Rich literary treat

IN his illuminating introduction, A. V. Dhanushkodi speaks of the unconcerned attitude of Ashokamitran towards his characters - which could be very annoying at times - reminiscent of the poet in Hermann Hesse's short story, "The Poet". It will be apposite to mention that in this story, the Nobel laureate (1877-1962) communicates something of his view of life as a quest for the ideal, more dependent on its artists than its materialists. A tribute Ashokamitran richly deserves!

This first collection of the 1931-born Ashokamitran's 25 short stories in English translation is, according to him, representative of his work over the years. The author himself has translated 11 stories. The other translators are A. V. Dhanushkodi, Pa. Subramanian, M. S. Ramaswami, and Prof. P. S. Sundaram. All the translations read well and the production standards excellent, though some misprints have crept in.

In the title story, the unsuccessful candidate who was required to furnish his photo with the application is convinced that the camera cannot lie.

One would be inclined to put "Sundar", a story on the problem with a newly-purchased cow of an unknown pedigree which is always after the garbage can, on a par with the renowned Liam O'Flaherty's masterpiece "The Cow's Death".

The "Last Journey" unfolds a horrendous scene witnessed by a guru's faithful disciple. Another story throws light on the Kannada matinee idol Mr. Rajkumar's Parimala Sowbhagya, depicted quite unlike his big hits.

"A Slight Miscalculation" is a poignant story where tantrism comes into play. How best to kill one with kindness is the theme of "A Puja for a Bride".

The bitter experiences of an author and an authority on German cinema, Hans Guenther Kroetze, during his sojourn in India for talks on the German movie legend Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1946- 82) are vividly portrayed in a story.

How poverty demoralises is pictured in "Awareness, Choiceless", the title substantiated by high philosophy.

"Two Men" brings out the atrocities of a British bureaucrat under the Raj. "Krishna Pillai, Govindan Nair and I" has strange revelations.

Barring a couple of abstruse stories which seem to have been Ashokamitran's fledgling creations, the other story lines also merit attention. A woman sales representative's contact with a housewife; a learner driver's vexations during training; one of life's little ironies; cricket through the eyes of a casual observer; the phantom visions created by a tormented mind; portrait of a unique tailor; a sick child's unfulfilled desire; making much of minor ailments; how formidable a task it is to catch a moving train; one who toys with the idea of film-making; and examining Gandhian concepts under the microscope.

Sprinkled with subtle humour, all these stories of varying length have one point in common - the enduring quality of the writing, which makes the book one of the richest treats in contemporary literature.

P. SUNDARESAN

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