What do you think?
Rate this book
Kamala Das: A selection with essays on her work
229 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1986
About the author
Kamala Suraiyya Das
97 books820 followersSee also Madhavikutty
Kamala Suraiyya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), also known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, was an Indian English poet and littérateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography.
Her open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. Das has earned considerable respect in recent years.
(from Wikipedia)
Kamala Suraiyya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), also known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, was an Indian English poet and littérateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography.
Her open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. Das has earned considerable respect in recent years.
(from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 13, 2015
Her poems are very hit-or-miss, but when they hit, they do hit hard. Many of her poems seem to hinge on the same themes- lust, longing, masculinity vs. femininity, her discomfort with her chosen roles in family life etc. To be honest, as I was re-reading the book for the third time, many of the poems that I had previously thought unimpressive now seemed to show me hidden meanings that I had previously missed so perhaps they are not as similar as I had thought.
In the essay that precedes the collection, it is mentioned that she never rewrote or edited her work, it was always as-is, preserving the emotion of the moment and never revised, which kind of blew my mind. A lot of her work seems distilled down to its very essence, and it seems very skillful to reach that state on the first go, without any editing. I would say if you have the chance, do give it a read. I shall leave you with one of my favourites from the book-
The Maggots
At sunset, on the river bank, Krishna
Loved her for the last time and left…
That night in her husband’s arms, Radha felt
So dead that he asked, What is wrong,
Do you mind my kisses, love? and she said,
No, not at all, but thought, What is
It to the corpse if the maggots nip?
– Kamala Das *1934
In the essay that precedes the collection, it is mentioned that she never rewrote or edited her work, it was always as-is, preserving the emotion of the moment and never revised, which kind of blew my mind. A lot of her work seems distilled down to its very essence, and it seems very skillful to reach that state on the first go, without any editing. I would say if you have the chance, do give it a read. I shall leave you with one of my favourites from the book-
The Maggots
At sunset, on the river bank, Krishna
Loved her for the last time and left…
That night in her husband’s arms, Radha felt
So dead that he asked, What is wrong,
Do you mind my kisses, love? and she said,
No, not at all, but thought, What is
It to the corpse if the maggots nip?
– Kamala Das *1934
Displaying 1 of 1 review