinct socio-political undercurrents. Click To Tweet
Author : Perumal Murugan; Translated by N. Kalyan Raman
Publisher : Context
Publication: 2018
Language : English (translated from the Tamil)
Pages : 179
Rating : 3/5
Disclaimer : Much thanks to the publishers (Niyogi Books (Day and Dastan), Harper Collins (A Life Misspent), Context (Poonachi)) for the books. All opinions are my own.
I have read ‘The Goat Thief’ by Perumal Murugan and it was a gut twisting collection of stories. I am looking forward to read Poonachi and One Part Woman by him.
Also, loved your review of Day and Dastan. 🙂
That is great that you loved Goat thief. Poonachi was my first book by him. And I highly recommend Day and Dastan. Such beautiful words!
I do love a novella! These all sound great, very different from one another. I’ll definitely look out for them.
Glad you feel that way. Happy weekend x
I’ve seen Ponnachi everywhere recently. It seems to be calling out to be read. Haha. Great post as always Resh.
Me too.. I saw updates from many bloggers. So probably it is a sign x
These are all new to me, but I love that about your blog! You always expose me to so many new and wonderful sounding reads. My library actually had a copy of The Goat Thief. Requested!
I had a little chuckle, Jackie, when I thought about your last experience of a book with a goat in the title. Hope you enjoy this one.
XD So true! Well, this goes to show that Goats being in the title isn’t a dealbreaker for me.
Great post! I love how you consistently expose me to new and wonderful sounding books. My TBR doesn’t, however. My library has a copy of The Goat Thief. Bring it on.
Day and Dastan sound great – I like the idea of the contrasting styles. I know this is a tricky question but do you think they’d work for someone not as familiar with the history and culture as yourself?
I think it would. Probably it might be a ‘war’ or a ‘king’ to them but they would understand the context. I could not remember all the historical details of the figures mentioned but I could navigate through the read just fine. Maybe if you know/have studied about the historical figure you’d say ‘ Oh! linking this to that’ as you read.
I dedicated the month of April to reading translations and they were such revelations. Unfortunately I haven’t read these three, but I read Pyre by Perumal Murugan and the climax was absolutely stunning. I want to read Day and Dastan soon.
That’s a lovely project. I hope you would love Day and Dastan as much as I did x
I haven’t heard of these, but love the sound of Day and Dastan. Anything with magical realism piques my interest. Thank you for the recommendations!
Dastan is definitely a nice touch of magical realism. Hope you love it if you ever pick it up x
They all sound fascinating in their own right. Missing the mark because of translation is definitely something I fear though. It’s a bit sad to hear that’s the case with the Tamil-translated one. Thanks for highlighting these novellas nonetheless!
I am glad to hear you enjoyed the picks x