Basheer

Went for a Blossom Book Fair in Cochin and bought 19 books for 1000 bucks! And part of that steal was a whole lot of novels by Vaikom Mohammad Basheer. Malayalam novels. I had read a few Basheer novels many years back, now I have gotten hooked to it. He has a distinct style. A conversational way of telling stories. And each story unfolds beautifully while you flip through the pages, and while you reach the end, you become witness to a stark reality. An almost disturbing metaphor to certain events or feelings in life. The metaphors are what make his novels endearing.

I read Mathilukal (meaning 'Walls'), a story about a person who is in the Central Jail. A person who gets renewed hope and energy in his boring life when he starts interacting with a female voice from across the walls, from the women's jail. Finally when he is free to go to the world outside the walls, and he wonders if that world outside is a bigger prison. This novel was later made into an award winning movie by Adoor Gopalakrishnan starring Mammootty.

Ente Uppappakku Orana Undayirunnu (meaning 'my grandfather had an elephant') is another novel about living in the past glory and wealth which is now lost and long gone by. The ridiculing of past glory, and of changing times has been brought alive by Basheer in this novel which is told in the north Kerala/ Muslim dialect of Malayalam.

I have about 8 more of his novels to read...