Contemporary Tamil literature
KANAIYAZHI KALANJIYAM — Vols. III & IV (Tamil): N. S. Jagannathan — Compiler; Kalaignan Pathippagam, 10, Kannadhasan Salai, T. Nagar, Chennai-600017. Rs. 300 each.
THE TWO volumes under review bring together the writings published in the Tamil literary magazine Kanaiyazhi during 1985-95. While the two earlier volumes published a few years ago were devoted to the first two decades of its existence, the third decade has two volumes to itself. Kanaiyazhi, especially during the first few decades of its existence, provided the space for self-consciously serious writing that could not find a place in the mainstream commercial press.
Volume three consists of over 70 short stories. Apart from senior writers like A. Madhavan, R.Chudamani and Adhavan many young writers who emerged as major writers in the later half of the 1990s such as Jeyamohan, Perumal Murugan and S. Ramakrishnan, as well as promising new voices such as Uma Maheswari are represented in this volume. Somewhat inexplicably over 10 short stories are carried over to the fourth volume as well.
Apart from two plays by Jeyanthan, a selection of poems and essays form the meatier part of the fourth volume. Poetry was never Kanaiyazhi's forte, which is reflected in the selection included here, though it includes Kalyanji, Gnanakoothan and the then promising poetic voices of Yuma. Vasuki and Manushya Puthiran.
In the last section consisting of essays many seasoned hands are at work. Included are some of the impressionistic essays that Ka.Naa. Subramanyam wrote during the last years of life which reveal his fine, if controversial, literary tastes. The details that he provides of literary culture at the dawn of Tamil modernity have its uses.
Indira Parthasarathy's columns provide offbeat views on contemporary Tamil culture. Sujatha's superficial column called "Kadaisi pakkam" which drew many readers to the magazine is also adequately represented. Gnanakoothan's forays into poetics are useful to the uninitiated. Obituaries of Ka.Naa.Su. and Adhavan and interviews with veteran writers Chitti and La.Sa.Ramamrutham are the other highlights.
A debate on the Dravidian movement, which produced more heat than light, initiated by the "progressive' writer Ponneelan is also reproduced. This debate would make more sense when read in conjunction with the contemporary exchanges in the literary supplement of Dinamani. A significant absence in these volumes is Ashokamitran, an editor of Kanaiyazhi himself, who wrote regularly in its pages.
Undoubtedly these volumes that reproduce substantive selections from not easily accessible journals is particularly welcome. The editor should be complimented for taking care to provide first publication details, which were absent in the first volume published earlier. However the selections seem rather arbitrary and no organising principle is evident.
The serious and the frivolous jostle together and distract the reader. An introduction detailing the origin and growth of the journal, which also situates it in the literary context of the times, would have been apt. It is disappointing that a seasoned editor such as N.S. Jagannathan has not attempted it.
These volumes are a part of the series brought out by the publisher to reproduce selections from major Tamil journals, the archival value of which cannot be gainsaid. The publishers deserve praise despite the many misprints and typos.
A. R. VENKATACHALAPATHY
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