 Book cover | |
| Author | C. V. Balakrishnan |
|---|---|
| Language | Malayalam, English |
| Genre | Contemporary Fiction, South Asian Culture, Literary Fiction |
| Publisher | DC Books (Malayalam);[1] Niyogi Books (English) |
Publication date | April 1984 (Malayalam); 5 October 2021 (English) |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 232 pp (English paperback edition) |
Ayussinte Pusthakam (transl. The Book of Passing Shadows) (Malayalam:ആയുസ്സിന്റെ പുസ്തകം), is a well-known IndianMalayalam language novel byC. V. Balakrishnan.[2][3][4]
Balakrishnan began writing this novel when he moved toCalcutta in late-1970s. An old edition of theBible at St. Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta triggered the book in him. It took him three years to complete the novel. Says the author: "All the characters and villages of Christian settlers were in my mind long before I began thinking about writingAyussinte Pusthakam. The characters are based on people I met during my course as a school teacher in a village in Kasaragod. I wroteAyussinte Pusthakam at a time when I was going through an emotionally difficult period; my relation with my father was strained and I was feeling very lonely.Ayussinte Pusthakam is about loneliness. The book is also about sin and sadness, written in a style and language that have been judiciously borrowed from The Bible." The protagonist in this novel is Yohannan, and the plot revolves around his ambiguities concerning sexual desire.[2][5]
Ayussinte Pusthakam has been translated into Tamil and English since its publication in 1984. Following is a list containing information about the translated works.[6]
| Language | Title | Publisher | Publishing date | Translator | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamil | உயிர்ப் புத்தகம் (Uyir Puththagam) | Kizhakku Pathippagam | 2007 | V. Krishnamurthy | [7] |
| English | The Book of Passing Shadows | Niyogi Books | 2021 | T.M. Yesudasan | [8] |
The book was translated from Malayalam into English by T.M. Yesudasan,[9] a former associate professor and head, Department of English,CMS College Kottayam. He has contributed to journals and anthologies on literary and cultural studies including the Penguin collection,No Alphabet in Sight: New Dalit Writing from South India.
The novel was adapted into an experimental play bySuveeran.[10][11] The play receivedKerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award of 2008, and participated in several international festivals.
