Review of ‘A House Without Cats and Other Stories: The Mozhi Prize Anthology 1'
Founded by translators Suchitra Ramachandran and Priyamvada Ramkumar in 2022, Mozhi is a platform devoted to Indian language literature in English translation. Its first edition focuses on short stories translated from the Tamil, adjudged by a panel comprising writer A. Muttulingam and translators N. Kalyan Raman and Deepa Bhasthi.
Three stories were awarded prizes and three received special mentions; all translated with a fidelity to the words and worlds they conjure.
A striking aspect found across the stories is their rootedness in setting and subject. 'Maadan's Deliverance' by Jeyamohan (translated by Sherwin Rodriguez) opens the collection with a fable-like tale steeped in caste politics and magical realism.
The title story, 'A House Without Cats' by Chandra (translated by Padmaja Anant), which won the top prize, is told through the eyes of the youngest child in a once-wealthy household, now filled with the warmth of memories, the lingering shadows of loss, and struggles of the present. It is a story that, in its simplicity, manages to articulate the quiet ache of growing up and going away.
The runner-up, 'Filfilee' by Jeyamohan (translated by Amruth Varshan), is a period tale brought to life so seamlessly that it feels like we're reading an original work. The third place winner, Cotton Fever by Senthil Jagannathan (translated by Anjana Shekar), is a poignant tale of a farmer's hardworking wife struggling with a skin disease during the cotton harvest and the hardships faced by her impoverished family. Here, the translation shines in its handling of everyday speech; the dialogues pulse with life, as though overheard rather than read.
Entries open for this year
The stories reflect the diversity of tone and form in contemporary Tamil fiction, spanning satire, social realism, and oral-style narration. For instance, Vannadasan's 'A Brief Strain of Music' (translated by Mayuravarshini M.), which received a special mention, captures generational memory with grace and restraint.
Humour appears in subtle touches as well. 'Ammaiyappam', an endearing story by Jeyamohan and translated by V. Iswarya, adds lightness through a mishap with an inept carpenter, while maintaining nuance.
Not every story works in quite the same way for every reader, but that's the point of a good anthology; it allows for shift and shadow, for different temperatures of storytelling. Jeyamohan's 'Beast' (translated by Megana Kumar), for instance, with its heavy reliance on dialogue, moves swiftly, its pacing aided by a translation that doesn't slow things down with over-explanation.
In the Introduction, Team Mozhi explains that submissions for the prize were limited to stories published after 1972. While this means that the works of classic Tamil short story writers like Pudumaipithan and Ku. Alagirisamy are not in the mix, the team says they received a number of translations from young talents like Senthil Jagannathan.
The Mozhi Prize's 2025 edition, entries open until September, is certainly worth watching, as it's poised to bring fresh voices in literary translation to the fore.
geetha.srimathi@thehindu.co.in
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