The Modern Tamil Novel: Changing Identities and Transformations

Abstract

This essay examines the articulation of voices and genres of the Indian contemporary multilingual canon by introducing Tamil fiction and the impact of translation on it. Holmström reconstructs the development of the modern novel in Tamil in the past decades, discussing in particular some authors who have been deemed to be extremely influential on the course of recent Tamil literary history. Ashokamitran, Sundara Ramaswamy, Ambai, and Bama have narrated the story of the individual in times of political and social change both in Tamil Nadu and in India, each with their own innovative point of view, including feminist, Dalit, and diasporic perspectives. Many important works by these four novelists have been translated into other Indian languages as well as into English. Some have been translated into European languages such as French, Spanish, and German. Yet some translations have taken on a life of their own, while others have not. In the essay’s final remarks, the relationship between the original text and its successful translation is explored.