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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Book Review- The Little Monk and Other Stories


Title:          The Little Monk and Other Stories
Author:      Gaurahari Das
Publisher:  Rupa & Co.
ISBN:        978-81-291-1699-4
MRP:         Rs 95/-

Reading this book was akin to a pleasant journey to Odisha and a very fulfilling experience in exploring the state’s culture and traditions. The stories throw a lot of light on the life and customs of the state, the rural one in particular. Gaurahari Das is a well known name in Oriya literature. This prolific writer and a recipient of ‘Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award’, has till date authored over 40 titles!

Coming to this book, it is an anthology of 14 stories that were originally written in author’s mother tongue and have been translated beautifully in English. The translation is simple and easy on mind and is free of clichés, grammatical mistakes and irritatingly long sentences. Characters are portrayed well and one can relate to them effortlessly.

Five stories revolve around the elderly and their feelings. The title story, ‘The Little Monk’ is a heart touching account of a child forced to become a monk, his miserable conditions and sordid feelings towards the suffocating sanctuary. ‘Father’, which describes the mixed feelings of an educated but jobless man praying for the early death of his father, shows the deplorable effects of unemployment and poverty. ‘Settling Scores’ is yet another sixer from the author! A high rank government official is given a befitting reply by his ex girlfriend and is shown his real place. While ‘The Glass Puppet’ can literally move one to tears, ‘The illusive Tree’ is easy and comic. Apart from being powerful in concept and narrative, stories like ‘Ahalya’s Wedding’ and Urmila’ reveal a lot and can swirl your emotions.

To state that I loved every bit of this title would not be an exaggeration! 

14 comments:

  1. hmm good one, although i find that when we translate we lose the original touch , for example what we can say in hindi we can never say in english .. even if it means the same thing :)

    Hello and how are you Ankita.. its been a long long time since my last visit , i was away for more than a year :)

    Bikram

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    1. Hi Bikram

      Nice to see your comment here! I am fine, how are you? long tym no c :)

      ya I agree, emotions and flavor are lost while translating.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the wonderful review. Will look for this book.

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    Replies
    1. Hi SG

      Thank you for reading the review, I am sure you will like this book too!

      Delete
  3. Interest tickling review

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  4. It sounds like such a great book, Ankita! Thank you so much for the review! I will have to check it out!
    Have a great day!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Katrin

      Thanks mein lieben for checking out the review! I hope you will enjoy reading this book too!

      Delete
  5. Thanks for the review..From the Pic posted here, I liked the cover and the title of the book..makes you want to read :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rohit

      Thanks for the lovely comment! ya, the cover is nice and book as well!

      Delete
  6. The cover looks lovely and so does the title..and going by your review, even the book is a sure delight!

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    1. Hi Red

      ya, the cover is lovely indeed! Thanks a lot for reading the review and also for this nice comment :)

      Delete
  7. I enjoy short stories. This one sounds good.

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