• About
    • What is Eco-fiction?
    • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Tour Guide
    • Copyright and Privacy
    • More!
    • News
    • Support Us
  • Authors
    • World Eco-fiction Series
    • Indie Corner
    • Interviews
    • Women Working in Nature and the Arts
    • Quotes
    • Dragonfly Library
  • Books & Database
    • Database
    • Turning the Tide (for kids)
    • Book Recs
    • Reviews
    • Reviews-Youth
  • Submit
  • Games, Film, Music
  • Blog
  • Links and Resources
Dragonfly: An exploration of eco-fiction
  • About
    • What is Eco-fiction?
    • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Tour Guide
    • Copyright and Privacy
    • More!
    • News
    • Support Us
  • Authors
    • World Eco-fiction Series
    • Indie Corner
    • Interviews
    • Women Working in Nature and the Arts
    • Quotes
    • Dragonfly Library
  • Books & Database
    • Database
    • Turning the Tide (for kids)
    • Book Recs
    • Reviews
    • Reviews-Youth
  • Submit
  • Games, Film, Music
  • Blog
  • Links and Resources

On a River’s Bank, A Madhavan

on August 1, 2018

Play Pause Unmute Mute

Unfortunately I cannot find this book at Goodreads yet, but the Hindu Business Line has an interesting article with the title:

Unquiet Flows a River: The English translation of a famed 1974 Tamil novel lets a broader audience take in the ethos of a subaltern people in a fecund Dravidian belt

Amazon has a short description up:

On a River’s Bank is a story of ordinary people through an extraordinary narrative. In what must be a rare and sensitive portrayal of an ugly female character, the author underlines that violation of the river leaves it ugly and invites retribution despite worship. Published originally in 1974 in Tamil, Punalum Manalum is a path-breaking novel raising the issue of environmental degradation through over-exploitation, long before this became a topic of discussion in India. An early example of what is now known as ‘Eco fiction’.

The translation was published in May 2018. I’ll be watching for any updates.

The article at HBL says:

The novel, for all its care for the ‘lowly’ characters, brims with the descriptions of the vibrantly rich flora and fauna of the riparian region. Its endemic birds, animals, plants, flowers and trees besides the changing hues of the sky and the moods of the sun come in opportune times. Often, they add to the mood and conduct of the human beings under a benign local god called Madan Sami, in whose name an annual festival is a big celebration on the banks. Yet, it is the river that occupies a special place: several situations and actions are expressed by uncannily bringing in river-related images. Loneliness, for instance, is like a “river at night”. A cobra and a krait, fighting ferociously, make movements “like whirling current of water”. Thoughts with clarity are like “goldfish swimming”. A fatigue-hit Angusami is like a boat with a hole in the bottom. Such changes are normal: “Even the clear river water turns muddy when it rains.”

Newsletter Sign-Up

Follow

Link Tree

Translate

Selected Interviews

  • Mohammed Ahmad
  • Matt Bell
  • David Brin
  • Aya de León
  • Cory Doctorow
  • Oghenchovwe Ekpeki
  • Omar El Akkad
  • Helon Habila
  • Emmi Itäranta
  • Yun Ko-eun
  • Andrew Krivak
  • Edan Lepucki
  • Wu Ming-Yi
  • Pola Oloixarac
  • Waubgeshig Rice
  • Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • Pitchaya Sudbanthad
  • Tlotlo Tsamaase
  • Sheree Renée Thomas
  • Christiane Vadnais
  • Jeff VanderMeer
  • Read more...

Support

Check here for how you can help support this site!

A trusted .eco domain

Tags

A Madhavan
Written by Mary Woodbury

Leave a Comment Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Geekoscopy Interview
Eco-Genres
DORKS Chat
Extinction Rebellion
Black Lives Matter
Ecofiction Recs
Eco-weird Interview
Black Lives Matter
A History of Eco-fiction
The Ecological Weird
Rewilding Our Stories: Discord
Social Impact Survey Results
Around the World in 80 Books
Rising Appalachia

Copyright © 2023 Dragonfly: An exploration of eco-fiction

Designed by WPZOOM