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Poovan Banana and the Other Stories
This carefully selected collection of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s short stories are characterised by a variety in theme and tone. He has enshrined in them every kind of experience from the pangs of hunger and sex to the rapture of mystic vision. Its range includes stark realistic pictures of the material world as well as the realm of fantasy haunted by ghosts and spirits. Basheer has written on love and hate, on politicians and pickpockets, on the fancies of childhood and on the disillusionments of adult life with an intense sense of the tragedy of life and at the same time an irrepressible sense of humour.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
115 books1,535 followersVaikom Muhammad Basheer is regarded as one of the prominent literary figures ever existed in india. He was a legend in Kerala.
He was one of those outspoken figures who revolutionized Malayalam Literature, and Thus the World Literature itself with his dauntless sarcasm, satire, and black humor.
Often referred to as the Beypore Sultan (the king of Beypore) by the colleagues, he was one of the prominent figures behind the artistical, economical, and social reformation of the Kerala Culture.
His novel Shabdangal (The Voices) was once banned due to its echo that cyclonized a once feudalistic society.
He is also regarded as the translators nightmare. This is mainly because of the colloquial touch he added to his writings, which ethnically speaking would lose its humor and meaning when translated to other languages.
He was the sufi among the writers and and the greatest exponent of Gandhian Thought.
He was awarded with Padma Sri in 1982 for his overall contributions to nation as a freedom fighter, writer, and as a political activist.
He was one of those outspoken figures who revolutionized Malayalam Literature, and Thus the World Literature itself with his dauntless sarcasm, satire, and black humor.
Often referred to as the Beypore Sultan (the king of Beypore) by the colleagues, he was one of the prominent figures behind the artistical, economical, and social reformation of the Kerala Culture.
His novel Shabdangal (The Voices) was once banned due to its echo that cyclonized a once feudalistic society.
He is also regarded as the translators nightmare. This is mainly because of the colloquial touch he added to his writings, which ethnically speaking would lose its humor and meaning when translated to other languages.
He was the sufi among the writers and and the greatest exponent of Gandhian Thought.
He was awarded with Padma Sri in 1982 for his overall contributions to nation as a freedom fighter, writer, and as a political activist.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2014
From his 'shores of solitude" Basheer weaves stories that touch a chord in the village gal side of the heart I long forgot I possessed. "Poovan banana" is a short but sweet take on taming the shrew, "love letter" is freshly rebellious with inter-religious love and its precarious territory. Yet to read all the stories but basheer writes 'dil se' and so he has become a writer after my heart.
September 4, 2021
Poovan Banana and other stories by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Translated from the Malayalam by V Abdulla
A wonderful short story collection by Basheer.
He writes about anything and everything
Mundane events to freedom struggles to plain old depression.
This is a work of genius through and through.
The first short story - Mother
Umma from the collection Ormakkurippukal (1937)
Emotional and heart rending - mother leaves a pot of rice for her
prodigal son who’s off becoming a freedom fighter. Sharing your problem
with your mother makes your problems vanish. A mother has a built in radar
to sense when you are down. She has simple tools at her disposal- even to save
you from the end of the world..
The love letter - Prema Lekhanam(1943)
Bickering between couple - Saramma and Kesavan for love and devotion , a love
story for the ages..
If war is to end -Yudham Avasanikkanamengil(1944)
The plight of journalists and the plight of religion- a never ending story
The shore of solitude - Ekanthathayude mahatheeram(1944)
A collection of verses and essays on solitude . Reflections and complaints with loneliness
and finding peace in solitude . What is the difference between both? A fine line or converging waters?
Tiger from collection Janmadinam(1944)
A savage tale of a police dog and it’s demise . On the pretext of hate or hunger?
Voices - Shabdangal (1947)
An individual from his birth to death - his motives questionable , his trauma unfathomable and his stories not for the weak. Stories can be about anything .. but interpretation is left for the masses..
Poovan Banana - from the collection Viddikalude Swargam (1948)
A choicest fruit for a lady . Husband can’t get it etc etc ..
Husband beats up wife ..
A lie is etched until the end of times
A man - Oru Manushyan (1952)
A pickpocketed gives back to the society
Bully Panicker (1952)
Rogue policeman with a family dies a tragically comic death. Even the worst human beings who deserve the worst of deaths have a quick death.
Do they deserve a quick death or do they need a long drawn battle of slow pain to make up for your trauma?
I guess we’ll never know
The blue light - Neela Velicham (1952)
A truce between a resident ghost and a writer for harmony.
What happens when he forgets her?
A little old love story (1956)
A guy falls in love with a maid! Nothing new you say but a joke awaits the readers
The world renowned nose
Having a long nose turns political..
The walls - mathilukal(1965)
One of the best short stories ! A resident prisoner makes connections with a women prisoner through the wall . They cannot see each other! They promise to meet..
Only he remains in his battalion of political prisoners and he’s fearsome and scared of being killed ..Love and freedom are funny friends
The snake and the mirror (1967)
A snake admires her beauty and lets her prey live..
The gold ring (1967)
Child is born .. bets are set on its gender.
The elephant wool (1975)
The foibles of childhood — to be popular , to be loved and to enjoy the world. Some desire bananas and some desire elephant hair . The quest is on ..
A wonderful short story collection by Basheer.
He writes about anything and everything
Mundane events to freedom struggles to plain old depression.
This is a work of genius through and through.
The first short story - Mother
Umma from the collection Ormakkurippukal (1937)
Emotional and heart rending - mother leaves a pot of rice for her
prodigal son who’s off becoming a freedom fighter. Sharing your problem
with your mother makes your problems vanish. A mother has a built in radar
to sense when you are down. She has simple tools at her disposal- even to save
you from the end of the world..
The love letter - Prema Lekhanam(1943)
Bickering between couple - Saramma and Kesavan for love and devotion , a love
story for the ages..
If war is to end -Yudham Avasanikkanamengil(1944)
The plight of journalists and the plight of religion- a never ending story
The shore of solitude - Ekanthathayude mahatheeram(1944)
A collection of verses and essays on solitude . Reflections and complaints with loneliness
and finding peace in solitude . What is the difference between both? A fine line or converging waters?
Tiger from collection Janmadinam(1944)
A savage tale of a police dog and it’s demise . On the pretext of hate or hunger?
Voices - Shabdangal (1947)
An individual from his birth to death - his motives questionable , his trauma unfathomable and his stories not for the weak. Stories can be about anything .. but interpretation is left for the masses..
Poovan Banana - from the collection Viddikalude Swargam (1948)
A choicest fruit for a lady . Husband can’t get it etc etc ..
Husband beats up wife ..
A lie is etched until the end of times
A man - Oru Manushyan (1952)
A pickpocketed gives back to the society
Bully Panicker (1952)
Rogue policeman with a family dies a tragically comic death. Even the worst human beings who deserve the worst of deaths have a quick death.
Do they deserve a quick death or do they need a long drawn battle of slow pain to make up for your trauma?
I guess we’ll never know
The blue light - Neela Velicham (1952)
A truce between a resident ghost and a writer for harmony.
What happens when he forgets her?
A little old love story (1956)
A guy falls in love with a maid! Nothing new you say but a joke awaits the readers
The world renowned nose
Having a long nose turns political..
The walls - mathilukal(1965)
One of the best short stories ! A resident prisoner makes connections with a women prisoner through the wall . They cannot see each other! They promise to meet..
Only he remains in his battalion of political prisoners and he’s fearsome and scared of being killed ..Love and freedom are funny friends
The snake and the mirror (1967)
A snake admires her beauty and lets her prey live..
The gold ring (1967)
Child is born .. bets are set on its gender.
The elephant wool (1975)
The foibles of childhood — to be popular , to be loved and to enjoy the world. Some desire bananas and some desire elephant hair . The quest is on ..
October 11, 2021
A collection of short stories that is incisive and provocative in their subtlety. Set in the 1930s-40s, some of them form the Indian freedom struggle as a backdrop - this gives a lesser known account of the lives of the common people in those days
June 23, 2019
Very nice book
June 16, 2015
Absolutely loved it. I'd forgotten how full of impact, short stories could be. Bold, raw, lyrical and with an irrepressible sense of humor that makes it appearance when you least expect it, never allowing you to assume or delve too long in matters that he led you into but obviously has other plans for now! And at times when you least expect it he just cuts it loose and leaves you there hanging...holding on to the threads of the narrative, long after the protagonist has walked out of his/her own story...
The stories themselves are from a forgotten time, making them doubly charming. The people, yet so real.
Wonder how much more mesmerizing it would have been in Malayalam, the native language it was written in! Wow.
The stories themselves are from a forgotten time, making them doubly charming. The people, yet so real.
Wonder how much more mesmerizing it would have been in Malayalam, the native language it was written in! Wow.
October 11, 2011
Basheer is a pride to Indian literature. He is the representative of Malayalam in the Indian literature. I have always wanted to read a book in my mother tongue and love my parents for recommending this! Sometimes, I feel that Basheer's stories have a Saki touch in them!
December 1, 2014
Basheer is to Kerala what Austen is to England. He symbolises the old life. Poovan Banana and Other Stories is a good way to take NRKs (non resident keralites) a little back in that old life. Some serious and some funny stories. A good read.
November 25, 2013
vaikom muhammad basheer
September 10, 2016
Terrific. Now to read this in the original Malayalam.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews