The Sandal Trees And Other Stories

by Kamala Suraiyya Das, V.C. Harris (Translator), C.K. Mohamed Ummer (Translator)

This is the first collection of translations in English of stories originally written in Malayalam by Kamala Das under the pen name Madhavikutty. They amply demonstrate Kamala Das's special contribution to the short story in Malayalam. All the major attributes of her writing are evident: her subtlety and power in dealing with human relationships and intrigues of love, life and death and her earthiness, sensuousness and sensuality.

Genres: India, Short Stories

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

See also Madhavikutty
Kamala Suraiyya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), also known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, was an Indian English poet and littérateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography.

Her open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. Das has earned considerable respect in recent years.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Smriti · Rating 5 out of 5]

With every page I fell more and more in love with Kamala Das and her writing.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the past few years I have been consistently surprised by what women born in the first half of the twentieth century were writing about and here is another example - this time from Kerala. I’m not sure this is the best curated collection if you’ve never read Das before as it does leap about quite a bit thematically and it would have been useful to know when each story was written, but I’m guessing it’s a good cross section of her work. Lots of emphasis on the female experience and on female sexuality in particular with quite the odd (though undramatic) twist thrown in occasionally for good measure. An intriguing read for sure.

[Shruti Chhabra · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first encounter with Kamala Das's work captivated me by her unique style of storytelling. Despite the challenges faced by women born in the first half of the century, where nothing was easy for the women. The era where the basic right of reading and writing was a luxury for women, Das's work is conspicous for it's depth and complexity. Her bold expressions and observations of life and relationships, crafted into stories, are nothing short of the work of a master storyteller.
While each of Kamala Das's stories is unique, The Story of Arunachalam is my favourite. In this narrative, she delves into many layers of human traits, and I found her exploration of the psychological aspects particularly fascinating. Other stories that I found captivating include The Cruel Ring of Truth and Letter From Radha.
I am a big fan of short stories and prefer to read them between reads or after a heavy read. The stories were lovely, but there was something off about most of them. I couldn't determine why and what, but the translation could have been better. It did not do justice to the work of the excellent storyteller. I had to rust through a few of them. I wish to read Malayalam and enjoy the stories in their original form.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent collection from a superb writer

[albin james · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greta

Divine
Delightful and woeful
Of life, she's orphan

Childlike
Queen and ruin
Cursed be those who took you

Greta smiles, and I blush
Greta shivers, death looks like her
Greta dies, I can hear God crying
Greta loves, divine unfaithful
Kisses cold like her
I love her

Divine
To run away is not easy
When night has won over you

Everything is empty
You are not anymore
It's my life, you lost it

Greta smiles, and I blush
Greta shivers, death looks like her
Greta dies, I can hear God crying
Greta loves, divine unfaithful
Kisses cold like her
I love her...

- Mylène Farmer

[Laxmy Surendran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such boldness and depth in every word that it takes time to settle in. And when it does, it hits you hard. Kamala Das gives voice to the unheard murmurs that every society pretends not to hear,even today. This story of 2 women who shut their souls and walked away from true love will question the essence of love and companionship.

[Ashok Krishna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typically Kamala Das - nothing less, nothing more!