Fiction–In Translation–Malayalam
Series edited by Mini Krishnan. Translated from the original Malayalam by Venugopal Menon
The collection also contains short stories written by women writers, and here the overarching theme is the dynamics between men and women and the patriarchal attitudes which impact such interactions. The story ‘I Felt Ashamed’ by Kalyanikutty, reputed to be the first ever story written by a Malayali woman, deals with a woman’s aspiration for marrying the man she wants to, but caste restrictions prevent her and thus in her dream state, she sees the future she cannot have in real life. In ‘Witless Woman’ by M Saraswatibhai,
Written and translated from the original Malayalam by Jayalekshmi
2025
The novel portrays a sustainable regional enclave in rural Kerala, replete with natural abundance and community unity fostered by a generous, liberal and accommodating patriarch. The old-world setting contextualizes the narrative in the real world, marking the ‘dawn of the Renaissance in Travancore’