Telugu Women writers-21 -Nidadvolu Malathi The novel, Son of the Soil, published in 1972, supposedly depicts the collapse of zamindari families.[1] The rich landowners were losing their hold on the land, urban life was luring villagers to cities, and the old values were changing fast. Sambayya, who dedicated his entire life to his land, is […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-20 -Nidadvolu Malathi Vasundhara Devi’s long story, “Penjeekatikavvala” [Beyond the Dense Darkness] received critical acclaim for its profound discourse on life and death. The story opens with a brief description of a location in the city, where the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ lived side by side. For all the wealth and the amenities Jayalakshmi, […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-19 -Nidadvolu Malathi The story, “Bhayam”, [Fear of Death] by Tangirala Meera Subrahmanyam throws light on the kind of irrational fears we entertain. It illustrates the unfounded fear of death people experience. It is not a philosophical catechism on death. The author depicts the fear or anxiety that the sight of a dead […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-18 -Nidadvolu Malathi The story “Manchudebba” (Frostbite) addressed one of the very rarely mentioned taboos in society,namely, marriage under false pretenses to hide a man’s impotence. The story opens with Kalyani, a young woman, visiting her grandmother in a small village. She is bored. While on terrace just to pass time, she spots […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-17 -Nidadvolu Malathi Synopsis: Kannamma was a working class woman. After her husband had left her and her baby for another woman, she was looking for work to make a living. She took several odd jobs, but each time, she found herself cornered. Every man she had come across assaulted her or made […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-16 -Nidadvolu Malathi One story illustrating the woman’s awareness, just awareness only, is “Eduru Chusina Muhurtam” [The Long Awaited Moment] by P. Saraladevi. The story illustrates woman’s perception of how she was being ignored by her family members. At the age of six, little Durga started looking around and wanting the things she […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-15 -Nidadvolu Malathi 3. THEMES In the preceding chapter, we have noted how Telugu women writers moved away from bhakti tradition of self-effacing to the awareness of self (identity) following the nationalist and social movements. It is important to note that the original intent of the social reformers and educationists was not instilling […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-14 -Nidadvolu Malathi Use of Pseudonyms Use of pseudonyms in the latter half of the twentieth century requires special mention. Unlike in the United States and Great Britain, Telugu women writers did not use male pseudonyms. Those who used pseudonyms picked only female names. For example, Aravinda (A.S. Mani), Syamala Rani (Akella Kamala […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-13 -Nidadvolu Malathi The reviewer also noted that a reader from the audience sent a note to the podium in the form of a poem, “Oh voyagers! Bring our women writers down to the earth,” implying women writers were writing unrealistic stories. Lata said in response, “Why don’t you look up and acknowledge […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-12 -Nidadvolu Malathi Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi The state government formed Sahitya Akademi [a literary organization] in 1957. One of the functions of Akademi was announcing awards annually to the best works in several categories. In 1976, the Akademi announced awards for works in various literary genres as usual but excluded fiction from […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-11 -Nidadvolu Malathi Female Scholars’ Perspective in the Academy Some of the contemporary women writers from the academy subscribed to the view that Sulochana Rani’s fiction was doing more harm than good to the society. C. Anandaramam, a noted writer and Telugu professor, commented in her study of fiction of the seventies and […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-10 -Nidadvolu Malathi The Academy The academy continued to be indifferent, despite the unprecedented interest the readers, the magazine editors, and publishers were showing in the fiction by women writers at this time. Women writers were conspicuous by their absence in the critical works produced by the academy in the sixties and early […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-9 -Nidadvolu Malathi Magazine Editors and Circulation Numbers During my interviews with women writers, several of them mentioned that the magazine editors encouraged them. The names included Narla Venkateswara Rao, Gora Sastry, Khasa Subba Rao, and Puranam Subrahmanya Sarma. Other weekly and monthly magazines like Sahiti, Swati, Yuva, Tharuna, and Jayasri also were […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-8 -Nidadvolu Malathi Economic Status Economic status did not play a crucial role in women’s writing in the early fifties. In the past, supporting the family was not woman’s responsibility. Therefore, economics was not a part of the equation. The situation has changed, drastically after women entered the workforce. Ironically, the question became […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-7 -Nidadvolu Malathi Marital Status Regarding marriage, most of these writers have shown some kind of independent thinking. Each of them seemed to have taken a stand in their own way. Achanta Sarada Devi mentioned that she had ample opportunity to read books because of her marriage with Janakiram in 1944. Malati Chendur […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-6 -Nidadvolu Malathi AT HOME Before discussing the unprecedented success of women writers in Andhra Pradesh, let us review their education, familial and economic status in the fifties and sixties. Education In families even with moderate income, sending girls to public schools started in the late nineteenth century. By mid-twentieth century, young women […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-5 -Nidadvolu Malathi 2.FAMILIAL STATUS and SOCIAL CONDITIONS In the preceding chapter, I attempted to trace some of the trends regarding women’s education in upper classes and their creative writing, which was mostly poetry. In this chapter, I shall examine the next stage in the evolution of women’s writing—-a spirited mix of tradition […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-4 -Nidadvolu Malathi Recognition and Reward Next to publishing, the second shift from the past was in the area of recognition and reward for writings by women. Attempting to put these two issues in the social context of Andhra Pradesh is a complex task. The complexities arise from the multi-layered familial relationships as […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-3 -Nidadvolu Malathi Kanuparti Varalakshmamma (1896-1978), erudite writer, gave a compelling account of the social conditions during this period in her article entitled, “Dharmapatni Rajyalakshmamma”: “After her husband [Veeresalingam] started the widow remarriage movement, it became a fierce struggle for her to maintain her relationship with her natal home. It became impossible to […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-2 1950-1975, Andhra Pradesh, India (An Analytical Study of Historical, Familial and Social Conditions that contributed to women writers’ phenomenal success immediately after declaration of Independence.) -Nidadvolu Malathi PUTTING AN END TO THE BOILERPLATE LITERARY HISTORY Foreword By Kalpana Rentala We have one thousand years of literary history. Up until now, there […]
Continue ReadingTelugu Women writers-1 1950-1975, Andhra Pradesh, India (An Analytical Study of Historical, Familial and Social Conditions that contributed to women writers’ phenomenal success immediately after declaration of Independence.) -Nidadvolu Malathi FOREWORD BY AUTHOR In the history of Telugu fiction, one quarter of a century following the achievement of our independence in 1947, from 1950 to […]
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