THE GREATEST TAMIL STORIES EVER TOLD

The Greatest Tamil Stories Ever Told is a collection of 30 short stories all written by different authors and translated by different translators as well. Selected and edited by Sujatha Vijayaraghavan and Mini Krishnan, these stories dive through different genres and similarly their backgrounds are also as diverse as well. But before I start with this review, there’s something that needs to be said about the kind of book this is. When a book comes out that has the word ‘greatest’ or other such adjectives in its title and aims at compiling stories from another language, it will always miss out several stories and authors who are ‘great’ as well. In no way do these books aim at demeaning the work of others but because a few people are going to compile the stories, the ‘greatness’ itself is going to be subjective. Hence it would be better if I talk about the stories that have been included than the ones which could've been.As someone who loves to read Indian translated works, this book surely is a trip to the wonderland of literature. The first story itself, ‘A Village Experience’ by S. V. V. is about a man who has to go to his daughter’s in-law’s home as a condolence visit, dictated by societal norms he is being dragged there by his wife. A simple yet striking tale how lives & behavior of people are built around practicing social customs even though what they might feel at a specific time can be quite the opposite. Apart from this, another story which I would like to mention is Ambai’s ‘Journey 4’ & of course Perumal Murugan’s ‘The Goat Thief’ each equally beautifully written and translated. I can’t wait to read more stories coming from different states as well as different authors. Please do pick it up.

Liked the book.Very engaging stories

I'm not enjoying this book; the stories aren't interesting or engaging

Tamil short stories effortlessly move in and out of traditional practices and innovative actions, and I enjoy the way they never fail to shine in an aura that is most definitively recognisable as Tamilians writing. This anthology was no different. A set of 30 stories—curated very ably and translated with caution—can easily be a week well spent among Tamil customs and lifestyle.What I felt most contentment for was the measurement in the stories—of how much to put and of what, filtering down excesses and amplifying scarcities. Most writers here seem to have an immaculate control over their writing instrument, which is to imply that they never tread too far over the fences, neither do they agree to remain confined by invisible shackles. There was a prospect of open-endedness in many, and I say this to emphasize on the fact that a vast section of these stories refuses to teach you any major point, but still leave behind an aftertaste that makes you glimpse what the writer was trying to pen down. Interpersonal dialogues and confrontations in relationships often steered the course of the stories to better meanings, and this added to the characterisations indirectly without much fuss. I found a heavy emphasis in complexity in human judgement prevailing as a massive thematic interface in many of the stories, which undoubtedly adds to the writers’ calibre and vision.In all, ‘The Greatest Tamil Stories Ever Told’ was witty and emotionally tangible, and I cannot wait to explore more of Tamil fiction—more of the lesser translated authors whose prowess can only be measured in the regional dialect, my blankness for which is therefore a regret for me.

How can I write a review when only the first story downloads????Please explain : why doesn’t the rest of the book download on to my Kindle app here on my iPad?The greatest stories from Odia has downloaded, so why not the Tamil..?

This is probably an insult to the tamil short stories.. Blasphemy...there is a huge list of writers who are missed out and third rate weekly magazine writers are touted as the great..anyone who reads anything worthwhile in Tamil would be insulted..

If there is no story by Ki Rajanarayan in this list. This book does not even hold any eligibility of Even tone called as 'Good'. Let's forget about. This is all to soothe brahminical mind set.

This book should be named as “Our favourite short stories” since there is no Jeyamohan, Pudhumai Pithan, Vannadhaasan, etc., writers stories. It’s not widely collected and these are not yet the best Tamil stories