The Book of Passing Shadows

Ayussinte Pusthakam
Book cover
AuthorC. V. Balakrishnan
LanguageMalayalam, English
GenreContemporary Fiction, South Asian Culture, Literary Fiction
PublisherDC Books (Malayalam);[1] Niyogi Books (English)
Publication date
April 1984 (Malayalam); 5 October 2021 (English)
Publication placeIndia
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages232 pp (English paperback edition)

Ayussinte Pusthakam (transl. The Book of Passing Shadows) (Malayalam: ആയുസ്സിന്റെ പുസ്തകം), is a well-known Indian Malayalam language novel by C. V. Balakrishnan.[2][3][4]

Development

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Writing

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Balakrishnan began writing this novel when he moved to Calcutta in late-1970s. An old edition of the Bible at St. Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta triggered the book in him. It took him three years to complete the novel. Says the author: "All the characters and villages of Christian settlers were in my mind long before I began thinking about writing Ayussinte Pusthakam. The characters are based on people I met during my course as a school teacher in a village in Kasaragod. I wrote Ayussinte Pusthakam at a time when I was going through an emotionally difficult period; my relation with my father was strained and I was feeling very lonely. Ayussinte Pusthakam is about loneliness. The book is also about sin and sadness, written in a style and language that have been judiciously borrowed from The Bible." The protagonist in this novel is Yohannan, and the plot revolves around his ambiguities concerning sexual desire.[2][5]

Translations

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Ayussinte Pusthakam has been translated into Tamil and English since its publication in 1984. Following is a list containing information about the translated works.[6]

Language Title Publisher Publishing date Translator Reference
Tamil உயிர்ப் புத்தகம் (Uyir Puththagam) Kizhakku Pathippagam 2007 V. Krishnamurthy [7]
English The Book of Passing Shadows Niyogi Books 2021 T.M. Yesudasan [8]

English translation

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The book was translated from Malayalam into English by T.M. Yesudasan,[9] a former associate professor and head, Department of English, CMS College Kottayam. He has contributed to journals and anthologies on literary and cultural studies including the Penguin collection, No Alphabet in Sight: New Dalit Writing from South India.

Adaptations

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Drama

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The novel was adapted into an experimental play by Suveeran.[10][11] The play received Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award of 2008, and participated in several international festivals.

References

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  1. ^ "You are being redirected..." dcbookstore.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Hindu : Friday Review Thiruvananthapuram / Interview : Book of life". 20 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-07-20. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Of a Family's Fall from Grace".
  4. ^ "The Book of Passing Shadows: Journey to Redemption - Asian Lite UAE". 21 November 2021.
  5. ^ "ആയുസ്സിന്റെ പുസ്തകം നാലു പതിറ്റാണ്ടുകള്‍ക്കു ശേഷം വായിക്കുമ്പോള്‍: ഇ.വി.രാമകൃഷ്ണന്‍". 20 March 2023.
  6. ^ "'ആയുസ്സിന്റെ പുസ്തകം' ഇനി ഇംഗ്ലിഷിലും".
  7. ^ "10% off – உயிர்ப் புத்தகம் – Uyir Puththagam – ஸி.லி. பாலகிருஷ்ணன் – கிழக்கு பதிப்பகம் – Kizhakku Pathippagam".
  8. ^ "CV Balakrishnan on the English version of 'Ayussinte Pusthakam'".
  9. ^ Venkiteswaran, C. s. (11 December 2021). "C.S. Venkiteswaran reviews C.V. Balakrishnan's 'The Book of Passing Shadows'". The Hindu.
  10. ^ A searing exploration of sin. The Hindu, 26 December 2009.
  11. ^ Fix a date with theatre. The Hindu, 28 May 2008.
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