Kuvempu’s second novel Malegalalli Madumagalu was published in 1967, more than 30 years after he came out with his first novel Kanuru Heggadati (1936)
Published – October 07, 2024 04:07 pm IST – Shivamogga – THE HINDU BUREAU
An English translation of Kuvempu’s magnum opus Malegalalli Madumagalu, by VanamalaViswanatha, is now out under the title Bride in the Hills. The translation has been brought out by Penguin Books.
This is the second translation of the classic work of Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa, better knownby his pen name Kuvempu.
Earlier, Dr. K.M. Srinivasa Gowda and G.K. Srikantamurthy translated it into English as The Bridein the Rainy Mountains. The book was brought out by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Pratishtana.
Kuvempu’s second novel Malegalalli Madumagalu was published in 1967, more than 30 yearsafter he came out with his first novel Kanuru Heggadati (1936).
Malegalalli Madumagalu is set in the latter part of the 19 century. It narrates the stories ofpeople in Malnad, where women characters occupy significant space. It is a widely read andcritically acclaimed novel in Kannada. The 34 edition of the novel was published in 2021.
Vanamala Viswanatha, in her introduction to the translation, says, “With this magnum opus, Kuvempu stands tall in the company of Tagore and Tolstoy, and Manto and Marquez.”
About her translation, she says her work has ‘strived to grasp, and follow the structure of feelingand texture of experience of each of the characters and situations’.
Vanamala Viswanatha, a bilingual scholar and a translator, is known for her translations of worksof Purnachandra Tejaswi, Vaidehi, U.R. Ananthamurthy, Sara Aboobacker, Lankesh, amongothers. She has also translated ancient and medieval Kannada texts into English, including vachanas, The Life of Harishchandra, and Vaddaradhane.
Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
