From Pulp to the Core

Showcasing a literature not found in bookstores or libraries.

The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction; Selected and Translated by Pritham K.Chakravarthy and edited by Rakesh Khanna; Blaft Publications Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, Rs. 195



In a move that is arguably fraught with risk and reminiscent of Cultural Studies debates, The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction showcases, with a passionate, sentimental fondness, a literature that thrives not in bookstores or libraries but in tea stalls and the backseats of school buses. This book assures readers with a soft corner for Tamil pulp that they don’t need to have their heads examined.

In a breezily written translator’s note, Pritham Chakravarthy traces the evolution of pulp fiction and the history of its readership. She makes a strong case for translating into English a body of texts that have enjoyed, unlike “high” literature, an active readership across caste and class groups. The selection ranges from “soft” romances to detective fiction. From Tamilvanan with his detective character Shankarlal to Pushpa Thangadorai’s narrative on the lives of prostitutes and Ramanichandran’s formulaic take on what makes a good wife, the anthology showcases an impressive range. In her translations, Pritham Chakravarthy has successfully managed to retain the idiom peculiar to pulp.

Variable quality

As for the stories themselves, they vary in quality and readability. Tamilvanan’s “Tokyo Rose” with its James Bond-like Shankarlal and Rajesh Kumar’s tightly crafted “Matchstick Number One” are good reads but some of the other fiction, “My Name is Kamala” by Pushpa Thangadorai and Ramanichandran’s “The Rich Woman” for instance, are disappointingly bland and lacking in sub-text.

Obviously, Tamil pulp like its counterparts from other parts of the world, is mostly written to fit a formula, notwithstanding the occasional attempts at experimentation. One is more or less able to anticipate how everything will eventually end. With this, perhaps, comes the guaranteed pleasure of an easy read. Plots race ahead at top speed, flat characters and inconsistencies (such as the illustration on the cover having nothing to do with the story) abound. Pritham Chakravarthy quotes from the guidelines laid out by Sudhandhira Sangu in a 1933 article titled “The Secret of Commercial Novel Writing”: “The title of the book should carry a woman’s name – and it should be a sexy one …Don’t worry about the story line….The story should begin with a murder… “You can make money only if you are able to titillate.”

Writing pulp fiction requires a certain kind of talent and stamina, a devil may care attitude and a sound understanding of what will sell.

Prolific

Most writers featured here are hugely prolific. Rajesh Kumar has published more than 1,250 novels, Ramanichandran, the romance writer is currently working on her 125th novel and the detective writer Pattukkottai Prabakar writes “non-stop, nearly twelve hours a day, taking only two breaks in the morning and afternoon for a cigarette and a cup of filter coffee”.

Even as I acknowledge the right to life of Tamil pulp, I have a quarrel to pick with its lack of meticulousness. Craft matters even if your readers are “low brow”. Unfortunately, we suffer from a dearth of good popular writing. Readers evolve and so should books.