‘Feeling Kerala’: New anthology gives a peek into contemporary Kerala

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) Translated into English, a new anthology of contemporary Malayalam stories encapsulates the varied landscapes of Kerala as it provides a tour into the heart and soul of ‘god’s own country’.

“Feeling Kerala”, offering insights from established and budding young writers, is translated into English by acclaimed writer-translator J Devika.

It moves in and out of homes and takes the readers into old spaces — convents and old panchayats — and the new scenes of the capital — airports and tourist resorts — as well as the world of criminals.

“The idea of this anthology struck me as I was mulling over writing a book about the place I love the best, Kerala … The short story is a particularly powerful medium in their respect. The aim of this book is to bring Kerala — as a living, pulsating entity changing in front of our eyes — to the reader through its short story writers,” wrote the translator in her introduction of the book.

The writers contributing to the volume — comprising 13 stories in total — include GR Indugopan, Dhanya Raj, KR Meera, PV Shajikumar, Vinoy Thomas and Unni R.

According to the publishers, Kerala is best represented by its “astute, critical and deeply insightful” writers of the Malyalalam short story. The aim of the book is to get past the 20th-century characterisation of the state, say, as defined by the “communist egalitarian spirit of matrilineal families”, they added.

“After all, Kerala is unique in more ways than one, thanks to the heightened experience of migration and transnationalism, among other things,” the publishers said.

The book, priced at Rs 599, is currently available for purchase across offline and online stories.