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Pyre
Saroja and Kumaresan are in love. After a hasty wedding, they arrive in Kumaresan’s village, harbouring the dangerous secret that their marriage is an inter-caste one, likely to anger the villagers should they learn of it. Kumaresan is confident that all will be well. He naively believes that after the initial round of curious questions, the inquiries will die down and the couple will be left alone. But nothing is further from the truth. The villagers strongly suspect that Saroja must belong to a different caste. It is only a matter of time before their suspicions harden into certainty and, outraged, they set about exacting their revenge.
With spare, powerful prose, Murugan masterfully conjures a terrifying vision of intolerance in this devastating tale of innocent young love pitted against chilling savagery.
With spare, powerful prose, Murugan masterfully conjures a terrifying vision of intolerance in this devastating tale of innocent young love pitted against chilling savagery.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
167 people are currently reading
6039 people want to read
About the author
Perumal Murugan
95 books367 followersPrimary profile for this author.
Do NOT merge author profiles in different languages/spelling.
Per GR policy, books published in another language/script should have the name on that book as secondary author, with Perumal Murugan as primary author.
Perumal Murugan is a well-known contemporary Tamil writer and poet. He was written six novels, four collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Three of his novels have been translated into English to wide acclaim: Seasons of the Palm, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Kiriyama Award in 2005, Current Show, and most recently, One Part Woman. He has received awards from the Tamil Nadu government as well as from Katha Books.
Do NOT merge author profiles in different languages/spelling.
Per GR policy, books published in another language/script should have the name on that book as secondary author, with Perumal Murugan as primary author.
Perumal Murugan is a well-known contemporary Tamil writer and poet. He was written six novels, four collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Three of his novels have been translated into English to wide acclaim: Seasons of the Palm, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Kiriyama Award in 2005, Current Show, and most recently, One Part Woman. He has received awards from the Tamil Nadu government as well as from Katha Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 570 reviews
April 6, 2023
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023
I’ve let my initial rating sit for a while and I realise that I do not feel as enthusiastic about the novel as I did right after I finished so I will go down to 3*. I liked it but I felt the subject could have been done better.
In short, the novel is about a young couple from different castes who decide to get married in secret out of love. When they run to his mother village, their arrival is received with scorn, hatred and even violence. The most vocal critics were the one the young man loved more and hoped to attract on his side.
The subject is very disturbing, the way people in India were divided in castes and were not allowed to mix or to aspire to a different path than the one they were born into. The violent and narrow sighted way the characters responded to the marriage was painful to read and in that respect the author did a good job. However, I thought he did not go deep enough and the narrative was too repetitive. The writing was quite simple and matter a fact, which only bothered me when the author evoked the same feelings in a very similar matter. In the end, I got a sniff of melodrama. In addition, I thought the plot a bit unrealistic. The young man comes from a very traditional village but he expects that everything will be alright and after a bit of verbal slap the couple will be accepted with not problem. I cannot see how he could have been so naïve.
I liked Pyre enough to want to read more by the author, I like his style and I have a feeling he can write much better.
***
Initial thoughts: 3.5 rounded up to 4*
Longlisted for International Booker Prize 2023
A young woman and man from different castes decide to get married in secret for love. When they run to his mother village their arrival is received with scorn, hatred and even violence. Review to come
I’ve let my initial rating sit for a while and I realise that I do not feel as enthusiastic about the novel as I did right after I finished so I will go down to 3*. I liked it but I felt the subject could have been done better.
In short, the novel is about a young couple from different castes who decide to get married in secret out of love. When they run to his mother village, their arrival is received with scorn, hatred and even violence. The most vocal critics were the one the young man loved more and hoped to attract on his side.
The subject is very disturbing, the way people in India were divided in castes and were not allowed to mix or to aspire to a different path than the one they were born into. The violent and narrow sighted way the characters responded to the marriage was painful to read and in that respect the author did a good job. However, I thought he did not go deep enough and the narrative was too repetitive. The writing was quite simple and matter a fact, which only bothered me when the author evoked the same feelings in a very similar matter. In the end, I got a sniff of melodrama. In addition, I thought the plot a bit unrealistic. The young man comes from a very traditional village but he expects that everything will be alright and after a bit of verbal slap the couple will be accepted with not problem. I cannot see how he could have been so naïve.
I liked Pyre enough to want to read more by the author, I like his style and I have a feeling he can write much better.
***
Initial thoughts: 3.5 rounded up to 4*
Longlisted for International Booker Prize 2023
A young woman and man from different castes decide to get married in secret for love. When they run to his mother village their arrival is received with scorn, hatred and even violence. Review to come
June 16, 2023
Pyre is Aniruddhan Vasudevan's English translation of Pūkkul̲i (பூக்குழி) by Perumal Murugan. Murugan is a revered Tamil writer, the translation of his novel Poonachi winning the inaugural JCB Prize in 2018. Pyre is a sobering work, a depiction of boundless caste prejudice in an Indian village. The story worked well for its primary aim, but I thought offered little new. If there's anything we think we already know about an Indian village, it's the ubiquity of caste prejudice. Others have criticized this for its bland prose and thin characters, both of which are true, but neither bothered me all that much. In fact, I appreciated the simplicity of the story. We are never told the names of the characters' castes or even which is higher or lower. Just that they are different. I thought that was a powerful move from a gifted storyteller. My biggest qualm is that this feels like a story I’ve heard many times before. Perhaps this lands differently for its original audience, but for me it simply reaffirmed my pre-existing notions about the intolerance and violence that exists in rural India.
March 15, 2023
*Longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize*
4.5⭐️ rounded up.
As the story begins, we are introduced to Saroja and Kumaresan, a young newly married couple who have recently eloped and are traveling to Kumaresan’s native village in hopes of starting their new life together Kumaresan is aware that their inter-caste marriage will raise eyebrows and create a stir. He decides to keep the fact that Saroja does not belong to the same caste a secret until the fuss dies down and incorrectly assumes that in time things will settle down and Saroja will be accepted in his fold.
His mother Marayi , having raised her son alone after being widowed at a young age, is horrified at their arrival and does not mince her words in condemning their actions. Her anger is propelled not only by missing out on being able to choose a “suitable” daughter-in-law who would come with a dowry but also the fact that her family and fellow villagers would react adversely and her status in their community would be affected by her son's actions.
While Kumaresan goes about in an effort to set up his own business venture, Saroja spends her days a home forced to endure her mother- in- law's berating and taunts from relatives and neighbors. Alone in her thatched roof hut, she misses her family, and through flashbacks , we see how she met and fell in love with Kumaresan. The villagers eventually ex-communicate the family until the upcoming religious festivals are over. When the couple receives no support from Kumaresan’s relatives , he starts to break under the pressure of both economic uncertainty and being ostracized by his community. He starts drinking to numb his pain, compounding Saroja’s fears for their future. When Kumaresan finally finds a location for his business in location at a distance from their village, Saroja hopes that they could leave and settle down somewhere people would be more accepting of them as a couple. The situation with the mounting conflict and tension with the villagers eventually spins out of control and the climax leaves Saroja’s fate hanging in the balance.
Compelling and powerful, Perumal Murugan’s Pyre evokes strong emotions and paints a harsh picture of the dark side of human nature and the ill–effects of certain social beliefs and practices that promote hatred, discrimination and violence. Vivid descriptions of the harsh terrain and landscapes add to the atmosphere of the novel. While the descriptions of the rituals , customs and traditions of the region are beautifully penned throughout the narrative, the darker side of societal structure and practices in terms of discrimination and intolerance are also exposed as the story progresses. When Saroja and Kumaresan fall in love, they remain hopeful that their love can withstand all resistance and can bring about change in the way society perceives such relationships that defy age-old social norms. Their naïveté and misplaced hopefulness, mostly Kumaresan’s inability to comprehend the possible dangers they could face when the entire community and his family stands against them is in stark contrast to the animosity displayed by his family and fellow villagers. The beauty of Perumal Murugan’s Pyre (translated brilliantly by Aniruddhan Vasudevan) lies in the simplicity with which the thoughts and emotions of these characters are expressed.
This is not a happy or light read. Dealing with a sensitive social issue, it is harsh but rooted in reality. It remains unfortunate that even in today’s world, there are instances of unfiltered hatred, discrimination and violence based on the age-old caste system and family 'status'. This is my first Perumal Murugan novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
4.5⭐️ rounded up.
As the story begins, we are introduced to Saroja and Kumaresan, a young newly married couple who have recently eloped and are traveling to Kumaresan’s native village in hopes of starting their new life together Kumaresan is aware that their inter-caste marriage will raise eyebrows and create a stir. He decides to keep the fact that Saroja does not belong to the same caste a secret until the fuss dies down and incorrectly assumes that in time things will settle down and Saroja will be accepted in his fold.
His mother Marayi , having raised her son alone after being widowed at a young age, is horrified at their arrival and does not mince her words in condemning their actions. Her anger is propelled not only by missing out on being able to choose a “suitable” daughter-in-law who would come with a dowry but also the fact that her family and fellow villagers would react adversely and her status in their community would be affected by her son's actions.
While Kumaresan goes about in an effort to set up his own business venture, Saroja spends her days a home forced to endure her mother- in- law's berating and taunts from relatives and neighbors. Alone in her thatched roof hut, she misses her family, and through flashbacks , we see how she met and fell in love with Kumaresan. The villagers eventually ex-communicate the family until the upcoming religious festivals are over. When the couple receives no support from Kumaresan’s relatives , he starts to break under the pressure of both economic uncertainty and being ostracized by his community. He starts drinking to numb his pain, compounding Saroja’s fears for their future. When Kumaresan finally finds a location for his business in location at a distance from their village, Saroja hopes that they could leave and settle down somewhere people would be more accepting of them as a couple. The situation with the mounting conflict and tension with the villagers eventually spins out of control and the climax leaves Saroja’s fate hanging in the balance.
Compelling and powerful, Perumal Murugan’s Pyre evokes strong emotions and paints a harsh picture of the dark side of human nature and the ill–effects of certain social beliefs and practices that promote hatred, discrimination and violence. Vivid descriptions of the harsh terrain and landscapes add to the atmosphere of the novel. While the descriptions of the rituals , customs and traditions of the region are beautifully penned throughout the narrative, the darker side of societal structure and practices in terms of discrimination and intolerance are also exposed as the story progresses. When Saroja and Kumaresan fall in love, they remain hopeful that their love can withstand all resistance and can bring about change in the way society perceives such relationships that defy age-old social norms. Their naïveté and misplaced hopefulness, mostly Kumaresan’s inability to comprehend the possible dangers they could face when the entire community and his family stands against them is in stark contrast to the animosity displayed by his family and fellow villagers. The beauty of Perumal Murugan’s Pyre (translated brilliantly by Aniruddhan Vasudevan) lies in the simplicity with which the thoughts and emotions of these characters are expressed.
This is not a happy or light read. Dealing with a sensitive social issue, it is harsh but rooted in reality. It remains unfortunate that even in today’s world, there are instances of unfiltered hatred, discrimination and violence based on the age-old caste system and family 'status'. This is my first Perumal Murugan novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 15, 2023
It actually got over.... like too soon 🤦
My most favourite book from the author now, this book kept my mind, my eyes and my heart open throughout the entire read.
My most favourite by the author so far, this book tells the story of a newly married couple being harrassed and discriminated by the community just because of their intercaste marriage.
The intolerance shown in this book is quite realistic as much more hatred and violence is shown to such couples. There's no exaggeration or things that are overdone in the story.
The characters are quite convincing. The story background illustrates the village life well.
You will be surprised with the good writing; the subtle romance, the emotions being so well painted in different hues all over the chapters in the book.
The entire story is quite gripping as you will want to save the girl everytime but you will also get frustrated because you will be unable to do so.
The ending is quite overwhelming as it's left to you to decide what's going to happen. That's where I got really frustrated though!
But I totally enjoyed the book from cover to cover.
My most favourite book from the author now, this book kept my mind, my eyes and my heart open throughout the entire read.
My most favourite by the author so far, this book tells the story of a newly married couple being harrassed and discriminated by the community just because of their intercaste marriage.
The intolerance shown in this book is quite realistic as much more hatred and violence is shown to such couples. There's no exaggeration or things that are overdone in the story.
The characters are quite convincing. The story background illustrates the village life well.
You will be surprised with the good writing; the subtle romance, the emotions being so well painted in different hues all over the chapters in the book.
The entire story is quite gripping as you will want to save the girl everytime but you will also get frustrated because you will be unable to do so.
The ending is quite overwhelming as it's left to you to decide what's going to happen. That's where I got really frustrated though!
But I totally enjoyed the book from cover to cover.
April 12, 2023
Longlisted for International Booker Prize 2023
Even in poverty, there are castes.
"Kumaresan's hand was the magic carpet that had brought her to a strange land."
A lot of people say about this one that it's not bad. Well, I'm not afraid or ashamed to say that this is good.
Even in poverty, there are castes.
"Kumaresan's hand was the magic carpet that had brought her to a strange land."
A lot of people say about this one that it's not bad. Well, I'm not afraid or ashamed to say that this is good.
April 14, 2023
My main issue with Pyre (2013) by Perumal Murugan was the feeling of déjà vu, droning over me obtrusively. Similar stories about two young people in love versus intolerant, close-knit communities have been told many times before. Just substitute 'different castes', which is the problem here — The entire village bears a mark of impurity if there is a woman here whose caste or family are unknown, with 'conflicted families', 'conflicted street gangs, 'conflicted countries', 'different religions', 'different skin colours', and you will feel at home at once. By the way, it is so sad that despite multiple repetitions the moral of these stories and their tendency to end very badly, still have not taught us a lesson. Pyre is set in India at a nonspecified time but a similar tragedy could have happened in other parts of the world. The sacralised, collective violence seems to be universal. This novel sadly reminded me of the theories discussed in
The Scapegoat
by René Girard.
Perumal Murugan styled the novel as a folk tale but let's face it, this does not feel very innovative either. Besides, the cost of such folk tale stylization is black-and-white characters: Saroja is angelically good, while her mother-in-law, Marayi, makes all the evil queens and cruel stepmothers seem like benevolent lambs in comparison to her wickedness. The only character that escapes easy classification is Kumaresan. I keep pondering his decision to bring Saroja to the village. He must have been aware that it surely would be a harbinger of serious trouble. Was it love blindness and naivety? Or maybe selfishness? He knew that if anyone would get hurt, it would not be him but his wife.
It will probably sound strange but this time I am glad that the characters are one-dimensional: if they were more realistic, the story would be just too brutal to bear. The deceivingly soft, warm and tender tone of the novel is starkly contrasted with the nightmarish finale which I cannot stop thinking about. I liked the subtle use of symbols in the novel, for example, the thorns in the final scene (Christ's crucifixion, destruction of something beautiful and innocent?), goats (sexual desire?), fire (love and death?), rock (hostile and emotionally cold environment?). The writing style of the novel is minimalistic. The only embellishment — and its overuse slightly annoyed me — was the plethora of rhetorical questions. I guess the author's intent was to engage his readers emotionally but it felt manneristic at times.
Pyre is a blend of a crushingly sentimental love story and an unforgiving analysis of a closed community. One of the characters in Waves (1911) by Eduard von Keyserling, which I am currently reading, argues that whenever a foreign element enters into a social group, it triggers a reaction like citric acid in soda. Incidentally, I came across a similar notion in Perumal Murugan's novel: All this mixing might work with soda colours, but it doesn't in life. In Pyre the experiment ended up with an explosive reaction.
Big Diva Star Crossed Lovers, painting by Wyanne.
Perumal Murugan styled the novel as a folk tale but let's face it, this does not feel very innovative either. Besides, the cost of such folk tale stylization is black-and-white characters: Saroja is angelically good, while her mother-in-law, Marayi, makes all the evil queens and cruel stepmothers seem like benevolent lambs in comparison to her wickedness. The only character that escapes easy classification is Kumaresan. I keep pondering his decision to bring Saroja to the village. He must have been aware that it surely would be a harbinger of serious trouble. Was it love blindness and naivety? Or maybe selfishness? He knew that if anyone would get hurt, it would not be him but his wife.
It will probably sound strange but this time I am glad that the characters are one-dimensional: if they were more realistic, the story would be just too brutal to bear. The deceivingly soft, warm and tender tone of the novel is starkly contrasted with the nightmarish finale which I cannot stop thinking about. I liked the subtle use of symbols in the novel, for example, the thorns in the final scene (Christ's crucifixion, destruction of something beautiful and innocent?), goats (sexual desire?), fire (love and death?), rock (hostile and emotionally cold environment?). The writing style of the novel is minimalistic. The only embellishment — and its overuse slightly annoyed me — was the plethora of rhetorical questions. I guess the author's intent was to engage his readers emotionally but it felt manneristic at times.
Pyre is a blend of a crushingly sentimental love story and an unforgiving analysis of a closed community. One of the characters in Waves (1911) by Eduard von Keyserling, which I am currently reading, argues that whenever a foreign element enters into a social group, it triggers a reaction like citric acid in soda. Incidentally, I came across a similar notion in Perumal Murugan's novel: All this mixing might work with soda colours, but it doesn't in life. In Pyre the experiment ended up with an explosive reaction.
Big Diva Star Crossed Lovers, painting by Wyanne.
June 23, 2017
“We are united by our common fears and divided by our individual freedom!”
----Ramana Pemmaraju
Perumal Murugan, the idol of Tamil literature in India, who has been shunned by a court of law because of the fact that his books have erupted fires of scandal amongst its people, thus bringing an end to the glowing career of a talented writer in the country, whose another Tamil book named, Pookkuzi has been translated from the original version of Kongu rural dialect into English by the author's dedicated translator named, Aniruddhan Vasudevan and in English its called, Pyre.
Synopsis:
Saroja and Kumaresan are in love. After a hasty wedding, they arrive in Kumaresan’s village, harboring the dangerous secret that their marriage is an inter-caste one, likely to anger the villagers should they learn of it. Kumaresan is confident that all will be well. He naively believes that after the initial round of curious questions, the inquiries will die down and the couple will be left alone. But nothing is further from the truth. The villagers strongly suspect that Saroja must belong to a different caste. It is only a matter of time before their suspicions harden into certainty and, outraged, they set about exacting their revenge.
With spare, powerful prose, Murugan masterfully conjures a terrifying vision of intolerance in this devastating tale of innocent young love pitted against chilling savagery.
Kumaresan and Saroja marries one another out of love, despite the fact that they both belong from different caste and in no possible way their individual families would accept this inter-caste union of two loving souls, adding more, Saroja is a very pretty and fair skinned city girl and not a typical village girl, that Kumaresan’s family would never approve of. So this newly wed embarks upon a journey to the village where Kumaresan was born and brought up from the city where they eloped and got married. Soon to their dismay, even before setting foot in the village, both
Kumaresan and Saroja are slightly criticized by a villager, yet this slight negative remark did not give them any idea about what was waiting for them at the end of their long journey. Little did they knew, that this holy union of a man and woman would enrage the entire village from Kumaresan’s own mother to the neighbors o the distant relatives to the random strangers from the nearby villages, and that these people instead of accepting the marriage or welcoming the new bride in her home, they begin scheming against the newly wed couple that would ultimately snatch away the only happiness they ever longed for.
Rarely we, the people belonging from a different part of the country other than Tamil Nadu, where the story is set, get to taste the local or regional flavor of other states other than ours own. And here comes Murugan, who successfully and cleverly lets his global readers get a taste of the raw regional flavor of culture, beliefs and traditions in a poor Tamilian village, filled with illiterate people belonging from a lower caste strata. The setting in this book plays a vital role, where apart from the brutally honest story, the author highlights the shortcomings of Tamil Nadu's rural side's norms, beliefs, values and customs, the narrow minded ideals and the vagaries of such a society that put a tight grip on the minds and the souls of those who exist in such a place.
But from a literary perspective, the book disappoints, and so its narratives as well as the characters, even the art of story telling that once left me entranced when I read the author's previous book, this time, the storytelling lacks that subtleness and depth. So that failed to give me any perspective of my own, and an Indian reader like me, I'm accustomed to honor killings in the name of caste quite strikingly, so Murugan's cinematic story telling only made me felt like trapped inside a sappy and dramatic movie. Nevertheless for readers who aren't accustomed to real life events like these, might find this book as highly enlightening and horrifyingly vivid enough to ponder about the story long after it has ended. Sadly for me, it was a same old dramatic plot told with a rural flavor and with requisite drama to suffice its approach and outlook.
The writing is articulate yet lacks depth. And with a simple yet sporadic prose, the readers might only find solace in the predictable yet an addictive climax in order to keep reading till the very end. The narratives are very poorly depicted, even though it is inspired highly from the local dialect and that might feel a bit heavy upon its readers, yet the dialogues exchanged between the characters lack emotions, period. Since this is a predictable story especially the title that will give its readers about the outcome of this novel, still the vividness and the raw horror will grip the readers' minds.
The outline of the characters are only sketched but the layers of shades of their myriad personalities are not drawn properly, and hence the characters failed to make me connect with their plight or demeanor. There are three main characters, Saroja, Kumaresan and the evil mother, Marayi. The story is told mainly from the perspective of the new bride, Saroja, who is a timid, hopeful yet obedient wife to Kumaresan, who from the very beginning is submissive towards her husband's demands and wishes and obeys like a dutiful wife, and even though she often voices her fears and thoughts to her husband, yet most of the time, those thoughts are often left to astray. As Kumaresan turns out to be someone obnoxiously sanguine about the whole situation, and dominates his wife to adapt to this harsh village lifestyle. Marayi, on the other hand, is the mirror image of Saroja, who is a widow and single-handedly raised her son, and has high hopes on him, so on her son fails her by bringing home a wife from a different caste, she starts singing sad death songs and makes it difficult for the new bride to adjust to their home, although she never once fails to constantly bicker and utter ugly and foul words to the poor and helpless Saroja. And the rest of the characters too reflect such a morbid society where a woman becomes a victim upon choosing to marry a man not out of his caste but out of love. Yes the tragic yet very brutal truth is highlighted with bold characters through this story.
In a nutshell, this is a compelling and absorbing story that will provoke the readers to feel enraged towards the Indian society's idiosyncrasy that even to this day exist in the most rural parts of the country.
Verdict: A truly gripping read!
----Ramana Pemmaraju
Perumal Murugan, the idol of Tamil literature in India, who has been shunned by a court of law because of the fact that his books have erupted fires of scandal amongst its people, thus bringing an end to the glowing career of a talented writer in the country, whose another Tamil book named, Pookkuzi has been translated from the original version of Kongu rural dialect into English by the author's dedicated translator named, Aniruddhan Vasudevan and in English its called, Pyre.
Synopsis:
Saroja and Kumaresan are in love. After a hasty wedding, they arrive in Kumaresan’s village, harboring the dangerous secret that their marriage is an inter-caste one, likely to anger the villagers should they learn of it. Kumaresan is confident that all will be well. He naively believes that after the initial round of curious questions, the inquiries will die down and the couple will be left alone. But nothing is further from the truth. The villagers strongly suspect that Saroja must belong to a different caste. It is only a matter of time before their suspicions harden into certainty and, outraged, they set about exacting their revenge.
With spare, powerful prose, Murugan masterfully conjures a terrifying vision of intolerance in this devastating tale of innocent young love pitted against chilling savagery.
Kumaresan and Saroja marries one another out of love, despite the fact that they both belong from different caste and in no possible way their individual families would accept this inter-caste union of two loving souls, adding more, Saroja is a very pretty and fair skinned city girl and not a typical village girl, that Kumaresan’s family would never approve of. So this newly wed embarks upon a journey to the village where Kumaresan was born and brought up from the city where they eloped and got married. Soon to their dismay, even before setting foot in the village, both
Kumaresan and Saroja are slightly criticized by a villager, yet this slight negative remark did not give them any idea about what was waiting for them at the end of their long journey. Little did they knew, that this holy union of a man and woman would enrage the entire village from Kumaresan’s own mother to the neighbors o the distant relatives to the random strangers from the nearby villages, and that these people instead of accepting the marriage or welcoming the new bride in her home, they begin scheming against the newly wed couple that would ultimately snatch away the only happiness they ever longed for.
Rarely we, the people belonging from a different part of the country other than Tamil Nadu, where the story is set, get to taste the local or regional flavor of other states other than ours own. And here comes Murugan, who successfully and cleverly lets his global readers get a taste of the raw regional flavor of culture, beliefs and traditions in a poor Tamilian village, filled with illiterate people belonging from a lower caste strata. The setting in this book plays a vital role, where apart from the brutally honest story, the author highlights the shortcomings of Tamil Nadu's rural side's norms, beliefs, values and customs, the narrow minded ideals and the vagaries of such a society that put a tight grip on the minds and the souls of those who exist in such a place.
But from a literary perspective, the book disappoints, and so its narratives as well as the characters, even the art of story telling that once left me entranced when I read the author's previous book, this time, the storytelling lacks that subtleness and depth. So that failed to give me any perspective of my own, and an Indian reader like me, I'm accustomed to honor killings in the name of caste quite strikingly, so Murugan's cinematic story telling only made me felt like trapped inside a sappy and dramatic movie. Nevertheless for readers who aren't accustomed to real life events like these, might find this book as highly enlightening and horrifyingly vivid enough to ponder about the story long after it has ended. Sadly for me, it was a same old dramatic plot told with a rural flavor and with requisite drama to suffice its approach and outlook.
The writing is articulate yet lacks depth. And with a simple yet sporadic prose, the readers might only find solace in the predictable yet an addictive climax in order to keep reading till the very end. The narratives are very poorly depicted, even though it is inspired highly from the local dialect and that might feel a bit heavy upon its readers, yet the dialogues exchanged between the characters lack emotions, period. Since this is a predictable story especially the title that will give its readers about the outcome of this novel, still the vividness and the raw horror will grip the readers' minds.
The outline of the characters are only sketched but the layers of shades of their myriad personalities are not drawn properly, and hence the characters failed to make me connect with their plight or demeanor. There are three main characters, Saroja, Kumaresan and the evil mother, Marayi. The story is told mainly from the perspective of the new bride, Saroja, who is a timid, hopeful yet obedient wife to Kumaresan, who from the very beginning is submissive towards her husband's demands and wishes and obeys like a dutiful wife, and even though she often voices her fears and thoughts to her husband, yet most of the time, those thoughts are often left to astray. As Kumaresan turns out to be someone obnoxiously sanguine about the whole situation, and dominates his wife to adapt to this harsh village lifestyle. Marayi, on the other hand, is the mirror image of Saroja, who is a widow and single-handedly raised her son, and has high hopes on him, so on her son fails her by bringing home a wife from a different caste, she starts singing sad death songs and makes it difficult for the new bride to adjust to their home, although she never once fails to constantly bicker and utter ugly and foul words to the poor and helpless Saroja. And the rest of the characters too reflect such a morbid society where a woman becomes a victim upon choosing to marry a man not out of his caste but out of love. Yes the tragic yet very brutal truth is highlighted with bold characters through this story.
In a nutshell, this is a compelling and absorbing story that will provoke the readers to feel enraged towards the Indian society's idiosyncrasy that even to this day exist in the most rural parts of the country.
Verdict: A truly gripping read!
January 30, 2023
The novel exposes the deep-rooted caste discrimination and exploitation of the poor by society in name of tradition and social hierarchy. The novel is also a study in contrast between the village and city life exposing the long-standing myth of villagers being simple and kind hearted folks. What makes the plot painful and at times heart wrenching is how an innocent town girl is ill-treated, discriminated and ultimately killed by her own mother-in -law all in name of tradition and pseudo values! A powerful read.
April 20, 2023
Love Doesn’t Conquer All
Review of the Black Cat/Grove Press paperback edition (February 2022) of the English translation first published by Penguin India (2016) translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan from the Tamil language original பூக்குழி Pookuzhi (2013).
Kumaresan has eloped with his new wife Saroji and brings her back to his home village from the larger town where he was working and where they met. Despite his supposed 'all contingencies' preparations, they are met with complete rejection by his mother (the father having died at a young age) and the rest of the community. The reason being that the community do not recognize her as part of their caste and are offended accordingly. This escalates into mockery, shunning and even physical attacks until the tragic conclusion (which is slightly telegraphed by the title, but not quite exactly as you might expect) .
I had numerous problems with this book and the presentation of its translation which account for my low rating. This is an outlier opinion though, so you should look to the average 4 rating reviews for more positive reactions. My issues summarized as bullet points were:
- The translation reads very oddly in parts, the title itself seems wrong to start with (see Trivia below) but the entire book reads with the unreality of a fable. Constantly referring to the home as 'the rock' is another example of an odd context which is repeated constantly. The fable aspect extends to very standard archetypes, the evil 'mother-in-law', the innocent bride, the oblivious son, the herd bullying mentality of the relatives and the community. So people just don't feel 'real'.
- There doesn't appear to be any effort made to adapt this for the international market from the original 2016 translation as published by Penguin India. The 2-page glossary (really just 1 page worth spread out over 2 pages) is completely inadequate and misses dozens of words which I tried to look up (many unsuccessfully). Several of those could be understood in context as a food, an item of clothing, a term of endearment, a family relationship, etc., but most were still frustrating to puzzle out, e.g. Tamil 'maama' is apparently 'uncle', and not an alternative for 'mother'.
- The whole issue of caste is not explained or given any context. You have to research that yourself if you are unfamiliar with it. The villagers condemn Saroji as 'not of our caste' and treat her as a so-called 'untouchable'. Untouchables are not a caste however and fall outside of it. Again, an Afterword or an expanded Translator's Note would have been helpful here, but nothing was provided.
I read Pyre due to it being longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Award. You can read further about the longlist of 13 books and the shortlist of 6 books here. The shortlist was announced on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 and Pyre was not included. The winning title will be announced on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Soundtrack
A song from the film Graamathu Aathiyam (1980) (Tamil: A Village Chapter or A Village Episode) becomes the soundtrack to Saroja and Kumaresan’s courtship which is seen in a flashback, and it also helped to situate the time setting of the book in the early 1980s. The song was easy to find on YouTube and one of the comments (in Tamil) even provides the lyrics (which Kumaresan quotes). Listen at Aatthu Mettuley.
An extended video of songs and clips from the movie can be seen here, Aatthu Mettuley is the first song in that sequence.
Trivia and Links
I may be completely off-track here, but a google search for the original Tamil title பூக்குழி [Pookuzhi] leads to Wikipedia pages for a fire-walking ritual ceremony associated with a temple festival, such as here in English and here in Tamil. This is perhaps the festival that the village was preparing for when the council decided to exclude Saroja and Kumaresan? The title then seems to be something much more complex than just translating it as “Pyre”, which raised quite different connotations for me.
To read further about the caste system in India see the Wikipedia article here, or read this article here.
Review of the Black Cat/Grove Press paperback edition (February 2022) of the English translation first published by Penguin India (2016) translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan from the Tamil language original பூக்குழி Pookuzhi (2013).
Kumaresan had rehearsed his strategy several times in his head. He believed that everything would go according to plan; it had to. He had thought long, and hard about all possible contingencies and modified the plan accordingly. And though he was well aware that any scheme can unravel no matter how foolproof it might have seemed at first, a blind courage propelled him on.
Kumaresan has eloped with his new wife Saroji and brings her back to his home village from the larger town where he was working and where they met. Despite his supposed 'all contingencies' preparations, they are met with complete rejection by his mother (the father having died at a young age) and the rest of the community. The reason being that the community do not recognize her as part of their caste and are offended accordingly. This escalates into mockery, shunning and even physical attacks until the tragic conclusion (which is slightly telegraphed by the title, but not quite exactly as you might expect) .
I had numerous problems with this book and the presentation of its translation which account for my low rating. This is an outlier opinion though, so you should look to the average 4 rating reviews for more positive reactions. My issues summarized as bullet points were:
- The translation reads very oddly in parts, the title itself seems wrong to start with (see Trivia below) but the entire book reads with the unreality of a fable. Constantly referring to the home as 'the rock' is another example of an odd context which is repeated constantly. The fable aspect extends to very standard archetypes, the evil 'mother-in-law', the innocent bride, the oblivious son, the herd bullying mentality of the relatives and the community. So people just don't feel 'real'.
- There doesn't appear to be any effort made to adapt this for the international market from the original 2016 translation as published by Penguin India. The 2-page glossary (really just 1 page worth spread out over 2 pages) is completely inadequate and misses dozens of words which I tried to look up (many unsuccessfully). Several of those could be understood in context as a food, an item of clothing, a term of endearment, a family relationship, etc., but most were still frustrating to puzzle out, e.g. Tamil 'maama' is apparently 'uncle', and not an alternative for 'mother'.
- The whole issue of caste is not explained or given any context. You have to research that yourself if you are unfamiliar with it. The villagers condemn Saroji as 'not of our caste' and treat her as a so-called 'untouchable'. Untouchables are not a caste however and fall outside of it. Again, an Afterword or an expanded Translator's Note would have been helpful here, but nothing was provided.
I read Pyre due to it being longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Award. You can read further about the longlist of 13 books and the shortlist of 6 books here. The shortlist was announced on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 and Pyre was not included. The winning title will be announced on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Soundtrack
A song from the film Graamathu Aathiyam (1980) (Tamil: A Village Chapter or A Village Episode) becomes the soundtrack to Saroja and Kumaresan’s courtship which is seen in a flashback, and it also helped to situate the time setting of the book in the early 1980s. The song was easy to find on YouTube and one of the comments (in Tamil) even provides the lyrics (which Kumaresan quotes). Listen at Aatthu Mettuley.
An extended video of songs and clips from the movie can be seen here, Aatthu Mettuley is the first song in that sequence.
Trivia and Links
I may be completely off-track here, but a google search for the original Tamil title பூக்குழி [Pookuzhi] leads to Wikipedia pages for a fire-walking ritual ceremony associated with a temple festival, such as here in English and here in Tamil. This is perhaps the festival that the village was preparing for when the council decided to exclude Saroja and Kumaresan? The title then seems to be something much more complex than just translating it as “Pyre”, which raised quite different connotations for me.
To read further about the caste system in India see the Wikipedia article here, or read this article here.
March 26, 2023
Longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize
The sun was blazing overhead when Saroja and Kumaresan stepped off the bus.
Beyond the tamarind trees that lined the road, all they could see were vast expanses of arid land. There were no houses anywhere in sight. With each searing gust of wind, the white summer heat spread over everything as if white saris had been flung across the sky. There was not a soul on the road. Even the birds were silent. Just an ashen dryness, singed by the heat, hung in the air. Saroja hesitated to venture into that inhospitable space.
‘Step down with your right foot first,’ Kumaresan had said to her. She was now unsure whether he had said this in jest or if he had meant it. By habit, anyway, she had descended from the bus with her right foot first, but she was not sure he had noticed that. The courage she had gathered until then suddenly vanished, leaving her feeling uneasy. When her feet touched the ground, she had prayed within her heart, ‘May everything go well.’ She could not think of a specific god. She only knew the name of Kumaresan’s family deity, Goddess Kali, but she would not have been able to confidently recognize the goddess’s idol in the temple. The only Kali she knew was a goddess with widened eyes, terrifying teeth and her tongue sticking out. She could not pray to that Kali, who only inspired fear.
Kumaresan had already walked quite some distance. Saroja quickly found her bearings and trotted ahead to join him. Shifting the heavy bag to his other hand, he looked at her. Nothing here appeared new to him. He was used to navigating this place even in the dark. He always walked with a spring in his step when he was here, and he felt the same way now.
Pyre is Aniruddhan Vasudevan's translation of Perumal Murugan's 2013 Tamil original பூக்குழி. The English translation was originally published in India in 2016, but was published in the UK in 2022 by Pushkin Press (and in the US by Grove Press).
This is an interesting story of love across caste boundaries and family opposition which extends to potential violence. But it is rather simple and disappointing in literary terms, and the translator's own afterword, as well as comments from some who've read the original, suggest some aspects have been lost in translation.
Perhaps the most effective aspect of the novel is how Murugan keeps the castes unnamed and the story even ambiguous as to whether Saroja, from whose perspective the novel is primarily told, is of a higher or lower caste than her husband Kumaresan. Different readers seems to have drawn different conclusions, and Muragan I think has done this deliberately and has not provided more information even in interview, although the translator in 2016 did draw his own conclusion in an interview:
A propulsive read but rather lacking in literary depth. 2.5 stars.
The sun was blazing overhead when Saroja and Kumaresan stepped off the bus.
Beyond the tamarind trees that lined the road, all they could see were vast expanses of arid land. There were no houses anywhere in sight. With each searing gust of wind, the white summer heat spread over everything as if white saris had been flung across the sky. There was not a soul on the road. Even the birds were silent. Just an ashen dryness, singed by the heat, hung in the air. Saroja hesitated to venture into that inhospitable space.
‘Step down with your right foot first,’ Kumaresan had said to her. She was now unsure whether he had said this in jest or if he had meant it. By habit, anyway, she had descended from the bus with her right foot first, but she was not sure he had noticed that. The courage she had gathered until then suddenly vanished, leaving her feeling uneasy. When her feet touched the ground, she had prayed within her heart, ‘May everything go well.’ She could not think of a specific god. She only knew the name of Kumaresan’s family deity, Goddess Kali, but she would not have been able to confidently recognize the goddess’s idol in the temple. The only Kali she knew was a goddess with widened eyes, terrifying teeth and her tongue sticking out. She could not pray to that Kali, who only inspired fear.
Kumaresan had already walked quite some distance. Saroja quickly found her bearings and trotted ahead to join him. Shifting the heavy bag to his other hand, he looked at her. Nothing here appeared new to him. He was used to navigating this place even in the dark. He always walked with a spring in his step when he was here, and he felt the same way now.
Pyre is Aniruddhan Vasudevan's translation of Perumal Murugan's 2013 Tamil original பூக்குழி. The English translation was originally published in India in 2016, but was published in the UK in 2022 by Pushkin Press (and in the US by Grove Press).
This is an interesting story of love across caste boundaries and family opposition which extends to potential violence. But it is rather simple and disappointing in literary terms, and the translator's own afterword, as well as comments from some who've read the original, suggest some aspects have been lost in translation.
Perhaps the most effective aspect of the novel is how Murugan keeps the castes unnamed and the story even ambiguous as to whether Saroja, from whose perspective the novel is primarily told, is of a higher or lower caste than her husband Kumaresan. Different readers seems to have drawn different conclusions, and Muragan I think has done this deliberately and has not provided more information even in interview, although the translator in 2016 did draw his own conclusion in an interview:
Q: Is Saroja a Dalit?
A: Again, it is never explicitly mentioned, but the story itself and how she is perceived and treated point us in that direction.
A propulsive read but rather lacking in literary depth. 2.5 stars.
August 30, 2021
Set in a small village in India, this translated story about a married Tamil couple from different castes, is engaging and heartbreaking. The writing is beautiful and still simple, the characters pure, and the circumstances harsh. It’s almost unimaginable how cruel people can be, but almost from the first page my chest tightened. I didn’t know what the title meant, and when I googled while reading I almost didn’t want to finish the story. I didn’t though, the story is only about 200 pages, and in the end, my heart flooded with sadness and anger.
I received an ARC from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2019
★★★½☆
The tale was as creepy as the cover and its title… and got creepier precisely because of its title!
Just like One Part Woman, where a couple is tormented by relatives and acquaintances for not having a child; in Pyre we see a newly married couple tormented by the entire village because the girl appears to be of a different caste. The mother-in-law Marayi leaves no stone unturned to hurl abuses and venom for she is highly disappointed by his son's choice and actions. The description of the new couple meeting all the uncles and aunts is heart wrenching. Story is woven well with quite a good amount of throwback moments.
What I loved:
1. Great translation - keeping the essence with Nondi, Mapillai, Dey, Ada, saaru-chatti, melolachatti, mutti, soppu.
2. Engaging tale loaded with conversations
3. Spine chilling depiction of cruelty by the entire village against one couple!
Could be better:
1. Usage of non-translated dish names instead of "millets" and rice at some instances… like Kozhambu and Kurma are used at other places.
Overall: Recommended for a rustic background harping on casteism.
The tale was as creepy as the cover and its title… and got creepier precisely because of its title!
Just like One Part Woman, where a couple is tormented by relatives and acquaintances for not having a child; in Pyre we see a newly married couple tormented by the entire village because the girl appears to be of a different caste. The mother-in-law Marayi leaves no stone unturned to hurl abuses and venom for she is highly disappointed by his son's choice and actions. The description of the new couple meeting all the uncles and aunts is heart wrenching. Story is woven well with quite a good amount of throwback moments.
What I loved:
1. Great translation - keeping the essence with Nondi, Mapillai, Dey, Ada, saaru-chatti, melolachatti, mutti, soppu.
2. Engaging tale loaded with conversations
3. Spine chilling depiction of cruelty by the entire village against one couple!
Could be better:
1. Usage of non-translated dish names instead of "millets" and rice at some instances… like Kozhambu and Kurma are used at other places.
Overall: Recommended for a rustic background harping on casteism.
November 2, 2017
3.5*
I would love to read the original text, someday; or at least talk to someone who has. The book is set in an extremely small village with narrow dirt roads where the views of the villagers are even narrower. Anyone who feels that love is worth all the efforts in the world should read the book, and then in the end s/he should decide whether to affirm or change his/her belief.
I would love to read the original text, someday; or at least talk to someone who has. The book is set in an extremely small village with narrow dirt roads where the views of the villagers are even narrower. Anyone who feels that love is worth all the efforts in the world should read the book, and then in the end s/he should decide whether to affirm or change his/her belief.
March 22, 2022
Thoughts soon.
April 3, 2023
Pyre may seem so simply written on the surface. It may seem so not detailed in one sense, and yet as you turn the pages, and discover more, you see Mr. Murugan’s brilliance shine through the pages. From speaking about caste to patriarchy (because after all, it is all interlinked) to the micro-agressions that aren’t micro given the lay of the land, they are just aggressions, he takes the reader through a journey of strife, using themes such as love, religion, hatred, and the inequities that exist in every rung of societal hierarchy.
Pyre opens with Saroja and Kumaresen getting off a bus and entering Kumaresen’s village. They are in love. They harbour a secret: Of their marriage being inter-caste. Saroja hopes she will be accepted by her husband’s family and extended village people. The entire village and Kumaresen’s relatives cannot come to terms with what has happened. Saroja still believes that her faith and love will conquer it all.
Pyre simmers on every page. You can feel the heat, the hatred, the remoteness of the village, Saroja’s claustrophobia, Kumaresen’s helplessness, and his mother Marayi’s constant nagging, taunts, and temper. It is a book that is evocative, beguiling, and at the same time so raw in its approach – there are tender moments, far and few and in-between, but they exist nonetheless.
The characters are few, the book is a short one, the sentences are sparse and simple, and so much is playing out for the reader. Murugan doesn’t allow you to breathe sometimes – it feels that sticky, humid, a breath caught in your throat, stuck somewhere deep inside, because of what you have just read – the traditions, the beliefs, the culture of the land that cannot bring itself to view love of two people.
Aniruddhan Vasudevan’s translation is superbly succinct, and goes where the author takes him. Vasudevan brings his own touch to the cultural expressions that I am sure Murugan used very differently in the Tamil, and while reading it in the English you can see the effortless transition, or rather hear it in your head, as you go along. Pyre is tense and will always keep the reader on the edge. It is not an easy book to digest. It is also not easy to imagine what is happening, and what might. It is brutal, empathetic, nuanced, and tender – all at the same time.
Pyre opens with Saroja and Kumaresen getting off a bus and entering Kumaresen’s village. They are in love. They harbour a secret: Of their marriage being inter-caste. Saroja hopes she will be accepted by her husband’s family and extended village people. The entire village and Kumaresen’s relatives cannot come to terms with what has happened. Saroja still believes that her faith and love will conquer it all.
Pyre simmers on every page. You can feel the heat, the hatred, the remoteness of the village, Saroja’s claustrophobia, Kumaresen’s helplessness, and his mother Marayi’s constant nagging, taunts, and temper. It is a book that is evocative, beguiling, and at the same time so raw in its approach – there are tender moments, far and few and in-between, but they exist nonetheless.
The characters are few, the book is a short one, the sentences are sparse and simple, and so much is playing out for the reader. Murugan doesn’t allow you to breathe sometimes – it feels that sticky, humid, a breath caught in your throat, stuck somewhere deep inside, because of what you have just read – the traditions, the beliefs, the culture of the land that cannot bring itself to view love of two people.
Aniruddhan Vasudevan’s translation is superbly succinct, and goes where the author takes him. Vasudevan brings his own touch to the cultural expressions that I am sure Murugan used very differently in the Tamil, and while reading it in the English you can see the effortless transition, or rather hear it in your head, as you go along. Pyre is tense and will always keep the reader on the edge. It is not an easy book to digest. It is also not easy to imagine what is happening, and what might. It is brutal, empathetic, nuanced, and tender – all at the same time.
February 17, 2024
I read this book in Tamil. If you can read Tamil, I highly recommend reading this book in Tamil. Seems much of the book’s depth got lost in translation.
Out of the three books of Perumal Murugan I have read so far, this book is the best. It is a deeply disturbing and painful book. But it clearly shows how casteism works in villages.
There are no particular villains in this book. The system is the villain. Perumal Murugan boldly makes this clear in all his books.
There were plethora of books in Tamil which glorified village life and painted a happy picture. But Perumal Murugan is breaking that furniture in all his books and showing us the ‘real village’.
Another important thing he did in this book was emphasizing how people are always addressed by a derogatory nickname in the villages. It is a true thing in Kongu villages. In a village, you’re a not a real person. You’re just an entity in the system. Those nicknames remind you that. It always follows you wherever you go.
A mild spoiler!!!
This oppressive caste system gives enough room for hope. You start hoping and plan for your future. But bam! It will put you back in ‘your place’. It never lets you out, it never lets you live. Worst part is, it traps you with that hope. In this book, Perumal Murugan captures that idea really well.
My parents are originally from a village but I grew up in a suburb. So I grew up seeing how caste worked in both the areas. The author captures that contrast really well. Village looks open and airy, but its casteism will strangle you to death. A city looks suffocating and dirty, but it lets you live and prosper.
(I will post a detailed review for this book in Tamil)
Out of the three books of Perumal Murugan I have read so far, this book is the best. It is a deeply disturbing and painful book. But it clearly shows how casteism works in villages.
There are no particular villains in this book. The system is the villain. Perumal Murugan boldly makes this clear in all his books.
There were plethora of books in Tamil which glorified village life and painted a happy picture. But Perumal Murugan is breaking that furniture in all his books and showing us the ‘real village’.
Another important thing he did in this book was emphasizing how people are always addressed by a derogatory nickname in the villages. It is a true thing in Kongu villages. In a village, you’re a not a real person. You’re just an entity in the system. Those nicknames remind you that. It always follows you wherever you go.
A mild spoiler!!!
This oppressive caste system gives enough room for hope. You start hoping and plan for your future. But bam! It will put you back in ‘your place’. It never lets you out, it never lets you live. Worst part is, it traps you with that hope. In this book, Perumal Murugan captures that idea really well.
My parents are originally from a village but I grew up in a suburb. So I grew up seeing how caste worked in both the areas. The author captures that contrast really well. Village looks open and airy, but its casteism will strangle you to death. A city looks suffocating and dirty, but it lets you live and prosper.
(I will post a detailed review for this book in Tamil)
May 15, 2024
இந்நூலின் என் விமர்சனம் இங்கே -->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Ff5...
June 30, 2021
சாதி அமைப்பினால் மிகவும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பவர்கள் பெண்களே ஆவர். ஒரு தலைமுறையில் இருந்து இன்னொரு தலைமுறைக்கு சாதியை கடத்துவது அவர்கள் மீது விதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
-அண்ணல் அம்பேத்கர்.
நான் இப்போது இந்த புதினத்தை படித்த முடித்த போதும், சமீபத்தில் வெளியான லீனா மணிமேகலையின் 'மாடத்தி' என்கிற திரைப்படமும் பார்த்தபோதும் மேற்கூறிய வரிகள் நினைவில் நிறுத்துகிறது.
கதை 1960களில் கொங்கு மண்டலத்தில் நடைபெறுகிறது.காதல் மணம் புரிந்து கொண்ட ஒரு இளம் இணையர்கள் சந்திக்கும் பிரச்சினைகளே.
நகரத்தை விட கிராமங்களே சாதிக்கட்டுமானத்தை நிறுவுவதில் மிக கடுமையான முறையில் தாங்கி நிற்குகிறது என்பதை நூலை படிக்கும் தருணங்களில் உணரலாம்.
தர்மபுரி இளவரசனுக்கு நூல் சமர்ப்பணம் செய்வதிலே நூலின் சாரத்தைப் புரிந்துகொள்ள முடிகிறது. பெருமாள் முருகனின் முன்னுரையும் மிக சிறப்பான விதத்தில் அமைந்துள்ளது.
மொத்தத்தில் பெருமாள் முருகனின் கதை சொல்லல் முறை இந்நூலின் ஆகச்சிறப்பானது.
-அண்ணல் அம்பேத்கர்.
நான் இப்போது இந்த புதினத்தை படித்த முடித்த போதும், சமீபத்தில் வெளியான லீனா மணிமேகலையின் 'மாடத்தி' என்கிற திரைப்படமும் பார்த்தபோதும் மேற்கூறிய வரிகள் நினைவில் நிறுத்துகிறது.
கதை 1960களில் கொங்கு மண்டலத்தில் நடைபெறுகிறது.காதல் மணம் புரிந்து கொண்ட ஒரு இளம் இணையர்கள் சந்திக்கும் பிரச்சினைகளே.
நகரத்தை விட கிராமங்களே சாதிக்கட்டுமானத்தை நிறுவுவதில் மிக கடுமையான முறையில் தாங்கி நிற்குகிறது என்பதை நூலை படிக்கும் தருணங்களில் உணரலாம்.
தர்மபுரி இளவரசனுக்கு நூல் சமர்ப்பணம் செய்வதிலே நூலின் சாரத்தைப் புரிந்துகொள்ள முடிகிறது. பெருமாள் முருகனின் முன்னுரையும் மிக சிறப்பான விதத்தில் அமைந்துள்ளது.
மொத்தத்தில் பெருமாள் முருகனின் கதை சொல்லல் முறை இந்நூலின் ஆகச்சிறப்பானது.
August 2, 2022
India somehow always remains an enigma for me. For being such a large country, we hear surprisingly little from it, as if it were a planet on its own. That is the reason I wanted to read some Indian literature and stumbled upon Perumal Murugan when his novel Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat was longlisted for the NBA for translated fiction.
It is quite a disturbing read. Kumaresan and Saroja are from different castes and marry secretly. Kumaresan then takes Saroja to his native village to live with his mother, but she and the whole village do not approve of the marriage (to put it mildly). Things go from bad to worse and the two lovers have clearly underestimated the severity of their actions. I think the story is set in the 1980s - I hope things have improved in the meantime!
I found the story compelling, quite dramatic, but was not always convinced by the writing. The ending was too abrupt for me.
It is quite a disturbing read. Kumaresan and Saroja are from different castes and marry secretly. Kumaresan then takes Saroja to his native village to live with his mother, but she and the whole village do not approve of the marriage (to put it mildly). Things go from bad to worse and the two lovers have clearly underestimated the severity of their actions. I think the story is set in the 1980s - I hope things have improved in the meantime!
I found the story compelling, quite dramatic, but was not always convinced by the writing. The ending was too abrupt for me.
March 15, 2023
Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Suvash Mohan
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars
Complete audiobook review
Now longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize
Saroja and Kumaresan marry in secret. They are in love. Soon after their marriage, Kumaresan takes his new wife to his home village. He expected his mother wouldn’t like him getting married but still thought, in time, she would get used to it. He was wrong. His mother only sees that Kumaresan married a fair-skinned girl from the city who is not used to the heat and sun and doesn’t know how to work. At least, that is what she thinks of Saroja. And not just his mother, but the villagers also are angry because he didn’t marry a girl of their caste.
Kumaresan wants to establish a new business, and Saroja stays home with her mother-in-law. But she feels trapped in her new home. Nobody understands her, and the villagers want nothing to do with her.
Pyre is a sad story about a simple love that nobody even tries to understand.
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars
Complete audiobook review
Now longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize
Saroja and Kumaresan marry in secret. They are in love. Soon after their marriage, Kumaresan takes his new wife to his home village. He expected his mother wouldn’t like him getting married but still thought, in time, she would get used to it. He was wrong. His mother only sees that Kumaresan married a fair-skinned girl from the city who is not used to the heat and sun and doesn’t know how to work. At least, that is what she thinks of Saroja. And not just his mother, but the villagers also are angry because he didn’t marry a girl of their caste.
Kumaresan wants to establish a new business, and Saroja stays home with her mother-in-law. But she feels trapped in her new home. Nobody understands her, and the villagers want nothing to do with her.
Pyre is a sad story about a simple love that nobody even tries to understand.
December 30, 2016
M.E.L.O.D.R.A.M.A.............M.I.S.E.R.Y
these are the words I will use if I have to describe the story in two words.
It was an intense book dealing with what happens when people of different castes fall in love and marry.
The mindset and mentality of people.of small town and rural (South) India was well portrayed in this book. On reading the book I feel the events portrayed here are not that possible atleast in this enlightened 21st century. ..perhaps this book deals with the seventies or eighties at the latest.
Saroja elopes with Kumaresan, the only son of a widowed but mulish woman whose life's lessons have made her rock hard and unbudging.
From day one of being in Kumaresan's village, she is mentally ill treated to the point of being converted into a cowering , paranoid woman. Things heat up towards the end one night when Kumaresan is held up at some other town and Saroja stumbles upon a conspiracy.
I read the whole story with a heavy heart and unease..and a sense of desolation.
People can (and will) be cruel even when there is no provocation or necessity is the fact which emphatically reinstated itself on reading this book.
A powerful book, a pertinent subject...but perhaps best understood by South Indians.
To others, it would.seem like gross exaggeration or flights of the author's fantasy.
these are the words I will use if I have to describe the story in two words.
It was an intense book dealing with what happens when people of different castes fall in love and marry.
The mindset and mentality of people.of small town and rural (South) India was well portrayed in this book. On reading the book I feel the events portrayed here are not that possible atleast in this enlightened 21st century. ..perhaps this book deals with the seventies or eighties at the latest.
Saroja elopes with Kumaresan, the only son of a widowed but mulish woman whose life's lessons have made her rock hard and unbudging.
From day one of being in Kumaresan's village, she is mentally ill treated to the point of being converted into a cowering , paranoid woman. Things heat up towards the end one night when Kumaresan is held up at some other town and Saroja stumbles upon a conspiracy.
I read the whole story with a heavy heart and unease..and a sense of desolation.
People can (and will) be cruel even when there is no provocation or necessity is the fact which emphatically reinstated itself on reading this book.
A powerful book, a pertinent subject...but perhaps best understood by South Indians.
To others, it would.seem like gross exaggeration or flights of the author's fantasy.
October 3, 2020
Perumal Murugan's Pyre is a love story set in rural Tamil Nadu of 1980s. And like most love stories of that era, it does not end in a happily-ever-after (I mean, what would you expect with a title like Pyre?).
Its a simple plot- boy meets girl. Falls in love. They elope. But I wish it were just that simple.
"Couldn't you find a girl in our village, from within our caste? You have shamed us all.”
You hear a variation of this as the story unfolds. No one is happy that Kumaresan married the lovely and gentle Saroja. They're suspicious of her caste. The village atmosphere is vitriolic. The couple is subject to hate from all quarters.
What struck me most is the attitude of women. And how internalised misogyny turns them into unrecognizably cruel beings. My heart went out to Saroja, the subject of their vile comments and raging intolerance. The societal division that people write away as "no longer a part of modern India" comes alive with a vengeance, rearing its ugly head and bearing down with ferocity on the naive couple - a couple, who like you and me, believed in all their innocence that love conquers all.
Murugan's writing is simple but it doesn't pull any punches. In fact, its the simplicity of the prose, steeped in regional flavour that gives maximum impact. Kudos to Vasudevan for a translation well done. It doesn't take away from the original and yet manages to give you that very Tamilian essence.
I absolutely loved this book. The last paragraph sent shivers down my spine and left me terrified that a book set in 1980s was relatable today. Now.
Read this. Pause. Reflect. Change.
Its a simple plot- boy meets girl. Falls in love. They elope. But I wish it were just that simple.
"Couldn't you find a girl in our village, from within our caste? You have shamed us all.”
You hear a variation of this as the story unfolds. No one is happy that Kumaresan married the lovely and gentle Saroja. They're suspicious of her caste. The village atmosphere is vitriolic. The couple is subject to hate from all quarters.
What struck me most is the attitude of women. And how internalised misogyny turns them into unrecognizably cruel beings. My heart went out to Saroja, the subject of their vile comments and raging intolerance. The societal division that people write away as "no longer a part of modern India" comes alive with a vengeance, rearing its ugly head and bearing down with ferocity on the naive couple - a couple, who like you and me, believed in all their innocence that love conquers all.
Murugan's writing is simple but it doesn't pull any punches. In fact, its the simplicity of the prose, steeped in regional flavour that gives maximum impact. Kudos to Vasudevan for a translation well done. It doesn't take away from the original and yet manages to give you that very Tamilian essence.
I absolutely loved this book. The last paragraph sent shivers down my spine and left me terrified that a book set in 1980s was relatable today. Now.
Read this. Pause. Reflect. Change.
May 6, 2018
I am deeply saddened and disheartened at the tragic end of the female protagonist of Pyre. All the suffering and torment she went through over a very personal and trivial matter - 'Caste'.
Murugan's Pyre is a slap across the face for all of us who are part of a society that is still so strictly governed by 'Casteism' even today - almost 70 years down the line after independence. Though the book is fictional, I am very sure such cases still occur in India, predominantly in the rural areas where everything starts and ends with one's caste. Through this book, Murugan has aptly dissected the rot that has seeped into our society and details the suffering that people might endure due to their castes. I'm in awe and admire Indian authors who write books that deal with social issues and try to bring about a change in people's mindset. Kudoz for Mr. Murugan for this book.
It would have been wonderful to read the books in its original language - Tamil. However, the translation is flawless and does not lessen the impact of the book in any which way.
Murugan's Pyre is a slap across the face for all of us who are part of a society that is still so strictly governed by 'Casteism' even today - almost 70 years down the line after independence. Though the book is fictional, I am very sure such cases still occur in India, predominantly in the rural areas where everything starts and ends with one's caste. Through this book, Murugan has aptly dissected the rot that has seeped into our society and details the suffering that people might endure due to their castes. I'm in awe and admire Indian authors who write books that deal with social issues and try to bring about a change in people's mindset. Kudoz for Mr. Murugan for this book.
It would have been wonderful to read the books in its original language - Tamil. However, the translation is flawless and does not lessen the impact of the book in any which way.
March 30, 2023
41st book of 2023.
A short and enjoyable read, but as other reviewers have said, it is lacking a deeper depth. The story is simple, a married couple from different castes return to the husband's hometown and are met with scorn. The wife recedes into herself. I read the whole book today (what else to do on a day off?), and the plot kept me turning the pages with ease. The writing is smooth and clear and there is a tension throughout the book as we wait for, inevitably, something to happen. The ending lands well, so much so that I almost gave it 4-stars but that would be pushing it for an otherwise uninspiring but engaging read. I was expecting slightly more exploration into Indian culture surrounding the two characters and their plight but the story stuck to the personal. That'll be why it lacks depth, I think. A quick read though, and sad. This sits in the lower middle of my Booker International longlist ratings so far.
A short and enjoyable read, but as other reviewers have said, it is lacking a deeper depth. The story is simple, a married couple from different castes return to the husband's hometown and are met with scorn. The wife recedes into herself. I read the whole book today (what else to do on a day off?), and the plot kept me turning the pages with ease. The writing is smooth and clear and there is a tension throughout the book as we wait for, inevitably, something to happen. The ending lands well, so much so that I almost gave it 4-stars but that would be pushing it for an otherwise uninspiring but engaging read. I was expecting slightly more exploration into Indian culture surrounding the two characters and their plight but the story stuck to the personal. That'll be why it lacks depth, I think. A quick read though, and sad. This sits in the lower middle of my Booker International longlist ratings so far.
July 20, 2023
kumaresan and saroja get married outside of kumaresan's village in a simple elopement ceremony in a temple. when they return to the village, they are met with anger and hate. they are of different castes and saroja is perceived as being low caste despite the fact that nobody knows her true status. when the village starts to decide punishments for both kumaresan and saroja, her life is at stake more than his. the men become violent, and the women become deceitful and petty.
the end of this novel made my heart break. to think such great violence can come out of a marriage is unfathomable. murugan's writing is clear, concise, rich with detail, and shocking. easily four stars.
the end of this novel made my heart break. to think such great violence can come out of a marriage is unfathomable. murugan's writing is clear, concise, rich with detail, and shocking. easily four stars.
February 14, 2022
Stupidity, small-mindedness, insularity, misogyny, bigotry and violence are all on display in this story of two people from different castes marrying and moving to the Tamil Nadu rural village of the husband.
Saroja and Kumaresan fall for each other after weeks of watching the other, secretly marry then travel to his village to live together. He believes, naively, that she will be accepted by his widowed mother, who had long wanted to find him a wife, and by his village.
Saroja is struck repeatedly by the differences between what she is accustomed to and what life is like in the village. Marayi, Kumaresan’s infuriated mother, rages at him, and is unremittingly cruel to Saroja, while Kumaresan’s relatives and his village decide to cut contact with him, and he takes to drinking. Things falls apart not long after, with tragic rapidity.
The text lays out this story fairly simply, with the intolerances and close-minded behaviours of Marayi and the villagers dominating the increasingly tense story, while Saroja keeps her head down, outwardly being the obedient, quiet wife, as she’s expected to be, never fighting back or disputing the wrongness of the harmful and hate-filled spewing of those around her. Inwardly, we’re shown her increasing anger, terror and pain from her isolation in the village and the growing menace from the people around her, as they focus on Kumarasen’s independent decision to marry a girl without his family’s sanction and who is outside their caste.
A pretty fast read, this story had me sick with fear for Saroja, and wondering how Kumarasen could have so naively brought her to what he surely should have realized would be a miserable and potentially very dangerous situation, as caste-based violence and misogyny-based violence are prevalent. The author’s buildup of tension and fear were great, and terrible as the story’s outcome is, it felt sadly real.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Grove Atlantic for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Saroja and Kumaresan fall for each other after weeks of watching the other, secretly marry then travel to his village to live together. He believes, naively, that she will be accepted by his widowed mother, who had long wanted to find him a wife, and by his village.
Saroja is struck repeatedly by the differences between what she is accustomed to and what life is like in the village. Marayi, Kumaresan’s infuriated mother, rages at him, and is unremittingly cruel to Saroja, while Kumaresan’s relatives and his village decide to cut contact with him, and he takes to drinking. Things falls apart not long after, with tragic rapidity.
The text lays out this story fairly simply, with the intolerances and close-minded behaviours of Marayi and the villagers dominating the increasingly tense story, while Saroja keeps her head down, outwardly being the obedient, quiet wife, as she’s expected to be, never fighting back or disputing the wrongness of the harmful and hate-filled spewing of those around her. Inwardly, we’re shown her increasing anger, terror and pain from her isolation in the village and the growing menace from the people around her, as they focus on Kumarasen’s independent decision to marry a girl without his family’s sanction and who is outside their caste.
A pretty fast read, this story had me sick with fear for Saroja, and wondering how Kumarasen could have so naively brought her to what he surely should have realized would be a miserable and potentially very dangerous situation, as caste-based violence and misogyny-based violence are prevalent. The author’s buildup of tension and fear were great, and terrible as the story’s outcome is, it felt sadly real.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Grove Atlantic for this ARC in exchange for my review.
March 21, 2018
The more I read books by this man, the more I am enamored.
He writes brilliantly and this book is no exception.
Taking simple and real characters, the author has woven a beautiful story while bringing out the evil's of caste system in our society. My heart went out to Saroja.
I will read this book again.
He writes brilliantly and this book is no exception.
Taking simple and real characters, the author has woven a beautiful story while bringing out the evil's of caste system in our society. My heart went out to Saroja.
I will read this book again.
April 14, 2023
Set in Kattuppati, a remote village in Southern India, Pyre is centered around a marriage strained by the dictates of caste identity, personal agony and economic restraint. Following a hasty marriage, Saroja and Kumaresan embarked on a journey to his hometown to live with his mother. While the groom seemed enclosed in a soft, hazy bubble that sheltered him from the reality that awaits them, we can sense a palpable tension and anxiety that Saroja was feeling at that moment.
Perumal Murugan stated in an interview that discussing Indian society without mentioning caste is impossible. Caste, being the central framework of this story, serves as a platform for the author to further explore other related issues such as patriarchal culture, class consciousness and urban versus rural communities. He also demonstrates how deadly, oppressive and debilitating the caste system is, and how the system has complex, numerous implications to one’s being, identity, relationship and economic condition.
Despite the violent and disturbing plot, Pyre is a short and easy read that you can finish in one sitting. However, I found the plot and the writing to be rather simple and straightforward. I also thought that it was a bit ridiculous for Kumaresan to be so naive in thinking that his community would ever accept his wife. It was a bit too much to take.
On the whole, I’m glad I discovered Pyre through International Booker Prize and it made me want to explore the author’s other works, especially One Part Woman.
(Pyre is translated from Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevan)
Perumal Murugan stated in an interview that discussing Indian society without mentioning caste is impossible. Caste, being the central framework of this story, serves as a platform for the author to further explore other related issues such as patriarchal culture, class consciousness and urban versus rural communities. He also demonstrates how deadly, oppressive and debilitating the caste system is, and how the system has complex, numerous implications to one’s being, identity, relationship and economic condition.
Despite the violent and disturbing plot, Pyre is a short and easy read that you can finish in one sitting. However, I found the plot and the writing to be rather simple and straightforward. I also thought that it was a bit ridiculous for Kumaresan to be so naive in thinking that his community would ever accept his wife. It was a bit too much to take.
On the whole, I’m glad I discovered Pyre through International Booker Prize and it made me want to explore the author’s other works, especially One Part Woman.
(Pyre is translated from Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevan)
May 23, 2017
It was right after I finished reading Mathorupagan (One part woman), I came across this book "Pyre" which is the translated version of another famous work "Pookuli" by Perumal Murugan. I decided to get it right away but all I could found was its translated version in stores. Thanks to Chennai book fair'17, a great platform which promoted so many Tamil works, I got this book in there. In fact, there was an opportunity to interact with the author arranged by Publishers only I couldn't make to it. Started reading it right away. Of course the book is bit outdated. We don't see any opposition to these kind of inter-caste marriages nowadays as portrayed in this book. Still whatever described in the events are not unimaginable.
The reading was quite heavy. Unlike Mathorupagan where the author let me enjoy the prose just as I appreciated the story, this one submerged me with sadness, that is not explainable with words. Majorly deals with three characters, Kumeresan, an innocent man who tries his best to be optimistic in all cases. His wife Saroja who was brought up in an uptown environment and after eloping with him, struggles to adapt herself to the new situation where nothing is positive towards her yet hoping for better tomorrow. His mother, who just could not accept this and her mind inducing her one step above hate. I liked the way author let the readers conclude the story and did justice to the title and the point he wanted to make is devoured clear.
After reading Mathorupagan and Pookuli, I started seeing Perumal Murugan's works as an window to show the culture's cruel face which people of this generation often fail to get. The baseless superstitions that existed in the society that we can see its minor percentage in our day-to-day life even today. With all the civilization that we state today, these kind of issues are no more problems and we trying to educate ourselves to come out of the inner circle and be broader in mind and works like this help us to realize where we would be heading otherwise.
The reading was quite heavy. Unlike Mathorupagan where the author let me enjoy the prose just as I appreciated the story, this one submerged me with sadness, that is not explainable with words. Majorly deals with three characters, Kumeresan, an innocent man who tries his best to be optimistic in all cases. His wife Saroja who was brought up in an uptown environment and after eloping with him, struggles to adapt herself to the new situation where nothing is positive towards her yet hoping for better tomorrow. His mother, who just could not accept this and her mind inducing her one step above hate. I liked the way author let the readers conclude the story and did justice to the title and the point he wanted to make is devoured clear.
After reading Mathorupagan and Pookuli, I started seeing Perumal Murugan's works as an window to show the culture's cruel face which people of this generation often fail to get. The baseless superstitions that existed in the society that we can see its minor percentage in our day-to-day life even today. With all the civilization that we state today, these kind of issues are no more problems and we trying to educate ourselves to come out of the inner circle and be broader in mind and works like this help us to realize where we would be heading otherwise.
July 11, 2020
For a person born in comparatively richer pocket of India, relating to a book like this is difficult but it enlightened me about how regressive we are as a society, especially, the economically unprivileged rural strata with little or no education and orthodox belief systems. Caste, Creed and related horrendous dispositions are common in India, even now; albeit, not as stirnly. Honor killings are still prevalent making us retrogressive which hints at a massive system and social failure.
I have always been appreciative of how Mr.Murugan succeeds in bringing into life the characters and teleporting you to the plot settings. His writing is very rooted. Although, pyre was a lacklustre compared to Poonachi but worth the read, nonetheless.
Regional writing is often best when read raw, keeping the essence of native language alive and I never doubt the writing but its always better to read the text in its original form than translations, it never works for me but here, Mr.Aniruddhan has done a wonderful job, still. Using Tamil words kept it connected to original work.
The story progressed rather haphazardly and plot seemed too cliche and a little too intense/shallow at times but the plot development is fine, character development was mediocre but discreet. Saroja failed to convince her gullible and excessively compliant husband to fight against atrocities and he on the other hand kept on ignoring all of it even after being well aware of the evil his wife had to face and endangered to. That’s not how it works! The ending will send a chill down your spine and you’ll be left thinking about it for next few days (a guarantee). 3 stars because It enlightened me about the level to which thinking can stoop and things can go wrong. And also, that we have a long long way to go as a society.
I have always been appreciative of how Mr.Murugan succeeds in bringing into life the characters and teleporting you to the plot settings. His writing is very rooted. Although, pyre was a lacklustre compared to Poonachi but worth the read, nonetheless.
Regional writing is often best when read raw, keeping the essence of native language alive and I never doubt the writing but its always better to read the text in its original form than translations, it never works for me but here, Mr.Aniruddhan has done a wonderful job, still. Using Tamil words kept it connected to original work.
The story progressed rather haphazardly and plot seemed too cliche and a little too intense/shallow at times but the plot development is fine, character development was mediocre but discreet. Saroja failed to convince her gullible and excessively compliant husband to fight against atrocities and he on the other hand kept on ignoring all of it even after being well aware of the evil his wife had to face and endangered to. That’s not how it works! The ending will send a chill down your spine and you’ll be left thinking about it for next few days (a guarantee). 3 stars because It enlightened me about the level to which thinking can stoop and things can go wrong. And also, that we have a long long way to go as a society.
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