Author: M T Vasudevan Nair
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 1998-03-01
Language: English
Pages: 470
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0140276599
Description
A representative selection from one of India's leading fiction writer and winner of the Jnanpith Award.
The novel tells the story of Govindankutty, a young unemployed Nair boy. His wealthy brother-in-law takes him on as the manager of his property, and a marriage is arranged for him. He brings his wife home, eager to start life afresh, but discovers to his horror that she is already pregnant by another man. Shattered by the knowledge that his family had connived to betray him, Govindankutty goes berserk. Finally, estranged from home and village, he converts to Islam in the ultimate gesture of defiance. Tautly written and brilliantly characterized, The Demon Seed is a powerful novel about a society in transition. It is an uncompromising look at the crumbling matrilineal order, and the breakdown of the joint family system.
This collection also brings together six of MT's best stories and one essay on the impact of the first modern verse romance in Malayalam, and a beautifully crafted piece on contemporary cinema.
Contents
Translators' Note
Author's Foreword
Kinship Terms
THE STORIES
Sacred Sword and Anklets
The Jackal's Wedding
Karkitakam
Vanaprastham
Stone Inscriptions
Sherlock
THE DEMON SEED
TEFLECTIONS ON LITERATURE AND CINEMA
Visual Literature
The Era of Ramanan
Glossary