The short stories in 'The Second Marriage Of Kunju Namboodiri' give new life to Malayalam classics

The Malayalam edition of the Mini Krishnan-helmed collections of newly translated classic short stories offers readers a glimpse into the changing social landscape of Kerala. Covering stories written and published across forty decades, the writers of navigate the various promises of the early 20th century: education, freedom, and the emancipation of women. Venugopal Menon serves as the translator for the nineteen stories of the collection, also contributing a detailed translator's note that enriches the reading experience. In it, Menon deconstructs the stories, offers insight into their source, and, of course, proffers insights into the translation process that are sagacious enough to warrant a longer essay. One such introductory highlight is an older quote by Krishnan:

“The struggle a translator faces when he/she has to translocate jasmine from Coimbatore to somewhere in Scotland … would it retain its heady fragrance … if it lost something, would it gain something else … say size?”

One of the most delectable throughlines across Krishnan's three books is the introductory pieces: Krishnan's note on the series, the translator's note, and an introduction – in this volume written by MM Basheer, a figure who worked alongside Krishnan in the selection of...