by Ki. Rajanarayanan
translated from the Tamil by Pritham K. Chakravarthy
260 pages
The celebrated folklorist Ki. Rajanarayanan spent more than 80 years collecting the weirdest and wildest tales of the karisal mannu, the black-soil region around Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu.
This book contains a gallery of jealous husbands and conniving goddesses, pious sparrows and randy mice, jewel-crazy girl ghosts and angry star demons, as well as a chapter of "naughty & dirty" folktales!
"This delightful collection fully lives up to—enhances—Blaft’s young but confident standing." —Vijay Nambisan in the Deccan Herald
About the author
Ki. Rajanarayanan (1922-2021), popularly known as Ki. Ra., was Tamil Nadu's preeminent folklorist, as well as a writer of powerful fiction with roots deep in the soil of Tamil Nadu. His 1958 short story "Mayamaan" is often seen as marking the beginning of the Golden Age of modern Tamil literature. Veering away from the European influences that characterised much of the fiction from the Tamil revivalist period, Ki. Ra. chose to relate tales in the spoken dialect of the land in which he was born. He was a recipient of the prestigious Kalaimamani and Sahitya Akademi awards.
He continued producing work well into this century, even helping launch a new literary magazine at the age of 97.
He was cremated in 2021 with full state honours.
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