The Legend of Khasak - O V Vijayan
This is a Malayam Novel, the one that revolutionalised Malayam literature in the early 70s. It is said that it took the visionary author 12 years to come out with the book. No wonder, it is a true legend !!!!
O V Vijayan is a legendery Novelist, Political Columnist, Cartoonist and Short Story writer. A stunningly brilliant author. He was one of those very rare Indaina authors who were considered to have a fare chance for the Nobel Prize!!!!!!!!
Thankfully I could get the Malayalam version, the origial one, to read _ Khasakinte Ithihasam. I remember having read somewhere that he is a Malayali parallel to Marquez. No doubt, he is. This is the story of Khasak, through the eyes of Ravi who comes to Khasak as a teacher in the one-teacher village school. Ravi lives at two levels of mental being. One is that of a guilty young man who had an afair with his own step mom while his aged father was on his death bed and who had committed a sin with a yogini in an ashram he was staying. The second level that of a philosopher trying to mix meta physics and upanishads.
Every other character in the book is brilliantly narratted by the author. Appukkili, Madhavan Nair, Maimoona, Maulavi .. everyone.
It is the extraordinary genius of the author that transforms a third rate Page-3 theme to the spiritual level of literature. Amazing, I must say.
I guess, I am getting addicted to existentialism ;))
This is a Malayam Novel, the one that revolutionalised Malayam literature in the early 70s. It is said that it took the visionary author 12 years to come out with the book. No wonder, it is a true legend !!!!
O V Vijayan is a legendery Novelist, Political Columnist, Cartoonist and Short Story writer. A stunningly brilliant author. He was one of those very rare Indaina authors who were considered to have a fare chance for the Nobel Prize!!!!!!!!
Thankfully I could get the Malayalam version, the origial one, to read _ Khasakinte Ithihasam. I remember having read somewhere that he is a Malayali parallel to Marquez. No doubt, he is. This is the story of Khasak, through the eyes of Ravi who comes to Khasak as a teacher in the one-teacher village school. Ravi lives at two levels of mental being. One is that of a guilty young man who had an afair with his own step mom while his aged father was on his death bed and who had committed a sin with a yogini in an ashram he was staying. The second level that of a philosopher trying to mix meta physics and upanishads.
Every other character in the book is brilliantly narratted by the author. Appukkili, Madhavan Nair, Maimoona, Maulavi .. everyone.
It is the extraordinary genius of the author that transforms a third rate Page-3 theme to the spiritual level of literature. Amazing, I must say.
I guess, I am getting addicted to existentialism ;))
posted by Dew Drops at 3:43 AM
2 Comments:
These are some of the best book reviews I have ever read. I am not much into "philosophical" kind of books (I didn't like Atlas Shrugged for that matter), but still would like to read these sometimes. Kudos from a fellow booker ;)
I know what it is to read books in language they are originally written... but would like to get hands on the english translation of this one though.
I really hope this blog continues... please give us some good news :)
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