Tales of Athiranippadam

Book Name in English : Tales of Athiranippadam

Athiranippadam - the land peopled by a mesmerising variety of men and women, is not a mere geographical coordinate. It holds within its embrace the stories of its inhabitants, their sorrows, love, laughter, sighs, strokes of fortune, and bitter destruction. Sreedharan grows into manhood in this land. He is both a witness and a participant in some of the momentous events that at times change, and at times twist, the fortunes of Athiranippadam. Tales of Athiranippadam, translated from the Malayalam Oru Desathinte Katha, is the fictionalised autobiography of S.K. Pottekkatt, the acclaimed Malayalam writer. Sreedharan, the protagonist, offers us a glimpse of the author's personal reality enmeshed with the unsung saga of a little corner of the earth. Athiranippadam , where he was raised. The narrative uses an interesting mix of street gossip, fairy tale and recorded history and filters it through a perspective that is at once involved and detached. The characters that enliven these pages hold within them likenesses of people we have met, conversations we have had, places we have seen and events we may know. Oru Desanthinte Katha was the first published in 1971 in Malayalam. It won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1972, and the Jnanpith award in 1980.