I do regret missing out on the works of Thakazhi, O V Vijayan, M Mukundan, M T Vasudevan Nair and Vaikom Basheer in their original forms. I believe that at times the texture is lost in translations. However, Gita Krishnankutty who translated this book by Madhavan Kutty has done an excellent job. People who can understand Malayalam can comprehend the retention of the original nuances and the essence of the experience. There definitely is an art in translating and ‘The Village Before Time’ is a good illustration of that.
“Whether this book is fiction or memory is besides the point. There is an incredible abundance of characters and situations. This sheer exuberance leave us with a deep fictional experience”, says O V Vijayan. This is an apt summing up of the book, though I disagree on the exuberance part. The book is definitely not sprightly or joyful, it is realistic and simple. This is an autobiographical book narrated from the view of a young boy. It is a child’s perspective, and the child does not read into people or situations deeper than what is visible. It is for the reader to do that. The characters are people you meet in any village in Kerala, the events are not really unique and can happen in any family. There is this poignant part about Kuttimalu, his grand aunt. Her beauty is her curse like Midas’ touch. It really is heart wrenching despite the fact that it narrated with no artifice. The uncle Kittunni Nair, his friend Gopalan, the Post Master Abraham are delightfully Pickwickian. Paruthipally is strongly remniscent of R K Narayan’s Malgudi - the distinct characters, the buildings, the roads, the post office. The reader is also taken through Nair customs, beliefs and traditions including marumakkathayam (the matriarchal set up), and untouchability.
One enduring aspect of the book is that Madhavan Kutty takes no stance, makes no judgement and peddles no philosophy.There is no plot, there is no deep delineation in terms of characterisation, no effort in symbolism or imagery and yet it keeps you hooked. One issue I have with the book is that there are so many characters that sometimes you have to flip back to place him or her. A family tree would have worked well.
Three and a half stars on five is my verdict
