Anthill

by Thomas, Vinoy; Nandakumar, K.

• ISBN13: 9780143458654
• ISBN10: 0143458655
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2023-05-07
• Publisher: Vintage Books

Summary

The Adhikarathil family had a distinguished history. It prospered both in terms of wealth and eminence, acquiring the status of royalty in Malabar, Kerala, until the birth of a child named Eranimos shocked everyone. Unlike his fair-skinned, Christian forebears, Eranimos was born dark-skinned, leading to controversial conjectures about his lineage.

Blackened tells the story of its protagonist’s quest to discover the truth behind his dark skin and caste identity. But weaved into this personal tale are multiple layers of Kerala’s social and political histories—its caste conflicts, its massive waves of conversion and migration, its clashing belief systems, and its rural and urban divide.

Originally published as Karikkottakkary in Malayalam, Blackened is an impactful bildungsroman that covers the arc of a conflicted life, and shows us how family histories are tied into the larger historical currents that form communities and shape destinies.

Author Biography

<b>Vinoy Thomas (Author) </b><br> Vinoy Thomas hails from Nellikkampoyil, Iritty, in north Kerala. A school teacher by profession, he is one of the most promising young writers in Malayalam. His short story collections include <i>Ramachi, Mullaranjanam </i>and<i> Adiyormisiha Enna Novel. </i>His maiden novel, <i>Karikkottakkary</i> (English translation soon to be published by Penguin Random House),<i> </i>was selected as one of the best five novels in the DC Books competition. His second novel, <i>Puttu </i>(<i>Anthill</i>), won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for the Best Malayalam Novel of 2021. In 2019, <i>Ramachi </i>had<i> </i>won the same award for short stories. Vinoy has also authored a children's book, <i>Anatham Piriyatham. </i>His short stories have been made into movies. He is also a gifted scriptwriter and has to his credit a few acclaimed movies.<br><br><b>Nandakumar K. (Translator) </b><br> <b>NANDAKUMAR K.</b> started his career as a subeditor at <i>Financial Express </i>after obtaining a master's degree in economics. Following a career in international marketing and general management, which has taken him to around fifty countries in the world, he now works for a shipping line in Dubai. He has co-translated from the Malayalam M. Mukundan's novel <i>Delhi: A Soliloquy</i>. He has also translated a short-story collection by Indu Menon, titled <i>The Lesbian Cow</i>, and has retold a selection of stories from the Kathasaritsagara in English (due in 2021). Nandakumar is the grandson of Mahakavi Vallathol Narayana Menon.<br><br>