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Breast Stories
*Translated and introduced by Gayatry Chakravorty Spivak*
As Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak points out in her introduction, the breast is far more than a symbol in these stories - it is the means of harshly indicting an explotative social system.
In "Draupadi", the protagonist, Dopdi Mejhen, is a tribal revolutionary, who, arrested and gang-raped in custody, turns the terrible wounds of her breast into a counter-offensive,
In "Breast-giver", a woman who becomes a professional wet nurse to support her family, dies of painful breast cancer, betrayed alike by the breasts that had for years been her chief identity and the dozens of 'sons' she had suckled.
In "Behind the Bodice", migrant labourer Gangor's 'statuesque' breasts excite the attention of ace photographer Upin Puri, triggering off a train of violence that ends in tragedy.
Spivak introduces this cycle of 'breast stories' with thought-provoking essays which probe the texts of the stories, opening them up to a complex of interpretation and meaning.
As Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak points out in her introduction, the breast is far more than a symbol in these stories - it is the means of harshly indicting an explotative social system.
In "Draupadi", the protagonist, Dopdi Mejhen, is a tribal revolutionary, who, arrested and gang-raped in custody, turns the terrible wounds of her breast into a counter-offensive,
In "Breast-giver", a woman who becomes a professional wet nurse to support her family, dies of painful breast cancer, betrayed alike by the breasts that had for years been her chief identity and the dozens of 'sons' she had suckled.
In "Behind the Bodice", migrant labourer Gangor's 'statuesque' breasts excite the attention of ace photographer Upin Puri, triggering off a train of violence that ends in tragedy.
Spivak introduces this cycle of 'breast stories' with thought-provoking essays which probe the texts of the stories, opening them up to a complex of interpretation and meaning.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
52 people are currently reading
1715 people want to read
About the author
Mahasweta Devi
195 books323 followersMahasweta Devi was an Indian social activist and writer. She was born in 1926 in Dhaka, to literary parents in a Hindu Brahmin family. Her father Manish Ghatak was a well-known poet and novelist of the Kallol era, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa. Mahasweta's mother Dharitri Devi was also a writer and a social worker.
She joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishvabharati University in Santiniketan and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, and then finished an M.A. in English at Calcutta University as well. She later married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya who was one of the founding fathers of the IPTA movement. In 1948, she gave birth to Nabarun Bhattacharya, currently one of Bengal's and India's leading novelist whose works are noted for their intellectual vigour and philosophical flavour. She got divorced from Bijon Bhattacharya in 1959.
In 1964, she began teaching at Bijoygarh College (an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta system). During those days, Bijoygarh College was an institution for working class women students. During that period she also worked as a journalist and as a creative writer. Recently, she is more famous for her work related to the study of the Lodhas and Shabars, the tribal communities of West Bengal, women and dalits. She is also an activist who is dedicated to the struggles of tribal people in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In her elaborate Bengali fiction, she often depicts the brutal oppression of tribal peoples and the untouchables by potent, authoritarian upper-caste landlords, lenders, and venal government officials.
Major awards:
1979: Sahitya Akademi Award (Bengali): – Aranyer Adhikar (novel)
1986: Padma Shri[2]
1996: Jnanpith Award - the highest literary award from the Bharatiya Jnanpith
1997: Ramon Magsaysay Award - Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts
1999: Honoris causa - Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
2006: Padma Vibhushan - the second highest civilian award from the Government of India
2010:Yashwantrao Chavan National Award
2011: Bangabibhushan - the highest civilian award from the Government of West Bengal
2012: Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Sahityabramha - the first Lifetime Achievement award in Bengali Literature from 4thScreen-IFJW.
মহাশ্বেতা দেবী একটি মধ্যবিত্ত বাঙালি পরিবারে জন্মগ্রহণ করেছিলেন । তাঁর পিতা মনীশ ঘটক ছিলেন কল্লোল যুগের প্রখ্যাত সাহিত্যিক এবং তাঁর কাকা ছিলেন বিখ্যাত চিত্রপরিচালক ঋত্বিক ঘটক। মা ধরিত্রী দেবীও ছিলেন সাহিত্যিক ও সমাজসেবী। মহাশ্বেতা দেবী বিখ্যাত নাট্যকার বিজন ভট্টাচার্যের সঙ্গে বিবাহবন্ধনে আবদ্ধ হন। তাঁদের একমাত্র পুত্র, প্রয়াত নবারুণ ভট্টাচার্য স্মরণীয় কবিতার পঙ্ক্তি ‘এ মৃত্যু উপত্যকা আমার দেশ নয়’ এবং হারবার্ট উপন্যাস লিখে বাংলা সাহিত্যে স্থায়ী স্বাক্ষর রেখে গেছেন।
তাঁর শৈশব ও কৈশোরে স্কুলের পড়াশোনা ঢাকায়। দেশভাগের পর চলে আসেন কলকাতায়। এরপর শান্তিনিকেতনের বিশ্বভারতী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ইংরেজিতে অনার্স এবং কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে স্নাতকোত্তর ডিগ্রি নেন।
১৯৬৪ খ্রীষ্টাব্দে তিনি বিজয়গড় কলেজে শিক্ষকতা শুরু করেন । এই সময়েই তিনি একজন সাংবাদিক এবং লেখিকা হিসাবে কাজ করেন। পরবর্তীকালে তিনি বিখ্যাত হন মূলত পশ্চিমবাংলার উপজাতি এবং নারীদের ওপর তাঁর কাজের জন্য । তিনি বিভিন্ন লেখার মাধ্যমে বিভিন্ন উপজাতি এবং মেয়েদের উপর শোষণ এবং বঞ্চনার কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। সাম্প্রতিক কালে মহাশ্বেতা দেবী পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের শিল্পনীতির বিরুদ্ধে সরব হয়েছেন । সরকার কর্তৃক বিপুল পরিমাণে কৃষিজমি অধিগ্রহণ এবং স্বল্পমূল্যে তা শিল্পপতিদের কাছে বিতরণের নীতির তিনি কড়া সমালোচক । এছাড়া তিনি শান্তিনিকেতনে প্রোমোটারি ব্যবসার বিরুদ্ধেও প্রতিবাদ করেছেন ।
তাঁর লেখা শতাধিক বইয়ের মধ্যে হাজার চুরাশির মা অন্যতম। তাঁকে পদ্মবিভূষণ (ভারত সরকারের দ্বিতীয় সর্বোচ্চ নাগরিক পুরস্কার,২০০৬), রামন ম্যাগসেসে পুরস্কার (১৯৯৭), জ্ঞানপীঠ পুরস্কার (সাহিত্য একাডেমির সর্বোচ্চ সাহিত্য সম্মান), সার্ক সাহিত্য পুরস্কার (২০০৭) প্রভৃতি পদকে ভূষিত করা হয়।
২০১৬ সালের ২৮ জুলাই, বৃহস্পতিবার বেলা ৩টা ১৬ মিনিটে চিকিৎসাধীন অবস্থায় তিনি শেষনিশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেন।
जन्म : 1926, ढाका।
She joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishvabharati University in Santiniketan and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, and then finished an M.A. in English at Calcutta University as well. She later married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya who was one of the founding fathers of the IPTA movement. In 1948, she gave birth to Nabarun Bhattacharya, currently one of Bengal's and India's leading novelist whose works are noted for their intellectual vigour and philosophical flavour. She got divorced from Bijon Bhattacharya in 1959.
In 1964, she began teaching at Bijoygarh College (an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta system). During those days, Bijoygarh College was an institution for working class women students. During that period she also worked as a journalist and as a creative writer. Recently, she is more famous for her work related to the study of the Lodhas and Shabars, the tribal communities of West Bengal, women and dalits. She is also an activist who is dedicated to the struggles of tribal people in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In her elaborate Bengali fiction, she often depicts the brutal oppression of tribal peoples and the untouchables by potent, authoritarian upper-caste landlords, lenders, and venal government officials.
Major awards:
1979: Sahitya Akademi Award (Bengali): – Aranyer Adhikar (novel)
1986: Padma Shri[2]
1996: Jnanpith Award - the highest literary award from the Bharatiya Jnanpith
1997: Ramon Magsaysay Award - Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts
1999: Honoris causa - Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
2006: Padma Vibhushan - the second highest civilian award from the Government of India
2010:Yashwantrao Chavan National Award
2011: Bangabibhushan - the highest civilian award from the Government of West Bengal
2012: Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Sahityabramha - the first Lifetime Achievement award in Bengali Literature from 4thScreen-IFJW.
মহাশ্বেতা দেবী একটি মধ্যবিত্ত বাঙালি পরিবারে জন্মগ্রহণ করেছিলেন । তাঁর পিতা মনীশ ঘটক ছিলেন কল্লোল যুগের প্রখ্যাত সাহিত্যিক এবং তাঁর কাকা ছিলেন বিখ্যাত চিত্রপরিচালক ঋত্বিক ঘটক। মা ধরিত্রী দেবীও ছিলেন সাহিত্যিক ও সমাজসেবী। মহাশ্বেতা দেবী বিখ্যাত নাট্যকার বিজন ভট্টাচার্যের সঙ্গে বিবাহবন্ধনে আবদ্ধ হন। তাঁদের একমাত্র পুত্র, প্রয়াত নবারুণ ভট্টাচার্য স্মরণীয় কবিতার পঙ্ক্তি ‘এ মৃত্যু উপত্যকা আমার দেশ নয়’ এবং হারবার্ট উপন্যাস লিখে বাংলা সাহিত্যে স্থায়ী স্বাক্ষর রেখে গেছেন।
তাঁর শৈশব ও কৈশোরে স্কুলের পড়াশোনা ঢাকায়। দেশভাগের পর চলে আসেন কলকাতায়। এরপর শান্তিনিকেতনের বিশ্বভারতী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ইংরেজিতে অনার্স এবং কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে স্নাতকোত্তর ডিগ্রি নেন।
১৯৬৪ খ্রীষ্টাব্দে তিনি বিজয়গড় কলেজে শিক্ষকতা শুরু করেন । এই সময়েই তিনি একজন সাংবাদিক এবং লেখিকা হিসাবে কাজ করেন। পরবর্তীকালে তিনি বিখ্যাত হন মূলত পশ্চিমবাংলার উপজাতি এবং নারীদের ওপর তাঁর কাজের জন্য । তিনি বিভিন্ন লেখার মাধ্যমে বিভিন্ন উপজাতি এবং মেয়েদের উপর শোষণ এবং বঞ্চনার কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। সাম্প্রতিক কালে মহাশ্বেতা দেবী পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের শিল্পনীতির বিরুদ্ধে সরব হয়েছেন । সরকার কর্তৃক বিপুল পরিমাণে কৃষিজমি অধিগ্রহণ এবং স্বল্পমূল্যে তা শিল্পপতিদের কাছে বিতরণের নীতির তিনি কড়া সমালোচক । এছাড়া তিনি শান্তিনিকেতনে প্রোমোটারি ব্যবসার বিরুদ্ধেও প্রতিবাদ করেছেন ।
তাঁর লেখা শতাধিক বইয়ের মধ্যে হাজার চুরাশির মা অন্যতম। তাঁকে পদ্মবিভূষণ (ভারত সরকারের দ্বিতীয় সর্বোচ্চ নাগরিক পুরস্কার,২০০৬), রামন ম্যাগসেসে পুরস্কার (১৯৯৭), জ্ঞানপীঠ পুরস্কার (সাহিত্য একাডেমির সর্বোচ্চ সাহিত্য সম্মান), সার্ক সাহিত্য পুরস্কার (২০০৭) প্রভৃতি পদকে ভূষিত করা হয়।
২০১৬ সালের ২৮ জুলাই, বৃহস্পতিবার বেলা ৩টা ১৬ মিনিটে চিকিৎসাধীন অবস্থায় তিনি শেষনিশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেন।
जन्म : 1926, ढाका।
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May 19, 2012
A powerful and courageous writer, Mahasweta Devi writes it like it is. These stories lodged inside me like gold thorns, reminding me of the plights of my sisters trapped in patriarchal structures that they themselves sometimes have strengthened, and my responsibility toward them. I recognized the deep human truth of these stories. I think you will, too. Kafka says, A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us. This is such a book.
June 12, 2020
"What is the breast? Fat tissue, this that, a lot of bother."
Mahasweta Devi (1926 - 2016) was a Bengali writer and social activist, worked all her life for the empowerment of the marginalized indigenous peoples in Eastern and Central India.
Her works make the readers get powerful (perhaps powerless) experiences and notions of possibilities on what it means to be a marginalized in a system of dominant cultures enforcing restricted / bureaucratized ways of living. Mostly the works focus upon the Women - their roles, struggles, injustices faced and this short story collection revolves around three women and their breasts.
A tale of a fierce revolutionary tribal who despite got arrested and gang-raped by the officials, instills the fear in the eyes of her oppressor by her wounds.
An intricate tale of wet nurse where her breasts are commodified for suckling 50 children over the years but the chief identity and special status created by her large everflowing glands, when grown cancerous, lead her to experience the stinking nauseating lonely existence slowly to death.
A tale of a migrant whose 'natural' breasts getting spotlight due a photographer leading a series of accidents that had been strongly forged in the system of patriarchy.
Though translated from original Bengali by the eminent academic Gayatri Spivak, I feel the essence is available in a vague form, some feeling of disconnectedness with the narration. I have left out the translator's critical analysis of the stories with the deconstructing lens of subaltern/ neo-marxist feminism/ post-colonialism for the time being. I'll try to get back to her note when I become a bit more sober.
If you're planning to explore India via literature especially through marginalized perspective, she's formidably an unavoidable author.
After all, behind the bodice (चोली के पीछे ) there's nothing but a group of people getting fucked up because of their culture, class and gender. Both in a literal and metaphorically sense. Guess I'll never be able to see them in the same way again.
"Jashoda doesn't remember at all when there was no child in her womb, when she didn't feel faint in the morning, when Kangali's body didn't drill her body like a geologist in a darkness lit only by oil lamp."
"Such is the power of the Indian soil that all women turn into mothers here and all men remain immersed in the spirit of holy childhood."
"Trying to move, she feels her arms and legs still tied to four posts. Something sticky under her ass and waist. Her own blood. Only the gag has been removed. Incredible thirst. In case she says 'water' she catches her lower lip in her teeth. She senses that her vagina is bleeding. How many came to make her?"
Mahasweta Devi (1926 - 2016) was a Bengali writer and social activist, worked all her life for the empowerment of the marginalized indigenous peoples in Eastern and Central India.
Her works make the readers get powerful (perhaps powerless) experiences and notions of possibilities on what it means to be a marginalized in a system of dominant cultures enforcing restricted / bureaucratized ways of living. Mostly the works focus upon the Women - their roles, struggles, injustices faced and this short story collection revolves around three women and their breasts.
A tale of a fierce revolutionary tribal who despite got arrested and gang-raped by the officials, instills the fear in the eyes of her oppressor by her wounds.
An intricate tale of wet nurse where her breasts are commodified for suckling 50 children over the years but the chief identity and special status created by her large everflowing glands, when grown cancerous, lead her to experience the stinking nauseating lonely existence slowly to death.
A tale of a migrant whose 'natural' breasts getting spotlight due a photographer leading a series of accidents that had been strongly forged in the system of patriarchy.
Though translated from original Bengali by the eminent academic Gayatri Spivak, I feel the essence is available in a vague form, some feeling of disconnectedness with the narration. I have left out the translator's critical analysis of the stories with the deconstructing lens of subaltern/ neo-marxist feminism/ post-colonialism for the time being. I'll try to get back to her note when I become a bit more sober.
If you're planning to explore India via literature especially through marginalized perspective, she's formidably an unavoidable author.
After all, behind the bodice (चोली के पीछे ) there's nothing but a group of people getting fucked up because of their culture, class and gender. Both in a literal and metaphorically sense. Guess I'll never be able to see them in the same way again.
"Jashoda doesn't remember at all when there was no child in her womb, when she didn't feel faint in the morning, when Kangali's body didn't drill her body like a geologist in a darkness lit only by oil lamp."
"Such is the power of the Indian soil that all women turn into mothers here and all men remain immersed in the spirit of holy childhood."
"Trying to move, she feels her arms and legs still tied to four posts. Something sticky under her ass and waist. Her own blood. Only the gag has been removed. Incredible thirst. In case she says 'water' she catches her lower lip in her teeth. She senses that her vagina is bleeding. How many came to make her?"
August 10, 2022
"Draupadi's black body comes even closer. Draupadi shakes with an indomitable laughter that Senanayak simply cannot understand. Her ravaged lips bleed as she begins laughing. Draupadi wipes the blood on her palm and says in a voice that is as terrifying, sky splitting and sharp as her ululation, What's the use of clothes? You can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? Are you a man?"
I first encountered Breast Stories in my second year of college at an academic workshop. One of my friends was working on it so I decided to read it. I had just heard of Mahasweta Devi, and of course Spivak, before and I knew "Draupadi", which remains one of the most stunning pieces of writing I have come across, was on my third-year syllabus. What makes Devi stand apart, in aspects beyond common themes and subjects, is the way in which the stories are staged. The sudden tonal and narrative shifts, the frequent lack of dialogue tags or even quotes, disorients subaltern gender violence and firmly resist it.
The tribal revolutionary in custody in "Draupadi" converts the body from a target of violence to a site of resistance against state power. Jashoda in "Breast-giver" becomes a full-time wet nurse to support her family but her breasts betray her and so do her milk sons. In "Behind the Bodice", a photographer objectifies Gangor's, a migrant worker, breasts resulting in tragedy. The stories look at the "socio-libidinal relationship between the sexes" and critique the myopic "First World Scholar in search of the Third World". Spivak's writing doesn't agree with me and I skipped the most agonizingly abstruse essay of the three.
August 22, 2025
In Breast Stories by Mahasweta Devi (translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak), the breast is a political metaphor, sometimes to connote a violent patriarchal culture that uses and denigrates women, sometimes as a weapon of resistance.
Devi was a writer and an activist, and in both her roles, she broke from Savarna (upper-caste) feminism to bring alive oppression of marginalized women. Breast Stories jolted me out of my skin but also seeped into my skin, inducing rage, discomfort (because it made me look inward to my own limitations), and nausea. Devi doesn’t use any sort of lyricism to romanticise misery, her sentences are jarring, non-linear, unstructured at times. Her words are crude, ugly, because that’s the societal conception of these marginalized women. Her words are meant to cut through the façade of civilized society.
In her stories, the tribal ‘insurgent’, the ‘milk-mother’, the poor labourer who becomes a photographer’s muse — they are depicted as whole individuals, yet are seen as lowly objects by the privileged, their bodies not theirs, their will not their own. It makes one realise the intentional evil that is Savarna feminism (akin to white feminism). What use is a feminism that doesn’t consider evil that the most marginalised face? What use is a grossly benevolent feminism where the marginalised are reduced to objects of pity? One reads the horror within the stories with a sense of shock, yet somehow what’s happening today is even worse. But we tend to speak of miseries of one kind of woman over the other — one is privileged, worthy of speaking up for; the other remains othered.
In this book, the feminism of the well-intentioned progressives doesn’t remain a tool of emancipation because in its exclusion, it’s as bad as outright misogyny. I have been struggling to get into anything since I finished this book, everything else seems lightweight or too surface-level. I had this desire to get all of Devi’s books and just read through all of them, but I also know I am not brave enough to confront all of this in one go, and that is my privilege.
Devi was a writer and an activist, and in both her roles, she broke from Savarna (upper-caste) feminism to bring alive oppression of marginalized women. Breast Stories jolted me out of my skin but also seeped into my skin, inducing rage, discomfort (because it made me look inward to my own limitations), and nausea. Devi doesn’t use any sort of lyricism to romanticise misery, her sentences are jarring, non-linear, unstructured at times. Her words are crude, ugly, because that’s the societal conception of these marginalized women. Her words are meant to cut through the façade of civilized society.
In her stories, the tribal ‘insurgent’, the ‘milk-mother’, the poor labourer who becomes a photographer’s muse — they are depicted as whole individuals, yet are seen as lowly objects by the privileged, their bodies not theirs, their will not their own. It makes one realise the intentional evil that is Savarna feminism (akin to white feminism). What use is a feminism that doesn’t consider evil that the most marginalised face? What use is a grossly benevolent feminism where the marginalised are reduced to objects of pity? One reads the horror within the stories with a sense of shock, yet somehow what’s happening today is even worse. But we tend to speak of miseries of one kind of woman over the other — one is privileged, worthy of speaking up for; the other remains othered.
In this book, the feminism of the well-intentioned progressives doesn’t remain a tool of emancipation because in its exclusion, it’s as bad as outright misogyny. I have been struggling to get into anything since I finished this book, everything else seems lightweight or too surface-level. I had this desire to get all of Devi’s books and just read through all of them, but I also know I am not brave enough to confront all of this in one go, and that is my privilege.
June 1, 2019
The stories pack a punch.
I felt the narrator could do away with her insights - that sort of perfect English is beyond me, I read to feel and not to become a literature student. This is the best I could put my thoughts in words.
The stories are so powerful and coming to think of it, I had this realisation of how we are shielded in a city from all the atrocities the tribal and lower caste folks are subjected to by our very own people.
Draupadi made me realise once you have lost fear you become invincible. When you hit rock bottom, there is no where but up.
Jashoda giving up hope and the journey thereafter with every person she nursed, is a mere reflection of how our society functions. I think what the author tried telling her was, nothing lasts - neither your body nor your name. It is all ephemeral.
The last story is how one small action of yours that was intended to be a good gesture causes someone's life to turn upside down and how they eventually fight for their survival.
It's just sad how we judge ourselves by our intentions while our actions speak otherwise and by the time we come to a realisation, it's already too late to turn the wheel.
A must read.
I felt the narrator could do away with her insights - that sort of perfect English is beyond me, I read to feel and not to become a literature student. This is the best I could put my thoughts in words.
The stories are so powerful and coming to think of it, I had this realisation of how we are shielded in a city from all the atrocities the tribal and lower caste folks are subjected to by our very own people.
Draupadi made me realise once you have lost fear you become invincible. When you hit rock bottom, there is no where but up.
Jashoda giving up hope and the journey thereafter with every person she nursed, is a mere reflection of how our society functions. I think what the author tried telling her was, nothing lasts - neither your body nor your name. It is all ephemeral.
The last story is how one small action of yours that was intended to be a good gesture causes someone's life to turn upside down and how they eventually fight for their survival.
It's just sad how we judge ourselves by our intentions while our actions speak otherwise and by the time we come to a realisation, it's already too late to turn the wheel.
A must read.
January 24, 2015
'Draupadi' and 'Behind the Bodice' are amazing stories. The contrast between Devi and Indian Women authors who write primarily for Western audiences cannot be more stark. Devi lays bare the bleak realities of poor women, with particular interest paid to tribal and migrant women -- peoples as marginal within the idea of india as you can get. Her stories condemn all of us as morally complicit in the horrifying gender-violence these women's social existence inevitably leads to.
Spivak's essays for the first and third story are illuminating and facilitated my understanding of the texts. Her essay for the second story was, in true Spivak style, 50 pages of egregiously pedantic and crushingly literary analysis that, sadly, went way over my head.
Spivak's essays for the first and third story are illuminating and facilitated my understanding of the texts. Her essay for the second story was, in true Spivak style, 50 pages of egregiously pedantic and crushingly literary analysis that, sadly, went way over my head.
March 16, 2015
This is well worth a read for Spivak's extended commentary alone, much of which builds on her famous 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' essay. At first, I thought the translation was a little clunky, especially as Spivak has been criticised for an unnecessarily complicated writing style. However, her helpful notes made clear the reasoning behind translation choices, in particular the difficulties of replicating Bengali dialect and changes in meaning as a result of linguistic changes. Much of it is quite dense, but is interesting as an exploration of the possibility of subaltern agency and the limits of postcolonial criticism.
February 1, 2023
Jagged narration, piercing stories, tales that will stay for long with me.
August 18, 2007
Mahasweta Devi's Breast Stories is a translation from either bengali or hindi... The reading can be a bit rough in some places with the loose translations, however the message and stories that are revealed are unforgettable. It is important to note that all three of the stories in this collection are about 3 different women and their breasts. If you can get over the translation the stories are very straight forward and extremely graphic.
August 2, 2020
Mahasweta Devi's Breast Trilogy is hard-hitting and thought-provoking. They remain as topical as ever with the increased police brutality on minorities in India.
Wading through Spivak's introductory essays to get to the stories were headache inducing. Left me wondering, Can the Subaltern Understand Spivak?
Wading through Spivak's introductory essays to get to the stories were headache inducing. Left me wondering, Can the Subaltern Understand Spivak?
March 27, 2022
You would think this book was written in this century because the passion is still relevant. A collection of three short but powerful stories related to womanhood in India and the objectification of a woman’s body.
Strong and extremely relevant opinions by both author and translator.
A different genre for me but enjoyable read
Strong and extremely relevant opinions by both author and translator.
A different genre for me but enjoyable read
February 12, 2022
A fantastic collection of stories by Mahasweta Devi, translated and introduced/commented by Gayatri Spivak. Given the difference in content in stories and introductory texts/commentaries, I feel like it's fairer to review both separately, starting with the stories.
Mahasweta Devi was a Bengali writer, also known for being a strong defender of the rights - particularly the education - of the Adivasi (indigenous communities in India). She may not be a writer of tantalising vocabulary (at least she was not translated in such a way), but the three short stories - Draupadi, Breast-Giver and Behind the Bodice - introduce incredibly complex topics and psychosocial landscapes. Draupadi turns the original tale in the Mahabharata on its head (Draupadi is lost in a gamble to a new husband but Krishna protects her and prevents him from undressing her by making her sari infinte), turning the violated Draupadi into a symbol of resistance - after going through a horrible sexual assault at the hands of corrupt state forces, Draupadi refuses to get dressed, an act of unlikely agency. Breast-Giver tells the story of Jashoda, a "professional mother" whose life gets sucked into suckling babies - her own and those of other people - to guarantee the life of her own, only to be left to eventually be abandoned (Mahasweta Devi's own interpretation considers Jashoda to be "Mother India", sucked dry by imperial British forces and then by its own, elite and corrupt children). Finally, Behind the Bodice is a strong narrative of the destructive power of the male gaze, embodied by a journalist, and what this can do - not only to its victims but also its perpetrators. Similarly to Draupadi, its main female character, Gangor, is a tribal woman.
Across these stories, a common theme is, as implicated by the title of the compilation, the breast, a symbol of womanhood which always turns, at some point, into a source of pain due to its abuse (this connection is not as clear in Breast-Giver), typically by men (or, perhaps more correctly, by the patriarchal system). Mahasweta Devi's careful attention to subalternities - women and indigenous communities - and their intersection makes reading these stories even more enlightening. Finally, her critical view of the Indian elite - leftwing and otherwise - is poignant and, while having its specificities in the Indian context, is relevant across the world - it is not rare for theoretical discourses, detached from the reality of those (voiceless or otherwise) being analysed, to lack any form of practical consequence that could result in the improvement of the life of those being the object of study.
Spivak's commentary here is, as usual informative - as someone who is not well versed in the social context and mythos surrounding any of these stories, Spivak's introductions to the book and to Draupadi are immensely useful and informative (it is no wonder that the introduction to Draupadi has such a high reputation). In fact, the latter is likely to have been one of the best introductions/translator's notes I have read, providing a (self-)critical analysis of the text and relating relevant alterations cause by differences between Bengali and English. Her commentary on Breast-Giver is one of the reasons why I usually enjoy reading her commentaries (when I am able to decipher what she is trying to say) or seeing her interviews - she does not go ahead assuming a structure of analysis, pretending that it is suited to all problems and retrofitting the story to reflect an ideological framework; instead she goes through a few interpretations - Mahasweta Devi's (ironically, Mahasweta Devi apparently didn't like what Spivak wrote of her), those of the western liberal feminist, of the Marxist feminist - and offers a critique from within. Here is the strength of Spivak (certainly some will consider this to be a weakness or, at best, hypocrisy), a self proclaimed "deconstructivist Marxist feminist" - while being, preferably, a Marxist feminist, she recognizes the necessity to dismantle certain systems (even some grounded in Marxist feminism) from within by tearing apart their alleged internal consistency so they can become useful to more people.
It's a really good compilation but something's require time/some research - specific referenced in some stories are not immediately clear, and Spivak is notoriously difficult to read, but generally well worth it.
Mahasweta Devi was a Bengali writer, also known for being a strong defender of the rights - particularly the education - of the Adivasi (indigenous communities in India). She may not be a writer of tantalising vocabulary (at least she was not translated in such a way), but the three short stories - Draupadi, Breast-Giver and Behind the Bodice - introduce incredibly complex topics and psychosocial landscapes. Draupadi turns the original tale in the Mahabharata on its head (Draupadi is lost in a gamble to a new husband but Krishna protects her and prevents him from undressing her by making her sari infinte), turning the violated Draupadi into a symbol of resistance - after going through a horrible sexual assault at the hands of corrupt state forces, Draupadi refuses to get dressed, an act of unlikely agency. Breast-Giver tells the story of Jashoda, a "professional mother" whose life gets sucked into suckling babies - her own and those of other people - to guarantee the life of her own, only to be left to eventually be abandoned (Mahasweta Devi's own interpretation considers Jashoda to be "Mother India", sucked dry by imperial British forces and then by its own, elite and corrupt children). Finally, Behind the Bodice is a strong narrative of the destructive power of the male gaze, embodied by a journalist, and what this can do - not only to its victims but also its perpetrators. Similarly to Draupadi, its main female character, Gangor, is a tribal woman.
Across these stories, a common theme is, as implicated by the title of the compilation, the breast, a symbol of womanhood which always turns, at some point, into a source of pain due to its abuse (this connection is not as clear in Breast-Giver), typically by men (or, perhaps more correctly, by the patriarchal system). Mahasweta Devi's careful attention to subalternities - women and indigenous communities - and their intersection makes reading these stories even more enlightening. Finally, her critical view of the Indian elite - leftwing and otherwise - is poignant and, while having its specificities in the Indian context, is relevant across the world - it is not rare for theoretical discourses, detached from the reality of those (voiceless or otherwise) being analysed, to lack any form of practical consequence that could result in the improvement of the life of those being the object of study.
Spivak's commentary here is, as usual informative - as someone who is not well versed in the social context and mythos surrounding any of these stories, Spivak's introductions to the book and to Draupadi are immensely useful and informative (it is no wonder that the introduction to Draupadi has such a high reputation). In fact, the latter is likely to have been one of the best introductions/translator's notes I have read, providing a (self-)critical analysis of the text and relating relevant alterations cause by differences between Bengali and English. Her commentary on Breast-Giver is one of the reasons why I usually enjoy reading her commentaries (when I am able to decipher what she is trying to say) or seeing her interviews - she does not go ahead assuming a structure of analysis, pretending that it is suited to all problems and retrofitting the story to reflect an ideological framework; instead she goes through a few interpretations - Mahasweta Devi's (ironically, Mahasweta Devi apparently didn't like what Spivak wrote of her), those of the western liberal feminist, of the Marxist feminist - and offers a critique from within. Here is the strength of Spivak (certainly some will consider this to be a weakness or, at best, hypocrisy), a self proclaimed "deconstructivist Marxist feminist" - while being, preferably, a Marxist feminist, she recognizes the necessity to dismantle certain systems (even some grounded in Marxist feminism) from within by tearing apart their alleged internal consistency so they can become useful to more people.
It's a really good compilation but something's require time/some research - specific referenced in some stories are not immediately clear, and Spivak is notoriously difficult to read, but generally well worth it.
August 31, 2025
I listened to a recently published audiobook edition narrated by Mansi Multani. It featured the translation work of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, but does not feature any of Spivak's writings on the stories.
I thought the stories (Draupadi, Breast-Giver, and Behind the Bodice) were really interesting to read. They're really dense and often contain upsetting content, so it's hard to fully say that I enjoyed them or was fully immersed, but I think the way the stories look at gender, caste, class, and colonialism is really interesting and thought-provoking. Breast-Giver is the longest story, and it's the one that I think is the most compelling, I found myself most interested in the events and most compelled towards taking the time to think on it. I honestly did really wish the audio edition included the writings from the translator that elaborate on the stories and offer an analysis because I feel like that would have added to my experience as a reader.
I think that if you have reading about the subjects in you, it's a collection that's worth reading. I hope I get the chance to read other works from the author in the future, or to revisit these stories with the accompanying writings from the translator.
I thought the stories (Draupadi, Breast-Giver, and Behind the Bodice) were really interesting to read. They're really dense and often contain upsetting content, so it's hard to fully say that I enjoyed them or was fully immersed, but I think the way the stories look at gender, caste, class, and colonialism is really interesting and thought-provoking. Breast-Giver is the longest story, and it's the one that I think is the most compelling, I found myself most interested in the events and most compelled towards taking the time to think on it. I honestly did really wish the audio edition included the writings from the translator that elaborate on the stories and offer an analysis because I feel like that would have added to my experience as a reader.
I think that if you have reading about the subjects in you, it's a collection that's worth reading. I hope I get the chance to read other works from the author in the future, or to revisit these stories with the accompanying writings from the translator.
September 19, 2024
4.25*
"motherhood is a great addiction."
"what's the use of clothes? you can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? are you a man?"
there is so much to be said about the relentless collusion of capitalism and patriarchy that goes against dominant ideologies in breast-giver. prof threw some critical questions into the discussion and just asked the 7 of us to choose any one to think about and come with notes prepared and the way my hand shot straight up to discuss the commodification of the breast as a symbol in the story. yeah, i really just.. mahasweta devi is such a powerful writer. so caustic and polemical. i love.
istg that story, in particular, did something crazy to my brain. i am not going to forget that one for a long, long time.
also, the ending of draupadi was some epic stuff.
prof mohite is LOML. period.
"motherhood is a great addiction."
"what's the use of clothes? you can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? are you a man?"
there is so much to be said about the relentless collusion of capitalism and patriarchy that goes against dominant ideologies in breast-giver. prof threw some critical questions into the discussion and just asked the 7 of us to choose any one to think about and come with notes prepared and the way my hand shot straight up to discuss the commodification of the breast as a symbol in the story. yeah, i really just.. mahasweta devi is such a powerful writer. so caustic and polemical. i love.
istg that story, in particular, did something crazy to my brain. i am not going to forget that one for a long, long time.
also, the ending of draupadi was some epic stuff.
prof mohite is LOML. period.
July 19, 2021
I will be honest: I did not read the last 20% of this book. I was reading the translated copy by Gayatry Spivak. Aside from translating the three stories written by Devi in the original version of her book, Spivak goes a step further to analyze the stories in light of liberal and Marxist feminist theories. Initially, I was quite excited to read Spivak’s intriguing insights on characters in the stories however, I began to lose interest as the analysis got more complex and inexplicit. Overall, it was a refreshing read as I had never read anything on tribal women in India before I picked up this one. I will come back to this book after I have read more on feminist theories and Marxism. This book is more like an academic piece than a for-leisure book.
November 11, 2020
TW: Rape,abuse,breast cancer.
Mahasweta Devi is one of the pioneering Bengali writers who served as a socio-political commentator for marginalised communities. This book, an interesting translation by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, comprises three stories, (the Breast trilogy, if I may) - the central theme being marginalised women & their breasts, which I now understand is a brilliant metaphor for patriarchial exploitation of women.
In "Draupadi", Devi brilliantly breaks down the myths of chastity & brands rape as a mere tool to subdue women. The protagonist, an absconding tribal woman & her reaction to police excesses literally gave me goosebumps.
"You can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? Are you a man?"
By choosing a marginalised Brahmin wet-nurse as the protagonist for "Breast-giver", Devi highlights the plight of women across the caste structure. A woman who suckled dozens of children - her own and those of her employers - is rendered useless and left to rot of breast cancer once the purpose is served. Are women only that - pieces of meat to serve one's needs?
"Behind the Bodice" is the tale that made me re- read the book - Devi says so much, without actually spelling it out. A photographer captures the uptight breasts of a migrant labour, Gangor, making it an object of desire, thus kickstarting irreversible abuse. This particular story transcends the complex translation and leaves a lasting imprint on the reader's mind.
The writing style did make it a difficult read, worth my time, nonetheless. I hear her other works are remarkable, so this could be an outcome of the complexities in translation. Mahasweta Devi chooses to write about the lowest of marginalised societies - across caste and class societies. Her matter of fact-ly writing de-romanticises the female body. The women in her story are warriors - a kind of their own.
After all, "choli ke peeche" there's only a lump of fat tissue!
A heavy & MUST read.Short tales made bulkier by a rather overwhelming commentary. It does offer a better understanding if one manages to read through, though!
Mahasweta Devi is one of the pioneering Bengali writers who served as a socio-political commentator for marginalised communities. This book, an interesting translation by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, comprises three stories, (the Breast trilogy, if I may) - the central theme being marginalised women & their breasts, which I now understand is a brilliant metaphor for patriarchial exploitation of women.
In "Draupadi", Devi brilliantly breaks down the myths of chastity & brands rape as a mere tool to subdue women. The protagonist, an absconding tribal woman & her reaction to police excesses literally gave me goosebumps.
"You can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? Are you a man?"
By choosing a marginalised Brahmin wet-nurse as the protagonist for "Breast-giver", Devi highlights the plight of women across the caste structure. A woman who suckled dozens of children - her own and those of her employers - is rendered useless and left to rot of breast cancer once the purpose is served. Are women only that - pieces of meat to serve one's needs?
"Behind the Bodice" is the tale that made me re- read the book - Devi says so much, without actually spelling it out. A photographer captures the uptight breasts of a migrant labour, Gangor, making it an object of desire, thus kickstarting irreversible abuse. This particular story transcends the complex translation and leaves a lasting imprint on the reader's mind.
The writing style did make it a difficult read, worth my time, nonetheless. I hear her other works are remarkable, so this could be an outcome of the complexities in translation. Mahasweta Devi chooses to write about the lowest of marginalised societies - across caste and class societies. Her matter of fact-ly writing de-romanticises the female body. The women in her story are warriors - a kind of their own.
After all, "choli ke peeche" there's only a lump of fat tissue!
A heavy & MUST read.Short tales made bulkier by a rather overwhelming commentary. It does offer a better understanding if one manages to read through, though!
June 18, 2021
Incredible book. Just read it for a second time expecting my former opinion to be wildly exagerrated - but no - almost better the second time. I won’t get into the details of the book as I think it’s up to each reader to form their own opinion, but Mahaswetas very particular kind of storytelling is captivating. I am madly in love with its structure and flow which seems both grounded and post-modern in its own way. I guess it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but a piece of ”experimental” storytelling of this sort, touching upon these subjects with vivid imagery should be worth a shot. I can’t even imagine how fascinating a read it is in Bengali. What role Spivak’s translation plays i can’t tell unfortunately - but the cooperation and dynamics here really gets to me. Gayatri Spivak’s foreword is classic Spivak - dense and ideological but on point! If anyone has any recommendations of works similar to Breast Stories I’d be glad to spend some more money that I don’t have!
June 5, 2014
I read a translation by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak as Mahasweta Devi writes in Bengali. Although Gayatri has tried her best, I understand that the nuances of the language and emotions get lost in translation.
The book also includes cultural essays written by Gayatri as introduction to the three short tales. There are unsaid metaphors and how 'the woman's breast' is the connecting thread in each of the unrelated tales. There are social mores of the Indian middle class or the rural illiterate fugitive, jungian and freudian concepts at play and the characters very strongly etched out.
An impressive and powerful body of work and I lament the fact that I cannot read Bangla to be able to enjoy these pieces in their originality.
The book also includes cultural essays written by Gayatri as introduction to the three short tales. There are unsaid metaphors and how 'the woman's breast' is the connecting thread in each of the unrelated tales. There are social mores of the Indian middle class or the rural illiterate fugitive, jungian and freudian concepts at play and the characters very strongly etched out.
An impressive and powerful body of work and I lament the fact that I cannot read Bangla to be able to enjoy these pieces in their originality.
December 24, 2021
If 'underwhelming' is a word, I will use it for this collection of short stories and essays. The translator, Gayatri Spivak, is a feminist and an academician, and to me it seemed like the book was more an effort at showcasing her literary opinions than on the stories themselves. The language and storytelling was ponderous, and it is hard to tell whether it was the translation that failed to capture the essence of the originals, or if the stories themselves were inadequate.|
The reason I give it 4 stars is because of the social issues that were highlighted using the metaphor of the breast which is at the same time maternal and sensual. I wish my Bengali was better, so I could read the originals and, hopefully, be moved more by them.
The reason I give it 4 stars is because of the social issues that were highlighted using the metaphor of the breast which is at the same time maternal and sensual. I wish my Bengali was better, so I could read the originals and, hopefully, be moved more by them.
June 15, 2025
The translation could have been better. The book is a collection of three stories and a few essays by Spivak which are solely for academic purpose and is a tedious read.
Interesting look at ‘the breast’ as a symbol of defiance in Draupadi, then as a symbol of labour in Breast giver, and as a symbol of violence in Choli ke picche: Behind the bodice.
Interesting look at ‘the breast’ as a symbol of defiance in Draupadi, then as a symbol of labour in Breast giver, and as a symbol of violence in Choli ke picche: Behind the bodice.
August 2, 2011
Moving, Sad and Powerful
June 6, 2015
Skip Spivak's pedantic 'introductory' essays and read the stories thrice over instead.
January 18, 2019
Gut wrenchingly beautiful!
February 14, 2022
I'd like to revisit this in the future.
April 20, 2024
Review Headline
A powerful book that is both comforting and uncomfortable!
Review:
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global annual celebration on March 8th. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and to raise awareness of gender inequality and the challenges that women still face around the world. In many parts of the world, women still face significant challenges, such as discrimination, gender-based violence, unequal pay, and limited access to education and healthcare.
In honour of International Women's Day, The Holistic Pine Magazine team asked the audience to discuss the books that changed the readers' personalities, emotionally and psychologically.
At this juncture, I chose – Breast Stories, written by Mahasweta Devi in Bengali and translated into English by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. A book can profoundly impact a person by expanding their knowledge, increasing empathy, stimulating imagination, providing inspiration, encouraging self-reflection, and developing critical thinking skills. Similarly, a book can also change the pre-programmed information that has been fed since childhood. Here, I would like to quote some mythological characters taught in school and at home differently, and as I grew, the perspective changed. Pratibha Ray's Yagnaseni gave me a different picture of Draupadi. Likewise, Chitra Divakurini Banerjee and Ira Mukhoty's portrayal of Draupadi gave a new dimension to her personality. Considering all the newly acquired thoughts, picking up Breast Stories for this 2023 International Women's Day felt terrific.
Coming to the book Breast Stories is a collection of three stories, Draupadi, Breast-Giver, and Behind the Bodice, published by Seagull Books and adapted into English by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. In typical Mahasweta Devi fashion, these tales examine themes of caste and gender violence, patriarchy, and abuse of the poor, whether women, peasants or tribals. Spivak also contributes a preface and an essay to the compilation.
Draupadi, the first story, is about a tribal lady who is a member of the Naxalite organisation. Devi examines the oppression that was released on women, particularly tribal women, during the period through this. It centres on the governmental, social, and sexual dangers that Draupadi faces. The second story, Breast-Giver, chronicles Jashoda, a professional wet nurse who is looked after and almost venerated when she can work and provide milk but is abandoned to suffer a cruel, heartless death when her body eventually protests. Behind the Bodice, the third story in the collection recounts the story of Gangor, a labourer whose gorgeous sensual breasts are shot by a professional photographer, Upin. Because of these photos, a gang of men track Gangor down and abuse her. Behind the Bodice was adapted into a movie by director Italo Spinelli, starring Priyanka Bose and Adil Hussain.
The breast is the common thread in all the tales and serves as a vehicle for commenting on the oppression women experience in society. Mahasweta Devi employs breast symbolism to symbolise the feminine form and its power dynamics. The tales dig into the experiences of women exploited and mistreated because of their gender and who had to battle against societal and cultural standards to express their rights.
Each story is compelling in its manner. Devi liberally employs Indian texts and legends to enhance the effect of her writing—each place and character name may have a deeper meaning that only a close study of the text can reveal. The tales in Breast Stories are written in direct and simple language, making them both approachable and powerful. They push the reader to examine their preconceptions and stereotypes and acknowledge the grit and perseverance of women who have overcome incredible hardship.
I especially like how Devi casually remarks on social and political circumstances in the narrative—almost matter-of-factly. Her views on India's political environment, caste and class obstacles, pervasive patriarchy and misogyny underpin these tales.
The Breast Stories are real horror stories. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who has translated the stories and written the introductory essays, says the word 'breast' is much more than a symbol in these works. But while reading the book, I felt Devi, the social crusader predominates over Devi, the writer. Perhaps the tales did not endure the translation well. Maybe that is the reason why one should deploy themselves as a polyglot!
Overall, Breast Stories is an essential work of feminist literature that highlights the struggles of women in India and encourages the reader to think critically about issues of gender and power. It is a powerful example of how literature can bring attention to important social and political issues and inspire readers to take action.
A powerful book that is both comforting and uncomfortable!
Review:
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global annual celebration on March 8th. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and to raise awareness of gender inequality and the challenges that women still face around the world. In many parts of the world, women still face significant challenges, such as discrimination, gender-based violence, unequal pay, and limited access to education and healthcare.
In honour of International Women's Day, The Holistic Pine Magazine team asked the audience to discuss the books that changed the readers' personalities, emotionally and psychologically.
At this juncture, I chose – Breast Stories, written by Mahasweta Devi in Bengali and translated into English by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. A book can profoundly impact a person by expanding their knowledge, increasing empathy, stimulating imagination, providing inspiration, encouraging self-reflection, and developing critical thinking skills. Similarly, a book can also change the pre-programmed information that has been fed since childhood. Here, I would like to quote some mythological characters taught in school and at home differently, and as I grew, the perspective changed. Pratibha Ray's Yagnaseni gave me a different picture of Draupadi. Likewise, Chitra Divakurini Banerjee and Ira Mukhoty's portrayal of Draupadi gave a new dimension to her personality. Considering all the newly acquired thoughts, picking up Breast Stories for this 2023 International Women's Day felt terrific.
Coming to the book Breast Stories is a collection of three stories, Draupadi, Breast-Giver, and Behind the Bodice, published by Seagull Books and adapted into English by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. In typical Mahasweta Devi fashion, these tales examine themes of caste and gender violence, patriarchy, and abuse of the poor, whether women, peasants or tribals. Spivak also contributes a preface and an essay to the compilation.
Draupadi, the first story, is about a tribal lady who is a member of the Naxalite organisation. Devi examines the oppression that was released on women, particularly tribal women, during the period through this. It centres on the governmental, social, and sexual dangers that Draupadi faces. The second story, Breast-Giver, chronicles Jashoda, a professional wet nurse who is looked after and almost venerated when she can work and provide milk but is abandoned to suffer a cruel, heartless death when her body eventually protests. Behind the Bodice, the third story in the collection recounts the story of Gangor, a labourer whose gorgeous sensual breasts are shot by a professional photographer, Upin. Because of these photos, a gang of men track Gangor down and abuse her. Behind the Bodice was adapted into a movie by director Italo Spinelli, starring Priyanka Bose and Adil Hussain.
The breast is the common thread in all the tales and serves as a vehicle for commenting on the oppression women experience in society. Mahasweta Devi employs breast symbolism to symbolise the feminine form and its power dynamics. The tales dig into the experiences of women exploited and mistreated because of their gender and who had to battle against societal and cultural standards to express their rights.
Each story is compelling in its manner. Devi liberally employs Indian texts and legends to enhance the effect of her writing—each place and character name may have a deeper meaning that only a close study of the text can reveal. The tales in Breast Stories are written in direct and simple language, making them both approachable and powerful. They push the reader to examine their preconceptions and stereotypes and acknowledge the grit and perseverance of women who have overcome incredible hardship.
I especially like how Devi casually remarks on social and political circumstances in the narrative—almost matter-of-factly. Her views on India's political environment, caste and class obstacles, pervasive patriarchy and misogyny underpin these tales.
The Breast Stories are real horror stories. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who has translated the stories and written the introductory essays, says the word 'breast' is much more than a symbol in these works. But while reading the book, I felt Devi, the social crusader predominates over Devi, the writer. Perhaps the tales did not endure the translation well. Maybe that is the reason why one should deploy themselves as a polyglot!
Overall, Breast Stories is an essential work of feminist literature that highlights the struggles of women in India and encourages the reader to think critically about issues of gender and power. It is a powerful example of how literature can bring attention to important social and political issues and inspire readers to take action.
partialy-read-uni-reads
November 6, 2022I only read Spivak's introduction and Draupadi.
From the perspective of enjoyment, I have to say that I didn't enjoy this at all. The language is... strange, I don't know what it is, but I didn't find it immersing at all, it was jagged and maybe that was a point of itself, but... it just didn't read like "a good short story" if you get what I mean. (But I read the short story in Czech translation, so... some of that might be there.) That same went for the introduction where the most important passages were written in completely incomprehensible language using a series of academic terms. Maybe I'm just tired, but... just no from me.
From theoretical angle, the short-story is really interesting though. In sharp contrast to the western image of "noble savage" you have here a complete un-romanticisation from the beginning.
Draupadi/Dopdi is the only named female character, the other ones are always described as "wife of..." which I thought was really interesting. And overall the "objectification" of characters is pretty common here - instead of soldiers "uniforms".
I also love the idea of retelling and re-owning old stories and this is quite genious twist even if I am not able to appreciate it fully. First, because I didn't read Mahabharata and it's not part of my culture. Second, because the story is too brutal for me... I wouldn't read this if this wasn't compulsory reading. It was - in certain aspects - better than I expected, but it was also worse... Not really sure how I'll survive the discussion.
From the perspective of enjoyment, I have to say that I didn't enjoy this at all. The language is... strange, I don't know what it is, but I didn't find it immersing at all, it was jagged and maybe that was a point of itself, but... it just didn't read like "a good short story" if you get what I mean. (But I read the short story in Czech translation, so... some of that might be there.) That same went for the introduction where the most important passages were written in completely incomprehensible language using a series of academic terms. Maybe I'm just tired, but... just no from me.
From theoretical angle, the short-story is really interesting though. In sharp contrast to the western image of "noble savage" you have here a complete un-romanticisation from the beginning.
As she walked, she picked out and killed the lice in her hair. If she had some kerosene, she'd rub it into her scalp and get rid of her lice. Then she could wash her hair with baking soda. But the bastards put traps at every bend of the falls. If they smell kerosene in the water, they will follow the scent.
Draupadi/Dopdi is the only named female character, the other ones are always described as "wife of..." which I thought was really interesting. And overall the "objectification" of characters is pretty common here - instead of soldiers "uniforms".
I also love the idea of retelling and re-owning old stories and this is quite genious twist even if I am not able to appreciate it fully. First, because I didn't read Mahabharata and it's not part of my culture. Second, because the story is too brutal for me... I wouldn't read this if this wasn't compulsory reading. It was - in certain aspects - better than I expected, but it was also worse... Not really sure how I'll survive the discussion.
Read
May 31, 2024In Mahasweta Devi's "Breast Stories," we find
A tapestry of women's lives, entwined,
Their bodies, symbols of resistance, pain,
Yet in their suffering, strength remains.
She writes on fire, her pen a blade,
Cutting through silence, where truths are laid,
In stark relief, each tale unfolds,
Of breasts as burdens, as power holds.
Devi's prose is raw, her voice a cry,
Against injustice, she can't deny,
She paints with words, in hues of red,
The blood of women, the tears they shed.
Her stories pierce the reader’s heart,
Demanding we not stay apart,
From the harsh realities they reveal,
Of women's bodies, how they heal.
A tapestry of women's lives, entwined,
Their bodies, symbols of resistance, pain,
Yet in their suffering, strength remains.
She writes on fire, her pen a blade,
Cutting through silence, where truths are laid,
In stark relief, each tale unfolds,
Of breasts as burdens, as power holds.
Devi's prose is raw, her voice a cry,
Against injustice, she can't deny,
She paints with words, in hues of red,
The blood of women, the tears they shed.
Her stories pierce the reader’s heart,
Demanding we not stay apart,
From the harsh realities they reveal,
Of women's bodies, how they heal.
September 21, 2023
Breast Stories by Mahasweta Devi
Book 32/52
I really enjoyed these stories; I would mark them a 3.5/5 (I hate Goodreads' review system). However, I felt that the English translation felt rather crude and emotionless, and that something was missing from the language. However, there is no way for me to know any better. The stories were still powerful mediations on womanhood and class, and 'Breast-giver' was particularly haunting.
Book 32/52
I really enjoyed these stories; I would mark them a 3.5/5 (I hate Goodreads' review system). However, I felt that the English translation felt rather crude and emotionless, and that something was missing from the language. However, there is no way for me to know any better. The stories were still powerful mediations on womanhood and class, and 'Breast-giver' was particularly haunting.
October 4, 2025
I read Breast Stories by Mahasweta Devi, especially the story of Jashoda, and I even used it for my thesis. This book truly opened my eyes to how society has failed women, treating their bodies as commodities, standards, or objects of judgment. Mahasweta Devi’s writing is raw, honest, and uncompromising. It confronts the harsh realities women face in a way that is both powerful and thought-provoking. A truly great book.
October 3, 2017
Mahaweta Devi's stories truly sensitize you to real issues with the help of her candid and powerful stories. The book also has essays on the translators take on the the authors work, which gives a deeper understanding on the constant rift of traditions and modernity in India.
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