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Katora Bhar Khoon
"Today, I will inflict evil on a good woman and faithful wife. If I do a good job of it, I will become prime minister tomorrow. " In the kingdom of Haripur, an unknown assassin plots in the dark... Soon, the noble Birsingh finds himself accused of murdering the Prince. Meanwhile, the elusive bandit Naaharsingh is on a vendetta against the King. Will good beget good, and evil beget evil? Published in 1895, The Bowl Full of Blood is a historical adventure novel. It is a story of intrigues and betrayal, of brotherhood and honour by a pioneer of Hindi fiction.
Unknown Binding
First published September 11, 2015
About the author
Babu Devakinandan Khatri
57 books57 followersAfter his earlier education, Devkinandan Khatri moved to Tekari Estate in Gaya. He became an employee of the Raja of Benares. He started a printing press called "Lahari" and started a Hindi monthly, "Sudarshan", in 1898. The various works of Khatri and his son Durga Prasad were republished by Lahari Press in the early 21st century. Lahari Press is still in existence in Ramkatora (Pisnahariya Kuwan)very close to area called Lahurabeer in Varanasi.
Khatri made a strong contribution to the learning of the Hindi language by the people of the times. People were so mesmerised by the works Chandrakanta, Chandrakanta Santati and Bhootnath that they started to learn Hindi just to be able to read the works. Khatri did not write any work at one go and then publish the same. He used to write "bayaans" - chapters - on the run from the British and these were published and distributed widely. People would await the new "bayaans" and congregate around those who could read Hindi to hear the latest exploits in the continuing saga.
Khatri made a strong contribution to the learning of the Hindi language by the people of the times. People were so mesmerised by the works Chandrakanta, Chandrakanta Santati and Bhootnath that they started to learn Hindi just to be able to read the works. Khatri did not write any work at one go and then publish the same. He used to write "bayaans" - chapters - on the run from the British and these were published and distributed widely. People would await the new "bayaans" and congregate around those who could read Hindi to hear the latest exploits in the continuing saga.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 4, 2015
The original story for this was written back in 1895 and this translation comes from 2015. The age shows through - reading the afterword it made sense that Khatri wrote serialised works as the writing has a similar formal narrator style as found in Victorian era writings. They always feel like a hybrid between a spoken performance and a full novel, in fact the style evolved well into the early radio serialisations too.
The style made it difficult for me to really connect with the book though. The plot is strong, but these days we get more depth. Ironically it may be the strength of the original piece that emphasises this problem, it is accomplished enough that it could evolve through the ages and still feel contemprary, but by staying true to the original text it roots itself firmly in it's era. That means the characters remain somewhat two dimensional and the narrator(s) are a little overpowering. The political machinations are what make this book though, they resonate in any culture with a long history - with betrayal and subterfuge throwing countless twists and turns. Okay, because it is a little dated the reveals lack the shock factor of modern writing, but because of the speed of the story you're not sitting waiting for chapter after chapter wondering why the other characters haven't picked it up.
As for the translation aspect it's well done. The book features a brief introduction but saves the meat of the history for the afterword, a great touch that lets the story exist on its own merits. Learning more about the work afterwards allowed me to appreciate the significance without it colouring my perception of the story and it adds a lot. It makes the information more informative, especially as it's written without the personality of the translator dominating as can often happen. By showing this extra side it also reinforces the efforts taken to work with the original text - in that regard it is more like a modern translation than many historical ones that seem to throw a different slant on every time.
Overall this is a book that thrives most when you're in the mood for it. If you want the old fashioned Saturday morning picture show thing in book form it's perfect. It screams rainy Sundays and cold winter days to me as those were the times when my mum would throw on an old black and white movie. Buying into that nostalgia gives the story that extra touch to bring it home, it makes the old fashioned ways feel more comfortable.
I received a copy of this book through a First Reads promotion.
The style made it difficult for me to really connect with the book though. The plot is strong, but these days we get more depth. Ironically it may be the strength of the original piece that emphasises this problem, it is accomplished enough that it could evolve through the ages and still feel contemprary, but by staying true to the original text it roots itself firmly in it's era. That means the characters remain somewhat two dimensional and the narrator(s) are a little overpowering. The political machinations are what make this book though, they resonate in any culture with a long history - with betrayal and subterfuge throwing countless twists and turns. Okay, because it is a little dated the reveals lack the shock factor of modern writing, but because of the speed of the story you're not sitting waiting for chapter after chapter wondering why the other characters haven't picked it up.
As for the translation aspect it's well done. The book features a brief introduction but saves the meat of the history for the afterword, a great touch that lets the story exist on its own merits. Learning more about the work afterwards allowed me to appreciate the significance without it colouring my perception of the story and it adds a lot. It makes the information more informative, especially as it's written without the personality of the translator dominating as can often happen. By showing this extra side it also reinforces the efforts taken to work with the original text - in that regard it is more like a modern translation than many historical ones that seem to throw a different slant on every time.
Overall this is a book that thrives most when you're in the mood for it. If you want the old fashioned Saturday morning picture show thing in book form it's perfect. It screams rainy Sundays and cold winter days to me as those were the times when my mum would throw on an old black and white movie. Buying into that nostalgia gives the story that extra touch to bring it home, it makes the old fashioned ways feel more comfortable.
I received a copy of this book through a First Reads promotion.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review