Gopallapuram

The story of a village and its quirky and resilient inhabitants

Key Features/Quotes

• The author weaves legend, myth, history and good old-fashioned storytelling in this wonderful contemporary classic by Sahitya Akademi award-winning author
• ‘An original composition’—M.A. Nuhman

About the Book: Gopallapuram

A highway robber murders a pregnant young woman for her jewellery. He is caught and sentenced to death by impalement in Gopallapuram.

A community of Telugu speakers migrates to the Tamil country to escape Muslim rule. They transform a barren land, turning it into a fertile, verdant village.

A horde of bandits attempts to raid a village but is foiled by the unarmed, inventive villagers.

Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Ki. Rajanarayanan weaves legend, myth, history and good old-fashioned storytelling in this wonderful contemporary classic.

About the Author: Ki. Rajanarayanan, Pritham K. Chakravarthy (Tr.)

Ki. Rajanarayanan (b. 1922) has spent over five decades gathering the most exotic tales of his favourite land, Karisal Kadu—the scorched drought-stricken land in Tamil Nadu. Popularly known as Ki. Ra., he is a powerful storyteller. His short story ‘Mayamaan’ (1958) is considered the hallmark of the golden age of modern Tamil literature. An English translation of his collection of folk tales, Where Are You Going, You Monkeys?, was recently published to much acclaim. He has been the recipient of the prestigious Kalaimamani and Sahitya Akademi awards.

THE TRANSLATOR

Pritham K. Chakravarthy is a storyteller, theatre activist, freelance scholar and translator. She presently teaches film history and dramaturgy at Ramanaidu Film School, Hyderabad. She has translated the highly acclaimed The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction (Volumes 1 and 2), among other books.