Critical notes for Tamil readers

A little book in Tamil titled 'Suvayaana Ilakiyath Thiran Aaivukal' (Interesting Literary Criticism) published in Chennai will be launched on Saturday next ( January 14, 2012) at the current Book Fair now being held in that city. Students of contemporary Tamil literature might find the information gathered from the book useful.

There are 35 pieces on various subjects related to litterateurs in general and films. Most of the articles are on Lankan Tamil writing. Readers who may not have access to read foreign writers for instance might find some of these critical notes a ready guide.

Such international writers like Leo Tolstoi, Wole Soyinka and Anatole Parpara or international film makers like Alan Resnais, Ingmar Bergman, Hana Mukhmalbaf, and American Playwright Tennessee Williams are introduced in this little book.

There are three articles relating to understanding poetry. One is on Rhythm and Critical Theories. Explaining I A Richards observations on enjoying poetry through six ways, the writer also touches on semantics and phonetics. He also underlines what is required of a critic in analyzing poetry.

The second article on poetry poses the question whether there is Grammar for poetry writing.

He quotes liberally the American poet Wallace Stevens to make his point clear.

Some of them are "all poetry is experimental', "after one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is the essence which takes its place a life's redemption", "The poet makes silk dresses out of worms", "A poet looks at the world as a man looks at a woman", "Aristotle is a skeleton", "poetry must resist the intelligence almost successfully", "one cannot Spend one's time in being modern, when so many important things to be."

For the benefit of young readers who might not have heard of the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth, the writer quotes from him as well: "Poetry is spontaneous outflow of powerful things: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility"

The third article is on Poetry and Politics. Here, the writer leans on the views of the British critic Arnold Kettle.

There is a lengthy article on Literary and Arts Criticism. The writer doe not seem to be too much engaged in what is almost a fad like post-modernism, structuralism and post structuralism. He is not supporting the fancy term - "The author is dead."

In this article the writer classifies the literary critics in Lankan Tamil Literary World into three heads: The academic intellectuals and researchers, creative writers that engage in literary criticism and reviewers and literary columnists.

Explaining the elements of literary criticism he gets critical sustenance from some of the major academic critics like the late K Kailasapathy and the late K Sivathamby

Some of the other articles in this book are on changing methods in film criticism. One article discusses film criticism in the former Soviet Union.

One other article is exclusively on film criticism and it introduces some of the film critics of the west including the film directors turned critics like the French critics who wrote for the Cahier du Cinema. The writer also informs that the writings of Hugo Munsterberg, Bella Bellasz, Seigfreid Kracaeur, Serge Eisenstein, Andre Bazin, Christian Metz and others influenced many international critics.

In one article the writer urges cine-aesthetes not to miss seeing some outstanding world cinema and includes brief notes on some of them. Some of such films were made in Iran, Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Kazakistan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico and the U.S. There is a review of a Swiss film made in Tamil interspersed with German called "Madly in Love".

The other articles include review of books by Lankan Tamil writers. One of such writer, Sathya Amorik, has written three novels in English, but unfortunately Lankan literary critics in English have never noticed them. But she is noted by Amazon and other journals abroad. Her books include -Touched by Jesus, Ma, I Promise and Ripples.

Then there is a book the writer in English Ayathurai Santhan has written in Tamil introducing international writers of left leanings. For instance, he writes about Soviet, Chinese, Vietnam, and recent Russian litterateurs. He also introduces East European, Black American, Cuban, Latin American, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian, Jews, and Palestinian, African and South African writers of importance.

There is a piece on Journalism in general. And an anecdote concerning a fine writer and columnist who wrote in English the late Eshan Sourjah is included in the book.

Rest of the articles are on the stories of Kailasanathan R Nithiyananthan, M I M Muzamil, and a book by Kanthia Shanmugalingam, and writing by Abdus Samadu, Dominc Jeeva, Pulolyoor K Sathaivam, Pulolyoor A Ratnavelone, Thayaparan and a write-up on Hashim Omar .

This book priced at Rs 200 per copy is published by Manimekalai Prasuram in Chennai and would be available in local book stalls.

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