Latest news with #DCBooks
Indian Express
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘A garden of spring': Malayalam writers on breaking free from the West and finding their voice
(Written by Deepak Rajeev) 'I watched people get shot from my window,' said Benyamin, the celebrated Malayalam novelist, recounting the Jasmine Revolution in Bahrain. 'What moved me most was the raw hunger for freedom.' The JCB Prize-winning author of Jasmine Days and the Man Asian Literary Prize longlisted Goat Days was speaking at a panel titled 'Contemporary Malayalam Novels,' held at the Oxford Bookstore in Connaught Place on July 25. Organised by DC Books in collaboration with Red FM, the event brought together three of Kerala's leading literary voices, Benyamin, S Hareesh and E Santhosh Kumar, for a wide-ranging conversation moderated by the writer and critic S Gopalakrishnan. For Benyamin, the uprisings he witnessed first-hand became the catalyst for many of his most well-known novels. 'I was able to write many of these novels only because I had spent almost 25 years in the Gulf,' he said. 'From back home, people often see the Gulf as a place of wealth and luxury, especially when thinking of the Arabs. But when I was in Bahrain, I met social workers, politicians and communists who were against the autocracy. One day, from utter silence, Jasmine Revolution exploded, and these people took to the streets fighting against dictatorship. Through my window I saw the protest and people getting shot. I have the videos on my phone; one day, I intend to release it.' The discussion turned to the long arc of Malayalam fiction, beginning with its colonial-era roots. The form began in 1889 with O Chandu Menon's Indulekha, a novel already bearing signs of British influence. 'Madhavan, a key character in Chandu Menon's masterpiece, was a tennis player, living in the caste-infected society of greenery and paddy fields,' S Hareesh said. Subsequent generations of writers absorbed influences from French Realism, especially in the works of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and P Kesavadev, while remaining grounded in the lives of Kerala's working class. By the second half of the 20th century, literary figures such as OV Vijayan and M Mukundan introduced currents of Existentialist thought, drawing inspiration from European philosophy and literature. But by the 1980s, Malayalam literature entered yet another phase of stylistic cross-pollination this time with Latin America. 'During the 80s, we went even further into the West, influenced by Latin American authors including Marques, Rulfo and Llosa,' said E Santhosh Kumar. 'But after this, a period came into being when all these authors were questioned and the profound onus of standing on one's own leg fell upon us. It is in this time-frame that Malayalam literature took a different route, striving to find an authentic voice.' He credits writer Sara Joseph for lighting the spark that shifted Malayalam literature away from external influences and toward something unmistakably its own. 'Her novels Aalahayude Penmakkal, which was published when she was 53 years old, and Mattathi, fuelled our literature forward, both in content and narration. Then, a whole new generation of authors started growing beside her into a garden of spring.' That shift has been shaped, in part, by the turbulence of the 21st century. Benyamin cited three cultural transformations that have impacted how writers think and work today: the rise of visual storytelling through new media; the explosion of information on the internet; and the proliferation of memoirs, biographies and autobiographies in the Indian publishing space. He described the present moment as a 'transaction period' one where writers are learning how to find their voices in a rapidly shifting cultural and technological landscape. That process is evident in recent works that blur the line between autobiography and fiction, memory and narrative invention. S Hareesh's Pattunool Puzhu tells the story of Samsa, a 13-year-old boy lost in sorrow and solitude, whose perceptions shaped by a ghostly encounter with a 'dead girl' drift between hallucination and reality. Subash Chandran's Samudrashila follows a woman named Amba caring for her autistic son and senile mother, with the author and people close to him appearing as characters in the narrative. Kumar's Thapomayiyude Achan unfolds as a series of diary entries from a man named Gopal Barua, grappling with guilt, displacement and a life severed from his roots. Benyamin's latest, Mulberry, Tell Me About Your Zorba, in which author Nikos Kazantzakis, his iconic character Zorba, a mulberry tree, and a parrot named Pinki are characters. At the close of the evening, the authors returned to the question of what makes literature 'contemporary.' The answer, they suggested, lies not in when a work is written, but in its emotional and moral resonance. 'Contemporary literature is that which interacts with every generation and age, irrespective of the time period in which it is written,' Benyamin said. 'Whether it is The Iliad or Mahabharata or OV Vijayan's The Legends of Khasak, great literature addresses universal human emotions and struggles, bringing about a change inside the reader like a flash of light moving through a prism.' 'If a work is read even after 20 years since its publication,' the writers agreed, 'if it impacts generations, then it can be considered as contemporary literature.' (Deepak Rajeev is an intern at The Indian Express.)
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Time of India
Police submit chargesheet in EP Jayarajan memoir leak case
Kottayam: Police submitted the chargesheet in the investigation into the leak of excerpts from the memoir of senior CPM functionary E P Jayarajan. The chargesheet names the former publication manager of DC Books A V Sreekumar as the lone accused. He was allegedly found guilty under BNS sections involving breach of trust, cheating and under the IT Act for breach of confidentiality and privacy. Kottayam East Police SHO Sreejith submitted the report before the CJM court here last month. The chargesheet was submitted after six months of registering a case based on Jayarajan's complaint. Jayarajan alleged a conspiracy behind the leak of the memoir, which came out on the polling day of Palakkad assembly byelection. However, the investigation did not find any conspiracy behind the incident.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
French literature influences writers and politicians in Kerala: Tharoor
T'puram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stressed the cultural bond between France and Kerala, stating that French literature had a deep influence on writers and politicians of the state. Speaking at the launch of the 'Pardon My French' bookshelf at DC Books, organised by the French Institute of India on Thursday, Tharoor said, "French culture and ideas have seeped into our consciousness through political writing, appreciation and values of democracy, liberty, equality and fraternity." He noted that the extraordinary contribution of French writers opened new ways of thinking. "More than 100 years ago, in a transformative act of literary vision, Nalappat Narayana Menon translated Victor Hugo's Les Misérables into Malayalam as 'Paavangal'. It was a cultural transplantation and the soil of Kerala received it not just out of curiosity but with gratitude and a bit of revolutionary fervour. Our famous communist leader, EMS Namboothiripad, said 'Paavangal' was one of the sparks that led him to communism. Writers like Thagazhi and O V Vijayan have said that in the translated works of French writing, they found a new idiom of empathy, a new narrative possibility and a new lens through which to view the oppressed and the invisible. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo With 'Paavangal', Malayalam found a weapon for awakening and that engagement partly contributed to the decades of remarkable visionary and social ferment in Kerala from the 1930s onwards," Tharoor said. He also mentioned that many other Malayalis started to translate works of French and Russian fiction and modernist works and that's how the doors to people like Guy de Maupassant, Victor Hugo and Émile Zola were opened to Malayali minds. "That's how many Malayalis discovered the challenges of realism and introspection in a literature that mirrors society and questions it," he added. "The French, in many ways, have a cultural affinity to us, including in our great conversational habit. The habit of sitting around and discussing over coffee. The Bengali adda, the Malayali tea shop. This is France, except that it is taking place in our languages," he said.
New Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
‘Pavangal' sparked EMS's interest in Marxist ideology, says Tharoor
'The fire ignited by Hugo burned brightly in young political minds of the time. The novel stirred a generation not merely to weep, but to act,' he said. Tharoor was speaking at the launch of 'Pardon My French,' book shelf at DC Books store here on Thursday. He also had a conversation with French Ambassador Thierry Mathou at the event. 'Pavangal' changed the very trajectory of Malayalam literature and social thought. 'For the first time, readers here encountered a literary hero like Jean Valjean - broken by systems, redeemed by compassion, awakened to justice. It lit the torch of conscience in countless readers,' he said. The book offered prominent modern novelists Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, O V Vijayan and others a new idiom of empathy, a new narrative possibility, a new lens through which to view the oppressed and the invisible, he said. According to Tharoor, reading French literature is to step into a world where beauty and pain walk hand in hand. 'The moral complexity of Camus, the passion of Hugo, the subtle defiance of Colette, the psychological depth of Duras... these are not just artistic achievements, but guides to understanding the human condition,' he said.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
An initiative to bring French literature closer to Keralites
In a vibrant celebration of cultural and literary exchange, the French Institute in India and DC Books jointly launched the 'Pardon My French!' bookshelf at DC Books here on Thursday evening. The initiative aims at bringing French literature closer to Indian readers through curated translations and accessible editions. The launch featured a conversation between Shashi Tharoor, author and MP, and Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India. The duo explored the rich tapestry of French and Indian literary traditions and the lasting influence of French story-telling on Indian readers. Cultural commonalities Dr. Tharoor highlighted the role of Victor Hugo in making French literature accessible in India. He emphasised the value of literary exchange in broadening perspectives and nurturing creativity. He also spoke about the cultural commonalities between India and France, particularly the value both societies placed on intellectual discussion and community forums. 'In India, we have traditions like the Malayali 'chayakkada' and Bengali 'adda'— spaces where people come together to discuss everything from politics to poetry. France too has a strong café culture that fosters similar democratic dialogue,' Dr. Tharoor said, drawing parallels that resonated with the audience. Ambassador Mathou expressed optimism that the 'Pardon My French!' initiative would ignite curiosity about French literature among Indian readers, particularly the youth. 'Literature is a powerful bridge between cultures. These stories help us understand each other better,' he said. International understanding Several school students in the audience asked the speakers questions on the influence of literature on diplomacy and how cultural exchange shaped international understanding. In reply, both Dr. Tharoor and Dr. Mathou stressed the role of literature in building empathy and global citizenship. The 'Pardon My French!' bookshelf features a diverse selection of French classics and contemporary works, translated into English and Indian languages.
