WAVES

by Sundara Ramaswamy, Lakshmi Holmström (Translator)

Collection of short stories.

Genres: India, Short Stories

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Sundara Ramaswamy (1931–2005), fondly known as "Su.Ra" in literary circles, was one of the exponents of Tamil modern literature. He edited and published a literary magazine called Kalachuvadu. He wrote poetry under the penname "Pasuvayya". His novels are Oru Puliya Marathin Kathai (The Story of a Tamarind Tree), J.J Silakuripukal (J.J: Some Jottings, tr, A.R Venkadachalapathy, Katha, 2004) and Kuzhanthaikal, Penkal, Aankal (Children, Women, Men).
Ramaswamy was born on 30 May 1931, in Thazhuviya MahadevarKovil,[1] a village in Nagercoil). At 20, he began his literary career, translating Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's Malayalam novel, Thottiyude Makan into Tamil and writing his first short story, "Muthalum Mudivum", which he published in Pudimaipithan Ninaivu Malar.

Reviews

[Sairam Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the curse of the Tamilian who reads in English to come to the great writers of his tongue through an adopted language. This curse is mine too, which is why I have to read the icons of my father's time in English. Sundara Ramaswamy is a recognised literary stalwart; his books lie about in most Tamil households, well thumbed and with page-corners turned back, and this is how I was first introduced to him too. Wanting to read him arose out of the simple desire to know what my father read when he was young, and when Penguin's superb translated editions started arriving, I picked them up immediately.

Waves is the first SuRa I picked up, and he had me from the first story in this collection, the 1987 Pakkathil Vantha Appa (A Day with my Father). The stories are all remarkably different (the anthology has stories written several decades apart, so this was perhaps a given), and the best are really, really good. My favourites were the 1991 Kaagankal (Crows), the 1958 Prasadam (translated with the same name) and the 1961 Meikaathal (True Love). The imagination of Kaagankal is quite simply brilliant, and that the stories, technically superior as they are, hold a torch to an another time is added pleasure.

The translation is quite good, preserving the original Tamil when necessary, and without needless flourishes or explanations that would ruin SuRa's simple, subtle prose.

Note - If you are coming to SuRa for the first time, you may do well to read the stories first and then go to Lakshmi Holmstrom's superb introduction to the volume. Might add a lot of perspective.

[Manish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to this book, I came to know that Sundara Ramaswamy or Su Ra - one of the giants of Tamil literature spent his childhood in Kerala and learnt the Tamil alphabet only during the fag end of his teens. With his initial exposure to the prevailing strands of Malayalam literature, he set about writing in his native tongue. Two of his novels translated to English and published by Penguin are familiar to me as I've seen them stocked in most Delhi bookstores - Tamarind History and Children, Women, Men.

Waves is a collection of his short stories. As with reading works from the regional languages, Waves too reminded me of the charm and otherwordliness of that space called 'South India'. Should be a good time to pick up the aforementioned works.

[Richa Sharma Dhamorikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such strange stories on strange topics in stranger contexts! I absolutely loved the writing though (kudos to the translators).

[Anirban Nanda]

This year, among few great Indian writers (G.V. Desani, Raja Rao etc) I have discovered, this one I cherish the most. Ramaswamy, also known as Su Ra is a beautiful, beautiful writer. He writes the kind of stories that I aspire to write. I have read Tamarind Story and next, I'll read Children, Women, Men by him. Truly a great writer. More of his work should be translated immediately.

The brutal irony in 'Heifer', the love for nature in 'Crows', the childish indifference to death in 'A day with my father', the heartbreaking truth in 'Caprice', the painful cheating in 'Out Teacher' and the pain and love in 'True Love' will make me return to this collection again and again.

[Latha Lokanath Pradeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories.