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The Unforgiving City and Other Stories
From the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi winner Vasudhendra comes a powerful collection of stories that shock, move and amuse by turns. As the characters struggle to find their feet in a fast-changing India, they mirror our unspoken dilemmas, torn loyalties and the loss of innocence.
In the extremely popular ‘Red Parrot’, an innocuous image from childhood returns to haunt a man when he visits his idyllic hometown. In ‘Recession’, the desire for a child leads a couple down unexpected paths. In other stories, a young woman in love rethinks her future when buried family secrets are suddenly revealed; a boy learns that insomnia may be the symptom of something more ominous; lonely apartment residents discover the thrills and perils of social media.
Deftly crafted with gentle wit and a lightness of touch, each gripping story exposes the deepest contradictions of modern life. The fluid translation retains the flavour and nuances of the original Kannada, creating a rich reading experience.
From the Book:
‘The dance was called Paper Dance, where couples were asked to dance within the boundaries of a newspaper spread out on the floor. Stepping out of the boundary led to disqualification. As Devika was single, someone from the crowd stepped forward. It was Vinayak Kulakarni. . . . Devika sensed her partner’s hesitation. He would forget his steps the moment he touched her. His ears turned red and he refused to look into her eyes. His boisterous friends shouted to him from behind: “Hey, Kulki, come on, get closer.” But, the more she boldly held his waist and drew him nearer, the more he would shrink; he held on to her gingerly. Devika egged him on nonstop, eventually helping him break out of his shyness. By the time the newspaper size shrank to the size of a paper towel, they were still in the game and, finally, Devika won. That was when she whispered her mobile number in his ear.’
In the extremely popular ‘Red Parrot’, an innocuous image from childhood returns to haunt a man when he visits his idyllic hometown. In ‘Recession’, the desire for a child leads a couple down unexpected paths. In other stories, a young woman in love rethinks her future when buried family secrets are suddenly revealed; a boy learns that insomnia may be the symptom of something more ominous; lonely apartment residents discover the thrills and perils of social media.
Deftly crafted with gentle wit and a lightness of touch, each gripping story exposes the deepest contradictions of modern life. The fluid translation retains the flavour and nuances of the original Kannada, creating a rich reading experience.
From the Book:
‘The dance was called Paper Dance, where couples were asked to dance within the boundaries of a newspaper spread out on the floor. Stepping out of the boundary led to disqualification. As Devika was single, someone from the crowd stepped forward. It was Vinayak Kulakarni. . . . Devika sensed her partner’s hesitation. He would forget his steps the moment he touched her. His ears turned red and he refused to look into her eyes. His boisterous friends shouted to him from behind: “Hey, Kulki, come on, get closer.” But, the more she boldly held his waist and drew him nearer, the more he would shrink; he held on to her gingerly. Devika egged him on nonstop, eventually helping him break out of his shyness. By the time the newspaper size shrank to the size of a paper towel, they were still in the game and, finally, Devika won. That was when she whispered her mobile number in his ear.’
264 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Vasudhendra
40 books390 followersVasudhendra (ವಸುಧೇಂದ್ರ) was born at Sandur in Ballari district, Karnataka. After working as a software professional for more than twenty years, Vasudhendra now runs his own publication house, Chanda Pustaka, which publishes and encourages new writing in Kannada and has instituted the Chanda Pustaka Award which recognizes young short story writers. He is also associated with local support groups for LGBT individuals. The author of thirteen books in Kannada, that have sold over 80,000 copies, Vasudhendra has won many literary awards, including the Kannada Sahitya Academy Book Prize, the Da Raa Bendre Story Award and the Dr U.R. Ananthamurthy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 13, 2021
Vasundhendra's The Unforgiving City and Other Stories, translated from the Kannada by Mysore Nataraja has 12 stories to offer its readers, each a deft narrative weaving in contemporary elements with the vestiges of the old. The stories set in contemporary backdrops builds on traditional elements so well that I ending up reading them one after the other finishing the collection within a day!
From a company employer set on hiring women employees who are not planning pregnancies to cut maternity leave in 'Recession' that touches upon to the rush for high pressure jobs cushioned by lifestyles on credit basis and what happens when the bubble bursts to When The Music Stops that looks at parents taking to changes in their life due to the urban choices that their offspring makes, one that includes warming up to accepting a inter marriage prospect, these stories show how the old and new ways sometimes merge together: tentative, uneasy but inevitable. The beauty of the urban and traditional facets and elements in the stories lie in the way they are not placed at odds with one another. The author does not pitch his characters in a face off nor make the reader take sides but gently probes the ways in which both are part of our times.
The Red Parrot does go all out in terms of pointing out how the urban eco system breaks the traditional ways but here again the author doesn't harden stances but reflect the larger worldview of how onerous the task is to reconcile development without moving away from the beauty of nature in it's earlier ways. I am going to be talking about the rest of the stories on my blog while leaving this as a major recommendation for everyone who loves a good narrative and very good writing.
Full review up on my blog here:
https://bookandconversations.wordpres...
From a company employer set on hiring women employees who are not planning pregnancies to cut maternity leave in 'Recession' that touches upon to the rush for high pressure jobs cushioned by lifestyles on credit basis and what happens when the bubble bursts to When The Music Stops that looks at parents taking to changes in their life due to the urban choices that their offspring makes, one that includes warming up to accepting a inter marriage prospect, these stories show how the old and new ways sometimes merge together: tentative, uneasy but inevitable. The beauty of the urban and traditional facets and elements in the stories lie in the way they are not placed at odds with one another. The author does not pitch his characters in a face off nor make the reader take sides but gently probes the ways in which both are part of our times.
The Red Parrot does go all out in terms of pointing out how the urban eco system breaks the traditional ways but here again the author doesn't harden stances but reflect the larger worldview of how onerous the task is to reconcile development without moving away from the beauty of nature in it's earlier ways. I am going to be talking about the rest of the stories on my blog while leaving this as a major recommendation for everyone who loves a good narrative and very good writing.
Full review up on my blog here:
https://bookandconversations.wordpres...
July 5, 2022
This beautiful collection of short stories hit home. The stories are real, raw and ruthless. Some are funny, while others are too hard to digest. Overall, must-read collection.
These stories touch every part of life, from recession to religious disbelief. From questioning the company's approach to giving a job on a degree certificate rather than on talent to a dog that teaches us the value of love. From how disastrous social media can be to how to handle clinical depression. From a story on magic realism to a story on an unforgiving city. Each story makes us ponder over it for a long time after reading. As a reader, I felt the author distresses us by giving some disastrous endings and some open endings just to think over it for a while.
One thing I noticed in each story is how the author brings the tradition, culture, and essence of the city/state (Karnataka) into each story without being too preachy about or hindering the story.
I am grateful to have found this author. His original works are in Kannada, and this is a translated version.
These stories touch every part of life, from recession to religious disbelief. From questioning the company's approach to giving a job on a degree certificate rather than on talent to a dog that teaches us the value of love. From how disastrous social media can be to how to handle clinical depression. From a story on magic realism to a story on an unforgiving city. Each story makes us ponder over it for a long time after reading. As a reader, I felt the author distresses us by giving some disastrous endings and some open endings just to think over it for a while.
One thing I noticed in each story is how the author brings the tradition, culture, and essence of the city/state (Karnataka) into each story without being too preachy about or hindering the story.
I am grateful to have found this author. His original works are in Kannada, and this is a translated version.
October 17, 2021
4.5/5
Before starting The Unforgiving City I was quite nervous as to how this book will turn out as the author’s last book that I read was Mohanaswamy and I immediately fell in love with it, hence with all excitement & expectations I started to read the stories. Since it’s a collection of short stories I thought I would glide through all of them quite quickly but as I finished reading the first story titled “Recession”, I had to put down the book and absorb what I just read. A simple story of our protagonist Devika who starts to work at an MNC and while things were going well a sudden change in her personal life leads to complications at work.
Similarly, there’s another story titled “Two Rupees”, it’s basically about two rupees being owed to someone. But the journey of these two rupees is something to read about. And of course there’s the title story “The Unforgiving City” carefully placed at the last and I won’t say they saved the best for the last as it would be unfair to every single story that is equally phenomenal in their own way but yes, this story did indeed gave a right end to this book.
When I finished reading this book, I was having a hard time to formulate what exactly I wanted to say about it but it won’t be a lie if I say that this book pulls us back to the ugly reality that we live in. It is a collection of lives that gets shadowed under different kinds of distractions that are always at our disposal. Ranging from different backgrounds, these stories pose some uncomfortable questions that will make you rethink many “normals”. I can’t begin to explain how much such stories need to be read and once again I am glad that translated works are finally getting their due. A beautiful book that everyone should pick up.
Before starting The Unforgiving City I was quite nervous as to how this book will turn out as the author’s last book that I read was Mohanaswamy and I immediately fell in love with it, hence with all excitement & expectations I started to read the stories. Since it’s a collection of short stories I thought I would glide through all of them quite quickly but as I finished reading the first story titled “Recession”, I had to put down the book and absorb what I just read. A simple story of our protagonist Devika who starts to work at an MNC and while things were going well a sudden change in her personal life leads to complications at work.
Similarly, there’s another story titled “Two Rupees”, it’s basically about two rupees being owed to someone. But the journey of these two rupees is something to read about. And of course there’s the title story “The Unforgiving City” carefully placed at the last and I won’t say they saved the best for the last as it would be unfair to every single story that is equally phenomenal in their own way but yes, this story did indeed gave a right end to this book.
When I finished reading this book, I was having a hard time to formulate what exactly I wanted to say about it but it won’t be a lie if I say that this book pulls us back to the ugly reality that we live in. It is a collection of lives that gets shadowed under different kinds of distractions that are always at our disposal. Ranging from different backgrounds, these stories pose some uncomfortable questions that will make you rethink many “normals”. I can’t begin to explain how much such stories need to be read and once again I am glad that translated works are finally getting their due. A beautiful book that everyone should pick up.
December 13, 2021
I started reading Vasudhendra's new book hoping to find a fresh perspective to lives intertwined with the urban ecosystem, and I wasn't dissapointed. Written with a large quantity of sharp observations about the daly meanderings of city-souls, the stories in this collection reek of the 21st century times--when all of us are riveted bewteen a longing for the traditional yesterday and an opportunism for the modern today. As usual, the author writes with a lot of vigour, emphasis and gravity, as if embarking on a journey to explore common characters in extraordinary circumstantial struggles.
The backdrops of the stories are not unfamiliar in any sense, and it doesn't make us gape at how bizarre they might seem. The plotlines crawl and wade through interpersonal crises that surround all of us, yet the culmination of the plots promise to keep a vivid sense of awe and sensitivity. Across the web of urban storytelling, acute prose and unflinching flow of the stories-- Vasudhendra keeps true to the fragile line that demarcates the mindset of his characters into two separate terrains of what-should-be and what-is. In full essence, this tussle is both optimal and indispensable--and as we come to terms of how most individuals choose to orgnanise their lives in a city-centric setting, the deeper sensibilities in the stories become much more clearer.
If I would ever re-read some of the stories in here, I would probably be looking for fodder for thoughts: my own thoughts which would be watered and nurtured by the stimulations explore here.
Thanks Penguin India for the copy.
The backdrops of the stories are not unfamiliar in any sense, and it doesn't make us gape at how bizarre they might seem. The plotlines crawl and wade through interpersonal crises that surround all of us, yet the culmination of the plots promise to keep a vivid sense of awe and sensitivity. Across the web of urban storytelling, acute prose and unflinching flow of the stories-- Vasudhendra keeps true to the fragile line that demarcates the mindset of his characters into two separate terrains of what-should-be and what-is. In full essence, this tussle is both optimal and indispensable--and as we come to terms of how most individuals choose to orgnanise their lives in a city-centric setting, the deeper sensibilities in the stories become much more clearer.
If I would ever re-read some of the stories in here, I would probably be looking for fodder for thoughts: my own thoughts which would be watered and nurtured by the stimulations explore here.
Thanks Penguin India for the copy.
May 22, 2023
So lovely to see a state you live in—but don't really *live* in—unfurl through these short stories.
October 29, 2021
An anthology. Several stories written over several years. Some reflect in the theme, but not always. There are several stories in which the events date back to probably second half of last century.
Overall the writing has been very good. It took me to the place and could visualise the whole scenario.
Some endings had a pattern, like K Balachander's movies. Maybe could have ended differently. One of them seriously affected me that I was thinking over it for three four days. Why that ending. Even here he is trying to communicate a serious point of view on the malice of social media postings. Hope people learn from it. Hmmm.
Some stories are very nicely done. Nimmi, Two rupees, Gift, Red parrot, Rare blood to name some, one can read many times for what each one of them communicated.
Good recommendation, if you are looking for diversity of tales.
People who could read Kannada should look for these in that native language. Perspective could be different.
Overall the writing has been very good. It took me to the place and could visualise the whole scenario.
Some endings had a pattern, like K Balachander's movies. Maybe could have ended differently. One of them seriously affected me that I was thinking over it for three four days. Why that ending. Even here he is trying to communicate a serious point of view on the malice of social media postings. Hope people learn from it. Hmmm.
Some stories are very nicely done. Nimmi, Two rupees, Gift, Red parrot, Rare blood to name some, one can read many times for what each one of them communicated.
Good recommendation, if you are looking for diversity of tales.
People who could read Kannada should look for these in that native language. Perspective could be different.
July 8, 2023
Stories the way they should be, of the right length, raising some essential questions, teasing us into silent thinking.
Review -
In a dozen stories in this collection, Vasudhendra writes about opposing forces in a tug of war - the rich vs poor, old vs young, modern vs traditional, scientific reasoning vs blind faith, a woman's biological clock vs career clock.
In most stories here, the central motifs are the author's hometown and city he resides in - Bellary & Bangalore, the tech industry which he belonged to for long, his community; and in writing from this personal space, there's a fierce clarity in his words, one that doesn't feel compromised in translation, thanks to efforts of Dr.Mysore Nataraja.
In portraying the lives of simpletons from small towns & villages, mildly rebuking/mocking the 'know it all' attitude of city dwellers, in dissecting the cruel onslaught of time on land and people which we freely term as 'development', in highlighting how poverty is a curse that afflicts generations or how impossible it is for some to look beyond one's caste and religion, Vasundhendra's keen sense of observation and sensitive storytelling make this collection brilliant.
The 'Red Parrot ' for its subject and a perfect choice of title, 'The Unforgiving City' for a bizarre turn of events, 'Recession' for being an honest picture of the tech industry & how it treats its women employees, 'The Gift' for delving into toxic relationships and mental health, 'Nimmi', the story (little far-fetched but cute) of an adorable, intelligent pup are stories that will stay with me for long. Enjoyed reading this collection!
Review -
In a dozen stories in this collection, Vasudhendra writes about opposing forces in a tug of war - the rich vs poor, old vs young, modern vs traditional, scientific reasoning vs blind faith, a woman's biological clock vs career clock.
In most stories here, the central motifs are the author's hometown and city he resides in - Bellary & Bangalore, the tech industry which he belonged to for long, his community; and in writing from this personal space, there's a fierce clarity in his words, one that doesn't feel compromised in translation, thanks to efforts of Dr.Mysore Nataraja.
In portraying the lives of simpletons from small towns & villages, mildly rebuking/mocking the 'know it all' attitude of city dwellers, in dissecting the cruel onslaught of time on land and people which we freely term as 'development', in highlighting how poverty is a curse that afflicts generations or how impossible it is for some to look beyond one's caste and religion, Vasundhendra's keen sense of observation and sensitive storytelling make this collection brilliant.
The 'Red Parrot ' for its subject and a perfect choice of title, 'The Unforgiving City' for a bizarre turn of events, 'Recession' for being an honest picture of the tech industry & how it treats its women employees, 'The Gift' for delving into toxic relationships and mental health, 'Nimmi', the story (little far-fetched but cute) of an adorable, intelligent pup are stories that will stay with me for long. Enjoyed reading this collection!
July 21, 2024
I loved the book. Each of the short stories are endearing and memorable. The intensity of emotions and plot twists are simply brilliant. I feel that Vasudhendra's short stories are even better than those of O Henry (though I read his stories long back).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews