The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Malayalam scores another first

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Malayalam scores another first

Now that the heat and dust of elections are over, a large section of Malayalis and the Church in particular, are eagerly awaiting the day when the Malayalam translation of Dan Brown's bestseller, Da Vinci Code hits the shelves.

The Malayalam translation of this thriller, which had taken the world by storm, would be first in any Indian language.

Two Delhi-based journalists, Jomy Thomas and R. Gopikrishnan, have translated the book.

The Malayalam version of Da Vinci Code is being brought out by DC books and is expected to hit the shelves on May 19, to time with the global release of the book's movie version, directed by Ron Howard.

According to DC Books, already some 10,000 copies of the Malayalam version have been sold in a pre-publication offer.

Malayalam has rarely had any books in the thriller genre.

The breath-holding adventure of symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu, as they zip across Europe deciphering the cryptic clues to an ancient secret, should thus be a refreshing experience to Malayalam readers.

The Vatican has already denounced the book, which dwells on Jesus Christ's association with Mary Magdalene.

Whether the Malayalam version will spark off a controversy in the Church is something to watch for.

C. Maya

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