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Just One Word: Short Stories
Bama is one of the most readily recognizable names in the pantheon of Tamil Dalit writers. She rose to fame with her autobiographical novel Karukku (1992), which chronicles the joys and sorrows experienced by Dalit Christian women in Tamil Nadu. Her works have been appreciated for embodying Dalit feminism and celebrating the inner strength of the subaltern woman.
This work is a collection of her 15 short stories, selected to showcase the range of social concerns and the depth of her perception of human frailties. In each of these stories, Bama documents the emerging influences on the lives and consciousness of people. She picks up a character one is likely to meet every day and builds a narrative that reveals, with a touch of ironic humour, the internalized caste and patriarchal sentiments that the society passes on to the future generation every single day.
This work is a collection of her 15 short stories, selected to showcase the range of social concerns and the depth of her perception of human frailties. In each of these stories, Bama documents the emerging influences on the lives and consciousness of people. She picks up a character one is likely to meet every day and builds a narrative that reveals, with a touch of ironic humour, the internalized caste and patriarchal sentiments that the society passes on to the future generation every single day.
168 pages, Hardcover
Published April 22, 2018
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About the author
Bama
23 books51 followersBama (பாமா), is a Tamil Dalit feminist, committed teacher and novelist. Bama (nom de plume of Faustina Mary Fatima Rani) was born in a Roman Catholic family belonging to the Paraiyar community from Pudhupatti in the then Madras State. Her father, Susairaj was employed in the Indian Army and her mother was named Sebasthiamma. She is the sister of famous Dalit writer Raj Gauthaman. Bama's ancestors were from the Dalit community and worked as agricultural labourers.
Her early literary influences include Tamil writers like Jayakantan, Akhilan, Mani, and Parthasarthy. In college, she read and enjoyed Kahlil Gibran and Rabindranath Tagore. On graduation, she became a schoolteacher for very poor girls, following which she served as a nun for seven years. She chose to take the holy orders to escape caste-based discrimination, and also to further her mission of helping in the advancement of poor Dalit girls.
She rose to fame with her autobiographical novel Karukku (1992), which chronicles the joys and sorrows experienced by Dalit Christian women in Tamil Nadu. She subsequently wrote two more novels, Sangati (1994) and Vanmam (2002) along with two collections of short stories: Kusumbukkaran (1996) and Oru Tattvum Erumaiyum (2003). In addition to this she has written twenty short stories.
Her early literary influences include Tamil writers like Jayakantan, Akhilan, Mani, and Parthasarthy. In college, she read and enjoyed Kahlil Gibran and Rabindranath Tagore. On graduation, she became a schoolteacher for very poor girls, following which she served as a nun for seven years. She chose to take the holy orders to escape caste-based discrimination, and also to further her mission of helping in the advancement of poor Dalit girls.
She rose to fame with her autobiographical novel Karukku (1992), which chronicles the joys and sorrows experienced by Dalit Christian women in Tamil Nadu. She subsequently wrote two more novels, Sangati (1994) and Vanmam (2002) along with two collections of short stories: Kusumbukkaran (1996) and Oru Tattvum Erumaiyum (2003). In addition to this she has written twenty short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 9, 2019
Just One Word by Bama is a collection of 15 short stories, written by Bama and translated from Tamil to English by Malini Seshadri. The stories are very basic but their core themes range from caste discrimination, the societal prejudices and behaviour and their perception.
These stories don’t have “happy” endings or conclusions like one might expect but they’re told in a way that makes you see the root of the problem and how ignorant and rigid people’s mind are.
Bama is a contemporary dalit writer and doesn’t hold back putting her experiences into words, with a touch of ironic humour. I read in the introduction that Malini took a different approach while translating these stories; doing one line at a time as opposed to translating after reading the whole text and I think that keeps the essence intact.
This was my first time reading Bama and also my first set of translated short stories and while some were kinda miss, some highly insightful and some, I cannot let go what the last few stories made me feel.
I give this one 4/5 and highly recommend it!
These stories don’t have “happy” endings or conclusions like one might expect but they’re told in a way that makes you see the root of the problem and how ignorant and rigid people’s mind are.
Bama is a contemporary dalit writer and doesn’t hold back putting her experiences into words, with a touch of ironic humour. I read in the introduction that Malini took a different approach while translating these stories; doing one line at a time as opposed to translating after reading the whole text and I think that keeps the essence intact.
This was my first time reading Bama and also my first set of translated short stories and while some were kinda miss, some highly insightful and some, I cannot let go what the last few stories made me feel.
I give this one 4/5 and highly recommend it!
January 27, 2019
Just One Word, a collection of stories mostly around the theme of caste, reverberates deep within your consciousness, making you think about the consequences of your prejudices. Bama's stories by themselves are simple but they carry the weight of her experiences and show us a world of subtle comments and snide remarks which are central to how communities build and sustain prejudice. Must-read for Indian fiction lovers.
December 6, 2021
The stories are great, the translation feels incomplete
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews