After all what is the purpose of the story, if it cannot help us leave time behind?’ asks Gocharan Ray, the signalman in Siddique Alam’s story ‘The Stopped Clock’.
It was written as a year-long series in the well-known magazine, Ananda Vikatan and was well received by readers. The aim was ‘to introduce young readers to outstanding Tamil stories’ (p. ix). The collection has been translated with sensitivity by PC Ramakrishna and Malini Seshadri
The first point to note about this work, a fact that the ‘translator’ records in her Note, is that it is no straightforward translation of the original Tamil novel
The harsh realities of the caste system and patriarchy are brought to light in this collection of 14 heart-breaking stories of Sahitya Akademi awarded writer Imayam (V Annamalai). They showcase his unparalleled storytelling skills, marked by a strong sense of justice.
The English translation of renowned Malayalam author KR Meera’s Assassin narrates the ‘story’ of a middle-aged protagonist,
‘After the action-dominated early stories, the short story was centred around, first, the specific outward expressions of life in the social-reformist stories, then the inner life of the individual and, finally, the abstract plane of indirect experiences full of paradoxes involving a philosophical outlook.