The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction, Vol. I

The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction #1

by Pritham K. Chakravarthy (Translator & Curator), Rakesh Khanna (Editor), Subha (Contributor)

MAD SCIENTISTS! HARD-BOILED DETECTIVES!
VENGEFUL GODDESSES! MURDEROUS ROBOTS!
SCANDALOUS STARLETS! DRUG-FUELLED LOVE AFFAIRS!

This anthology features seventeen stories by ten best-selling authors of Tamil crime, romance, science fiction, and detective stories, none of them ever before translated into English, along with reproductions of wacky cover art and question-and-answer sessions with some of the authors. Grab a masala vadai, sit back and enjoy!

RAJESH KUMAR | RAMANI CHANDRAN | SUBHA | PATTUKKOTTAI PRABAKAR | INDRA SOUNDAR RAJAN | PUSHPA THANGADORAI | VIDYA SUBRAMANIAM | TAMILVANAN | BRAJANAND V. K. | RESAKEE

STORIES BY 10 OF INDIA'S BEST-SELLING TAMIL AUTHORS...
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, India, Mystery, Pulp, Anthologies, Indian Literature

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2008

About the author

Pritham K Chakravarthy is an Indian actress, translator and theatre actor. She began her career performing in Sabha Nadagam at a young age, later joined the Gnani drama troupe, and in 2001 launched her own play Nirvana, focusing on the surgical transformation of transgender people. The play was selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2001. She has worked in films including Framed (2007), Ilai (2013) and Psycho (2020). She is also an acting professor at Ramanaidu Film School in Hyderabad. Pritham was a former communist activist and has been working against the misrepresentation of women in cinema.

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 3 out of 5]

010214: this is not a three star 'good' book, this is a three star natural resource of local popular culture, interesting me primarily in an anthropological way. this is literature purely in an escape, adventure, way, that reveals much of the society it serves, that is, a world without luxury of a tv in every house. popular in adhering to tamil mores and views on political, social, sexual and emotional concerns. of the people, for the people, written simply, purely, quickly, in delivering its stories. why i can read this in other eras, other cultures, but not much here and now i do not know... on reflection, as i do not remember any story well, i rate this down a star. this is fun to read, is different and interesting, but probably it is the idea of cross-cultural reading more than the works. and this idea is mainly a case of inspiring a look at literary 'good' Tamil fiction, which is not easy to find...

[Vinitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can read and write in Tamil. I studied Tamil in school from the age of 6 till I was 15. I have read poetry and classics, I have written essays and speeches. I should be proficient. But I never read in Tamil. Newspapers, fiction, jokes, gossip - I just avoid Tamil. I have no clue why I do it. It is my goal to overcome that in 2013.

Given the back history, I was pleasantly surprised to hear about this book on NPR during my commute one morning couple of years back. This book has been on my to-read list ever since. It was in my pre-good reads life and all the books I wanted to read were saved as email drafts. I was never able to find a copy of this book in Houston and I really did not look for it in Singapore. It caught my eye when I was browsing the Singapore National Library and I had to pick it up.

The cover (Front and back) scream Tamil pulp fiction. I thought it was because I have seen Tamil pulp fiction covers before. But my 3 year old has asked me more than once if I was reading a Tamil book on seeing the cover. What is in the cover that screams Tamil that even a 3 year old can pickup?

So the review - the book is a collection of translated stories by famous Tamil authors and titbits of information about Tamil pulp and the authors. I actually enjoyed the titbits part quite a bit. Having never read Tamil pulp before this book was very fascinating. It was sort of like watching a Tamil movie - in the story Tokyo Rose (originally by Tamilvanan) I expected the lead pair (the detective called Shankarlal who has a big fan following in Japan - the Japanese police even consult him and his wife Indra , who goes around calling him Aathan) to break into a dance any minute among the locales of Japan.

I have always been told Ramanichandiran books were the Tamil equivalents of Mills and Boon romances and I see the connection. Soft love stories with happy endings.

I loved sci-fi touch Rajesh Kumar's stories brought in. Indraa Soundarrajan's story about rebirth and the divine reminded me watching a Tamil soap on TV.

Murder, Crime and detectives (who are in relationships yet continue to drool behind other women) seem to be a common theme amongst the stories in this collection. Infact the book's back cover describes the book "Mad scientists! Hard-Boiled (Eggs??) Detectives! Vengeful Goddesses! Murderous Robots! Scandalous Starlets! Drug-Filled Love Affairs!

The initial thrill of reading the translated Tamil works died down soon. It was simple translation - one that had me rolling with laughter often.

I enjoyed the book and that is because I have not read Tamil pulp before and I find it a refreshing change from the other books I have been reading currently. I enjoyed the book because it offered a peak into the Tamil pulp publishing industry. I enjoyed the book because I could now understand why my grandmother and mother loved these books. If you are looking for literary works to read this is not the book for you. But if you want to pick a book to fill in few hours and move fast, go ahead pick this up. You will not regret it. A lazy weekend by the pool reading translated pulp - perfection!


Review done and now it leaves me with one thing left to do - read at least one Tamil pulp fiction in Tamil.

[Shruthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my immediate family, my dad is the only one with the reading proficiency to read Tamil literature, with multiple shelves devoted to his novel collection and active subscription to the websites of Tamil lit magazines like Ananda Vikatan and Thuglaq. I'm at the reading level where I can only attempt reading the titles on the covers so it's not really a hobby/interest that we've been able to discuss and share as a family. But I just really personally liked that this book helped us bridge that language divide. I was able to talk to my father about Tamil lit for the first time ever and, although it's been a while since he's read some of these authors, it was just really nice to be able to share this moment with him!

So, yes, a lot of these plots were wild, reminiscent of like B-movie Tamil movie plots, but this was the first time I actually even read anything translated to English from Tamil and I had this warm feeling of familiarity while reading.

Many of the stories were crime stories full of hard-boiled detectives and those are not super interesting to me but I hope the other volumes in this collection have other genre fiction as I'd love to read more of the romance and science fiction/fantasy stories. The one story I really really enjoyed was "Dim Lights, Blazing Hearts" by Ramanichandran, which was a contemporary-ish (dated 1997) romance that felt very Austenian, with misunderstandings, class differences, and a delicate yet lovely development of Feelings after the female protag rejects her love interest.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of the stories. Most were detective types. Surprised at the high bar of standard for pulp fiction in Tamil. Some were very feminist and way ahead of its time in my opinion.

[Shweta Ganesh Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of crime fighting damsels, revengeful Goddesses and much more, published by Blaft Publications

A sari clad south Indian beauty brandishing a pistol looks seductively out at the reader from the cover of The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp fiction. And while the cover is not what you would typically expect from a collection of English short stories, the buxom gun toting woman sure sets the tone for what lies ahead.

Compiled by Pritham. K. Chakravarthy, the anthology comprises of seventeen stories, including one excerpt from a serialized novel, all translated from Tamil. What sets this anthology apart from others in its genre is that the stories in this volume come exclusively from publications categorized as ‘Pulp fiction’. ‘The book is an attempt to claim the status of literature’ for such writing, as the translator’s note makes clear right at the beginning. With pieces selected from popular writers like Ramanichandran to crazily prolific writers like Indra Soundar Rajan and Rajesh Kumar to old favourites like Tamilvannan amongst others, the collection has a selection that is not only diverse but also intriguing.

Suspense in the detective stories, grittiness in the narrative about the brothels of North India, rebirth and romance are just some of the flavours that the reader can look forward to in this collection. Rajesh Kumar’s Idhaya 2020 and Silicon Hearts have distinct shades of Asimov’s science fiction tales. Me by Vidya Subramaniam is a strongly feminist piece of short fiction penned in 1987. Dim Lights, Blazing Hearts by Ramanichandran is a roller coaster tale of romance reminiscent of the Mills and Boons of the eighties and nineties. However the highlights of the collection are by far the detective stories with their twists and turns, the voluptuous women detectives and their charming male partners, the exotic locations, the action and general spiciness of it all. From Hurricane Vaij, to Sweetheart Please Die, and Tokyo Rose, the detective and crime stories outshine almost all of the other stories in the book. The only stories that seem a little too regressive despite being written in 2005 and 2007 are A Murder and A Few Mysteries and Revenge by Prajanand V.K.

Though the stories were originally penned in the Tamil spoken by the masses, Chakravarthy’s translation seems to have done them justice. There are rarely instances where the reader is at a loss to understand the context and characters that in some stories are Tamilian to the core. However the detailed endnotes will help any reader from a non-Tamilian background to get over any stumbling blocks they might face in enjoying the stories.

Priced at Rs. 395 and brought out by the independent publishing house Blaft publications, The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction (Volume I) is available in all leading bookstores as well as from online bookstores. For the intriguing stories and the reproduction of the often wacky cover art of the original publications, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves short fiction of a different kind.

This review was first published here - http://www.theindependentreviewer.com...

[Chelsea Mcgill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted from my blog http://thegloballycurious.blogspot.in/

The collection covers a wide range of genres, so there is something for everyone who likes pulp! My favorites were "Matchstick Number One" by Rajesh Kumar (a tale about family and political corruption), "The Rebirth of Jeeva" by Indra Soundar Rajan (a college student on a field trip discovers the truth about her past life!), "Dim Lights, Blazing Hearts" by Ramanichandran (a sort of Pride and Prejudice love story where the woman makes assumptions and acts on stereotypes), and "Sweetheart, Please Die!" by Pattukkottai Prabakar (a mystery about a college student's disappearance).

This anthology is a brilliant piece of translation and selection, and there really is something for everyone. I have a few complaints about the featured stories themselves. First, the selection seems to primarily focus on crime and detective fiction, which make up a majority of the book. This is probably because of the overwhelming abundance of crime fiction published, but I appreciated the other genres presented more. I am excited to read the second volume, in which it seems more non-crime stories are included.

The second is that these stories, like pulp novels everywhere, are written for a mass audience and therefore leave something to be desired in their treatment of women and depiction of South Indian culture. I was frequently annoyed by the non sequitur sexual references, the passivity of some of the female characters, and the way that conservative stereotypes were considered to be the norm. The worst example of this was in the first story, Subha's "Hurricane Vaij," in which the male lead is more concerned with somehow getting his hand onto his girlfriend's breast than with paying attention to what the villain is saying. The worst part about this scene is that the female lead is pretending to be unconscious, so she cannot react to what her partner is doing. Besides this incident, there are many other examples where the stories made me uncomfortable because of the treatment of women, or for other social and cultural reasons.

Despite this, I would encourage you to read the book - these are extremely popular stories and it's more important to experience the phenomenon that has been rendered in English for the first time. And, after all, it is an anthology - you can always skip to another story if you don't like the one you're reading.

[Rhea Gangavkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drug-fuelled love affairs, murders and mayhem, veteran detectives with a side of horny, and so much more! This anthology has stories by 10 of the best pulp fiction authors in South India, including Rajesh Kumar, Ramanichandran, Resakee, and Subha.

This is great fun, and shows a cultural and contextual reading habit of the masses and the cultural standpoints of the specific kinds of audiences these stories cater to. Overall, a decent read.

[Nethra Ram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. The translation is super local and nothing literary which I'm sure is a deliberate move. I loved the lingo and the flavor of these stories that I've read in their original tongue. If you can suspend your literary snobbishness for a bit you can definitely enjoy a chuckle or two in this ride.

[Sachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's like the movies that you watch. Finished it while travelling.

[GenevieveAudrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky tales that were engrossing nonetheless 😆
I found myself chuckling more than a time or two while reading.

Be warned that these short stories have elements of:
Sexism
Gender bias
Patriarchy
Classism

so stay away if you find these triggering.

But definitely a fun read for me.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a real romp— with crash rides and all. There were duds, as can be expected. There were genuinely cringe-worthy characterisations, plots, dialogues etc. There truly were scenes and situations where I expected the characters to break into song & dance routine.
But the book does a masterly job in terms of preserving the glorious tradition of pulp by lovingly reproducing covers (in colour!) and title-pages. Also, to facilitate our understanding of the translated works, a helpful glossary is there to put things in proper context.
But the heart and lungs of this book is the PKP novel— Sweetheart, Please Die! I have got permanently hooked to PKP as a result of this read. Don't know how I can get hold of more of his works, especially those featuring Bharat & Susheela.
Recommended to all lovers of pulp fiction.

[Tim Poston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heady stuff! Fascinating at every level, from crisp narrative to the social attitudes and economic realities assumed in the stories.
Read it last year, and was delighted today to find both this and a < a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... volume in 'Coffee on Canvas'. I very virtuously did not walk off with volume 2: I will buy it, to help encourage the publishers to create a third.

[Sai Teja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good lord. I did not expect this to be anywhere close to being as amazing and gripping as it was! Almost every single tale is gripping, awe-inspiring, nail-biting, interesting, introspective and a brilliant reflection of society's mores in different periods of Tamil Nadu's history. Sure, not all tales are epic - there are a couple duds that did not particularly speak to me, but I can appreciate them all the same.So, overall, highly recommend.

[Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of detective stories, romances, supernatural tales and other pulp fiction, translated for the first time ever from the South Indian language of Tamil into English, is excellent.

[Shabari Karumbaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic!!! A thoroughly enjoying read and one of the best English Tamil translations I have read in a long time.

[Parvathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it!

[Vaishnavi Nandakumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an entertaining start to the new year!
This was one of those books I picked solely because of its cover. It screamed drama, mystery, romance and everything that would make an ideal combination for a very enjoyable read.
The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction is a collection of short stories that were never "distinguished" enough to be be translated before. Pulp literature is basically a genre characterised by highly entertaining dramatic stories published on low quality paper on cheap magazines. This anthology brings together such stories from the 1960s, spanning a variety of genres.
As a reader with decent exposure to books from more modern publications, it was interesting to notice how much of these stories were a product of their time. Pulp fiction was a genre that enjoyed a very popular readership. Most of such stories are carefully crafted that way to generate and retain that popularity.
This often includes glamorous male detectives, alluring female protagonists, scandalous mindsets and taboos that wouldn't even turn heads today. Of course there were some stories which surprised me with their more progressive standpoints. I consider this book as an exercise to understand popular culture of those times and with those expectations, I was quite happy.
The stories are short and entertaining to read and if you want a literary time machine that can take you back to action packed flick, this book is the way to go.

[Ipsita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories. If you are looking for something to break a reading slump, this is your book.
The collection successfully questions the idea that pulp fiction is a lower form of literature by presenting a collection of well written stories in a wide range of genres. I was left wondering whether pulp fiction is looked down upon merely because the only goal is reading for pleasure? I have personally tried to read more for pleasure, indeed I find it a more relaxing hobby than scrolling social media or perhaps even watching TV shows. So if you are looking to read a few fun, thoughtful, short stories, do pick this book up.

[Divya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hurricane Vaij was closest to my idea of pulp fiction. Sufficiently lewd, sufficiently random story line, just enough logic to keep you interested, and zero platitudes! There are other interesting stories based on sci-fi, ghosts, improbable rich man, poor girl romances. A quick read, like watching a random Govinda movie.

I'm sure some of the interesting nuances of the language, and metaphors would have been lost in translation. Makes me want to pick up some Hindi pulp fiction. I don't know any popular authors of this genre though.

[Sara Selvaraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a perfectly fine collection of translated Tamil pulp fiction stories. But, they’re pulp fiction stories, as in not of particularly great quality. I enjoyed it, I like that the pulp fiction of the time gets preserved and presented with a little bit of background, it was a nice little overview of the genre and time. I just wouldn’t read it again.

[Brent Millis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An omnibus of freakin' awesome short pulp stories that crosses cultural borders and packs plenty of humor, mystery, action, and sexy-strong gals. If you have an interest in Indian/Tamil culture, traditions and social norms, this collection is a delight to read. Granted, it is fiction and takes a few liberties, but without a modicum of reality and truth, fiction wouldn't be enjoyable.

[Sujatha Varadharajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

rated 3 just for the nostalgic trip down to my teenage years when I learnt tamil by means of reading cheap thrillers.

[Neha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun read. The introduction is beautifully written.

[Sbijapure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice variety of thrilling stories. Old fashioned.

[Annjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading Tamil pulp fiction. Interesting to see the way each author portrays the characters, societal constructs. Sometimes it’s a bit too crude / crass and overly sexist. Enjoyed the descriptions and stories

[Radhika · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining stories. severely underrated.

[Anupama C K(b0rn_2_read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt seeing Tamil movies or serials. Made me imagine how the malayalam ones would like if translated

[Hareesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of old tamizh pulp fiction stories. Need more Shankarlal!

[Ragavvaaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

the translators did a great job but except a few the remaining stories were all cringe omg. i will try to give my thoughts on all stories in detail later. maybe. maybe not idk.

[Madhuryamoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, pulpy and a lot of fun. Excited for book 2!