Jayakanthan (1934-2015) is one of my favorite Tamil novelists. I
like his simple straightforward narrative styles and simple themes without twists
and turns which make readers tense. But the smooth flowing style makes you read
this small book to its last page in a
stretch. Jayakanthan magic, lemme say.
'Joseph wept' is the
translation of his Tamil novella 'Yarukkaka Azhuthan ' which got published in
the prestigious Tamil weekly 'Anantha Vikatan' during 1960. While finishing the
novel I was all for Joseph, who taught me the greatness of forgiving. Many a times
have I felt that the act of forgiving is a form of weakness when you are too
timid to react. But in this novel, the ignorant, illiterate Joseph, who respectfully
slauted everybody a 'my Lord, ' who was considered a fool by his colleagues,
who was addressed as 'rogue-eyed', and who could not weep at all, rises to the
so called Godliness, through his simple acts. His explanations on why he
silently bore the insults, amazed me like anything.
Eventhough I had read the
Malayalam translations of his novels, I had never bothered to find out anything
about the novelist so far. My admiration knew no bounds when I happened to read
more about Jayakanthan. Quoting Hindustan times,
"The ten-year-old boy who ran away from home to
Madras and lived in a workers' `commune' affiliated to the Communist Party of
India; the teenager who spent his days and nights among Chennai's underclass;
the young man who was inspired by Bharathi's vision of modernity as well as the
great tradition of Tamil poetry going back to the sangam period; and the
self-made writer who, after small beginnings in party journals, burst into the
mainstream with a string of coruscating stories in Ananda Vikatan over a period
of several years.The rest, they say ,is history ."
Joseph weeps is also a famous biblical story, the author must have chosen the title because of that, I presume-anybody can presume anything while reading, right?
The book is translated into English by A.A.Hakim, and was published by The Christian Literature Society, Chennai. I do not know whether it's available in print now. Mine is a very old copy, originally possessed by my parents.
Here is the link on my write up-and not review, mind you- in
Malayalam on two of his novels, for those who are interested.
