A Guest for Arundhathi and Other Stories is an anthology, comprising 10 translated short stories by Sethumadhavan, commonly known as Sethu. The Author, who originally writes in Malayalam, is known for his literary masterpiece, Pandavapuram, and is one of the pioneers of modern Malayalam fiction.
Translated by K Kunhikrishnan, this book gives us a flavour of Sethu’s writing without losing its essence in translation.
Upon first glance, readers might get the impression that the compilation contains some very simple and ordinary stories. But Sethu’s remarkable way of chronicling the lives of unremarkable people and the powerful messages that each one of them contains prove to be compelling.
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A Guest for Arundhathi captures the complexity of every day in a subtle and interesting way.
Flipping through the initial few pages, I had complained about the 216-page book. Two of the stories — Her Corner of Earth and Ammalu the Eligible Girl — gave me the impression that the author liked to ramble and focus on redundant details. At the time, I referred to the author as a circumlocutor and thought he had failed to do justice to Sethu’s work.
A. Sethumadhavan
However, when I finished reading the anthology, I realised just how wrong I had been.
Sethu delves deeper into the intricacies of human mind in an engrossing manner. He captures in equal measure an old woman’s desire to visit the US owing to a deep reverence for Abraham Lincoln and her yearning to return to her motherland. Two of the stories, Her Corner of Earth and Family Tree carries valuable message for the audience. Meanwhile, Ammalu the Eligible Girl is both witty and awe-inspiring. The exchange of dialogues between Ammalu and Ramankutty, the couple-to-be, will entertain and tantalise readers.
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The title story explores the life of 47-year old Arundhathi who works as a secretary at a small firm in Mumbai. The protagonist carries the seeds of her past in a strange and secret way. The story of her life makes one realise the importance of love and how it can ensure survival.
Other stories such as The Babysitter and Shades of Blue build on a similar motif. However, the emphasis is not on the love for a significant other. On the contrary, these stories explore a grandparent’s affectionate for their grandchildren. I am sure the struggles of Manju Auntie and the prayers of Narayani Amma will make readers understand that there are some relationships which cannot be overlooked.
Nothing can be as great as a writer’s ability to produce a masterpiece that represents reality. Sethu’s achievements as a writer cannot be overlooked as his work is both topical and invigorating. The last four short writings — The Onam Market, Password, The Initiation, and The City — serve as welcome proof of his literary prowess. Overall, Sethu has successfully attempted to write this work of fiction in a very non-fictional manner.
Kunhikrishnan, in the translator’s note, states, “For the translator the first challenge is to transport the world of the short stories to another culture with their moisture and fragrance intact, and at the same time to present them in an ambience the English reader will be able to appreciate. To achieve this, I had to take liberties in certain contexts by making small deviations from the Malayalam text.”
This translation of the Malayalam book strikes a chord in spite of these creative compromises.
Although an easy read, A Guest for Arundhathi offers interpretations that are astute and, at times, challenging. This anthology bears something for everyone no matter how it is read or interpreted.
Title: A Guest for Arundhathi and Other Stories
Author: Sethu
Translator: K Kunhikrishnan
Pages: 216
Publisher: Palimpsest Publishers India
ISBN: 978-93-826220-3-1
Price: $12
The author is an undergraduate student with a keen interest in
clinical psychology.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2015.
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