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The Writings of M. T. Vasudevan Nair
This hardback omnibus edition collects three of M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s previously published works—Mist and The Soul of Darkness, Kaalam and Kuttiedathi and Other Stories. The volume features an introduction to M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s work by P. P. Raveendran, an eminent academic and a scholar of Malayalam literature.Mist and The Soul of Darkness are translationsof M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s highly-acclaimed novellas, Manhu and Irutinde Atmavu. In the Mist, set at a hill-station resort, the author narrates the story of Vimala, a school teacher who continues to wait for her beloved Sudhir, with whom she once shared a passionate affair filled with promises. The Soul of Darkness, on the other hand speaks ofVelayudhan, a young man regarded by his family as ‘not normal’ and is thus treated abominably, tortured and beaten. Though his cousin Ammakutty really cares for him, she is helpless and cannot do much to save him. In both stories, Nair voices through mists of memories and emotions, some lost hopes and evocative experiences. The narratives are deeply touching, dramatic and realistic.Set against the backdrop of a crumbling matrilineal tarawad system of the Nairs in Kerala with its manifold conflicts and problems, Kaalam is the story of Sethumadhavan Nair who starts out as an ambitious and confident adolescent -- but in his journey towards adulthood, where material and social success go hand in hand, he is faced with an overwhelming sense of disillusionment. In its revelations, the story is beautifully adorned with the emotional experiences of the protagonist, which is also reflective of MT’s own childhood in many ways.Kuttiedathi and other stories is a collection of the finest stories of M. T. Vasudevan Nair that encompasses the ordinary middle class lives and sufferings of people in northern Kerala. Nair’s engaging style of storytelling is touching throughout. If the lead story ‘Kuttiedathi’ mixes tragic memory and domestic martyrdom, ‘When the Doors of Heaven Open’ plays out another life upon which centre a group of lives, all selfish, caring and indifferent by turns. In ‘Insight’ however, strange and unfathomable bonds of passion come up as the main theme. These are little tragedies of the soul told with a finesse characteristic of Nair’s profound, yet minimalist sense of expression.
572 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2010
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About the author
എം.ടി. വാസുദേവന്‍നായര്‍ | M.T.Vasudevan Nair
119 books1,162 followersകഥാകൃത്ത്, നോവലിസ്റ്റ്, തിരക്കഥാകൃത്ത്, ചലച്ചിത്ര സംവിധായകന്‍. 1933 ജൂലൈ 15-ന് പൊന്നാനിക്കടുത്ത് കൂടല്ലൂരില്‍ ജനിച്ചു. അദ്ധ്യാപകനായിരുന്നു. മാതൃഭൂമി ആഴ്ചപ്പതിപ്പിന്റെ സഹപത്രാധിപര്‍, പിന്നീട് പത്രാധിപര്‍ (1956-'81). മാതൃഭൂമി പീരിയോഡിക്കല്‍സ് എഡിറ്റര്‍ (1988-'99). കേന്ദ്ര സാഹിത്യ അക്കാദമി അവാര്‍ഡ് (കാലം), കേരള സാഹിത്യ അക്കാദമി അവാര്‍ഡ് (നാലുകെട്ട്), വയലാര്‍ അവാര്‍ഡ് (രണ്ടാമൂഴം), ഓടക്കുഴല്‍ അവാര്‍ഡ് (വാനപ്രസ്ഥം), ജ്ഞാനപീഠ പുരസ്‌കാരം എന്നിവ ലഭിച്ചു. തിരക്കഥയ്ക്കുള്ള സംസ്ഥാന, ദേശീയ അവാര്‍ഡുകള്‍ പലതവണ കിട്ടി. നിര്‍മ്മാല്യത്തിന് മികച്ച ചലച്ചിത്രത്തിനുള്ള 1974-ലെ ദേശീയ അവാര്‍ഡും. കാലിക്കറ്റ് സര്‍വ്വകലാശാലയുടെയും മഹാത്മാഗാന്ധി സര്‍വ്വകലാശാലയുടെയും ഡി.ലിറ്റ് ബഹുമതി. 2004-ല്‍ പത്മഭൂഷണ്‍ ലഭിച്ചു.
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M. T., was an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam for Valarthumrigangal at World Short Story Competition jointly conducted by New York Herald Tribune, Hindustan Times, and Mathrubhumi. His first major novel, Naalukettu (The Legacy), written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu (The Demon Seed), and Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The emotional experiences of his early days went into his novels, and most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture. His three novels set in traditional tharavads in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam.
Nair was a screenwriter and director of Malayalam films. He directed seven films and wrote the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay four times, for: Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994), which is the most by anyone in the screenplay category. In 1995 he was awarded the highest literary award in India, Jnanpith, for his overall contribution to Malayalam literature. In 2005, India's third highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, was awarded to him.
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M. T., was an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam for Valarthumrigangal at World Short Story Competition jointly conducted by New York Herald Tribune, Hindustan Times, and Mathrubhumi. His first major novel, Naalukettu (The Legacy), written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu (The Demon Seed), and Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The emotional experiences of his early days went into his novels, and most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture. His three novels set in traditional tharavads in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam.
Nair was a screenwriter and director of Malayalam films. He directed seven films and wrote the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay four times, for: Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994), which is the most by anyone in the screenplay category. In 1995 he was awarded the highest literary award in India, Jnanpith, for his overall contribution to Malayalam literature. In 2005, India's third highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, was awarded to him.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 10, 2014
This is my second book by MT Vasudevan Nair after Bhima. I must say I have enjoyed it thoroughly. The stories are from a time when life did not have such a frenetic pace. At the same time, it brings to fore how stifled a certain section of the society felt in those times. It quite reminded me of The Painted House by John Grisham. Another part of the world, but about the same time in history and how similar life is. The more things seem different the more the are alike.
September 8, 2014
each story took me back home to a rainy day , the dim glow from an oil soaked wick fighting her battle on in a clay lamp and Grandfather's stories to keep me warm.
March 5, 2019
The Writings of M.T Vasudevan Nair - Stories of people left behind
MT Vasudevan Nair stories are usually the tales of people who have been left behind.
He has written on men from Nair Tharavad who are forced to live a life of dejection as they see the feudal world order crumbling before their eyes say Govindankutty in AsuraViththu, Sethumadhavan in Kaalam. He has written about women especially wives who are neglected by their husband, the women in the short story 'Sales' who is trying to sell her household things before vacating the city. There are women like the wife in the story 'The Deluge' who at the end of her life comes to know that her husband has been all along the married life has been cheating her. The women in 'Red Earth' who accepts to be seduced by a man. MT chronicles the story of people whom we don't usually take notice of. This is a very fundamental feature of Modern literature, it gives voice to the unheard. In the previous epoch, the kavya literature usually talks about the heroic acts of the winner. Even when it writes about the looser he is also epic in nature. But Modern literature for the first time writes the story of the unheard of the people who are generally not written about. In this regard, MT characters are those who are defeated by forces and factors beyond their grasp.
The Writings of MT Vasudevan Nair is a collection of novels/novellas/short stories assorted collection published by Orient Black Swan.
The collections central novel 'Kaalam' chronicles the decline and moral degeneration of Sethumadhavan. Sethumadhavan introduced to us an idealistic youngster from a struggling Nair Tharavad. As he grows up we see his life completely altered, he becomes a degenerate middle-aged man at the end of the novel.
Through the time of his life, we see the relations of Sethumadhavan with different women. He does not seem to have any control of life, he seems to be going on with a flow and eventually finds himself completely lost. He is not able to make his mind up to marry either of the women whom he loves and they end up marrying someone else. To make matters worse he entangles himself in an adulterous relation with his boss's wife and eventually becomes rich. The life of Sethumadhavan seems like a prequel to Sekharaettan from Asuravitthu.
The collection also contains the short novels like Irutinte Athmavu, Mist also important short stories like Kuttiedathi, The Deluge etc.
MT Vasudevan Nair stories are usually the tales of people who have been left behind.
He has written on men from Nair Tharavad who are forced to live a life of dejection as they see the feudal world order crumbling before their eyes say Govindankutty in AsuraViththu, Sethumadhavan in Kaalam. He has written about women especially wives who are neglected by their husband, the women in the short story 'Sales' who is trying to sell her household things before vacating the city. There are women like the wife in the story 'The Deluge' who at the end of her life comes to know that her husband has been all along the married life has been cheating her. The women in 'Red Earth' who accepts to be seduced by a man. MT chronicles the story of people whom we don't usually take notice of. This is a very fundamental feature of Modern literature, it gives voice to the unheard. In the previous epoch, the kavya literature usually talks about the heroic acts of the winner. Even when it writes about the looser he is also epic in nature. But Modern literature for the first time writes the story of the unheard of the people who are generally not written about. In this regard, MT characters are those who are defeated by forces and factors beyond their grasp.
The Writings of MT Vasudevan Nair is a collection of novels/novellas/short stories assorted collection published by Orient Black Swan.
The collections central novel 'Kaalam' chronicles the decline and moral degeneration of Sethumadhavan. Sethumadhavan introduced to us an idealistic youngster from a struggling Nair Tharavad. As he grows up we see his life completely altered, he becomes a degenerate middle-aged man at the end of the novel.
Through the time of his life, we see the relations of Sethumadhavan with different women. He does not seem to have any control of life, he seems to be going on with a flow and eventually finds himself completely lost. He is not able to make his mind up to marry either of the women whom he loves and they end up marrying someone else. To make matters worse he entangles himself in an adulterous relation with his boss's wife and eventually becomes rich. The life of Sethumadhavan seems like a prequel to Sekharaettan from Asuravitthu.
The collection also contains the short novels like Irutinte Athmavu, Mist also important short stories like Kuttiedathi, The Deluge etc.
October 26, 2016
So, you might ask why I took this long to complete this book. well this one book is actually an updated version. it is a book made by clubbing 3 different books.
So in all these three books we have 2 Novellas (short novels), 1Novel and 10 Short Stories.
what I like most are the short stories written by MT. While I am happy I read this, I'm also sad that I might have read all MT's translated works. I have no idea if and when will I get another new work by MT to read.
After reading one or two books by MT there is one warning I would like to give, keep the introduction to the end! why? because these introduction usually provided by translator or a book editor will have the gist of the stories and ruin the fun (well a little bit, tiny tiny bit).
Now I have given this book and all its contents 5/5 because it is worth it. read it as I always refrain from reviewing his stories because you need to read it to understand his work.
And finally, I would like to say, when MT writes something and the reader reads it, the stories come alive! for me they all did, I felt I was watching them happen infront of my eyes.
Happy Reading.
So in all these three books we have 2 Novellas (short novels), 1Novel and 10 Short Stories.
what I like most are the short stories written by MT. While I am happy I read this, I'm also sad that I might have read all MT's translated works. I have no idea if and when will I get another new work by MT to read.
After reading one or two books by MT there is one warning I would like to give, keep the introduction to the end! why? because these introduction usually provided by translator or a book editor will have the gist of the stories and ruin the fun (well a little bit, tiny tiny bit).
Now I have given this book and all its contents 5/5 because it is worth it. read it as I always refrain from reviewing his stories because you need to read it to understand his work.
And finally, I would like to say, when MT writes something and the reader reads it, the stories come alive! for me they all did, I felt I was watching them happen infront of my eyes.
Happy Reading.
November 21, 2022
A Good collection of short stories, very captivating books..felt like watching an act on screen.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews