Contemporary Lankan Tamil short stories
Lately I have stopped reading fiction in general and Tamil fiction in
particular. This is because they do not give me aesthetic satisfaction.
While their content is realistic with a sociological or political
stance, the form or structure in these stories written by Lankan Tamil
writers of younger generation lack the finesse or organic design.
[Contemporary writers
featured]
* Theniyan (a senior writer)
* Thaadchayani
* Aanadamayil (another senior writer)
* A. S. A. Ubaithulla
* Nelomi
* Kamalini Sivanathan
* Sivanu Manoharan
* Thamilpriya
*Vathiri E. Irajes Kannan
* Yogeswari Sivapragasam
* Dickwella Sapwan
* Bhavani Sivakumaran
* Pulolyoor K. Guhanayaki
* Aananthi (another senior writer)
* Pramila Selvarajah
* T. Kalamani (another senior writer)
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This was due to the need of the hour then, 1970s and 1980s where
Marxian approach to indigenous literature was stressed. In the process
much attention was paid to content than form.
Pulolyoor A. Ratnavelone |
But Marxian approach was a valuable contribution in identifying
social imbalances and the then prevalent social issues. However the form
or structure in creative writing was paid little attention and even
ignored. This resulted in mere propaganda literature that fell short of
artistic merit.
Nevertheless as a creative writer in Tamil (short stories and new
poetry) and a participant of literary movements in this country I chose
to apply the then prevalent ‘practical criticism’ influenced by F. R.
Leavis and I. A. Richards and other western literary critics like T. S.
Eliot mode of literary criticism in my columns in both Tamil and
English.
Such columns analyzing the Lankan Tamil short stories were assembled
into two volumes. The Lankan Tamil short stories as represented in short
story collections between 1950 and 1990 were analyzed taking into
consideration the form as well.
But as if to compensate for my disregard for the contemporary writers
in Tamil partly due to the exhaustion of reading a plethora of short
story collections in Tamil in recent times, another writer and critic
has brought out two books of critical introduction to Lankan Tamil short
stories since the millennium commenced.
The writer and critic is Pulolyoor A. Ratnavelone who is kind enough
to proclaim that he practises literary column writing in the way I have
done so far. In other words the baton in the relay of literary
advancement is taken over by him.
I thank him for that while welcoming the current methods of literary
criticism as practised by other critics following the post-structuralism
and all that.
Ratnavelone’s
second book in the series was launched March 28 at the WERC (Women’s
Educational and Research Centre) at Wellawatta. Yours truly was also a
speaker at the launch.
Several well known writers and media people including a large number
of women were present.
The launch was presided by Kokila Mahendran a leading literary figure
among other credentials. Thayaparan, a writer and critic, was the other
speaker.
Senior writer Theliwatte Joseph and David Raju, a senior journalist
and presently an adviser to the Thinakural, also spoke.
The title of his second book in the series is Anamaik Kala
Aruvadaihal (The Recent Harvests). This is a fine book as it serves as a
reference book on the contemporary Tamil short fiction evaluating 20
collections written very recently. Most of the writers astonishingly are
women.
This is encouraging as some are from the North and the East who
underwent a traumatic onslaught during the recently concluded 30-year
war.
The book is partly literary history, and partly critical introduction
and observation on writers and their writing, It is very useful to High
School students, undergraduates, writers and literary critics and
academics together.
Ratnavelone has analyzed most of the stories found in each author’s
collection, though it may not be comprehensive or exhaustive.
What are the themes of the stories have got to be explained in
another piece in this column sometime later.
Besides the collection of these 18 writers, four other collections
too had been taken to consideration.
These four are compiled by others and not by respective individual
writers. Unavoidably stories of people mentioned above are found in
these four collections. They are:
1. A London based organization called Poobala Ragangal in their 2007
edition of competetive 13 short stories.
2. Karu Muhil Thaandum Nilavu (Moonshile Rising Above Dark Clouds)
contains 12 stories. This book is compiled by Dr T Gnaseketran
3. Pasi Adanga Irulil Irunthu Onpathu Kathaikal (nine stories from
the Darkness of Hunger). This book consists of stories written by Arts
Faculty Students of the University of Yaalpaanam
4. Kanaga Senthi Katha Viruthu Petta Siru Kathaikal (short stories
that received the Kanaga Senthi Awards). The late Kanaga Senthilnathan
was a belle-lettrist and a major literary figure in the 1940s and 1950s
and 1960s.
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