The Literature Student

Sleepless I Kept the Night's Vigil : Malayalam Explanation   Al-Khansa 7th century tribeswoman who lived in Arabian Peninsula one of the most influential poets of the pre Islamic and early Islamic periods finest author of Arabic elegies wrote about the death of two brothers- Muawiyah and Sakhr collected poetry of Al Khansa- the  Diwan -  reflects the pagan fatalism of the tribes of pre Islamic Arabia Sleepless I Kept the Night's Vigil  Sleepless I kept the night vigil, Eyes khol-blackened ruts. I watched the stars, though no watchman, Me, wrapped in wragged robes. For I had heard news- and no news for joy- Word of you: 'Here is Sakhr, hurled to the ground, skirted by stones.' Go then, to God's care, You whose heart quickened at wrong, You like the spear-tip Whose bright shape lit the night, You, bitterly resolved, free-born, and the son of the free- Go! I will weep for you So long as the ring-dove wails And stars brighten The road for the traveller. And I will not m...

Women Like Me : Malayalam Explanation   Maram al Massri Syrian writer, living in Paris is considered one of the most renowned and captivating feminine voices of her generation in Arabic famous work: A Red Cherry on a White Tiled Floor (1997) her poetry vividly encapsulates the frailty of human condition in a brutal society Women Like Me {poem} Women like me do not know how to speak. A word remains in their throats like a thorn they choose to swallow. Women like me know nothing except weeping, impossible weeping suddenly pouring like a severed artery. Women like me receive blows and do not dare return them. They shake with anger, they subdue it. Like lions in cages, women like me dream . . . of freedom . . . Detailed Analysis  The poem reflects the inner turmoil and oppression experienced by women who are denied a voice, forced into silence, and subjected to suffering. It articulates the speaker’s emotional state through vivid imagery and metaphors, representing a collective ex...

Malayalam Explanation   Dalya Cohen-Mor Dalya Cohen-Mor is a literary scholar of Middle Eastern background educated in the Netherlands and the United States. She earned her PhD in Arabic language and literature from Georgetown University. An award-winning author, she has published several books on Arab culture and society, among them A Matter of Fate: The Concept of Fate in the Arab World as Reflected in Modern Arabic Literature (2001),  Arab Women Writers: An Anthology of Short Stories   (2005), Mothers and Daughters in Arab Women’s Literature: The Family Frontier (2011), and Fathers and Sons in the Arab Middle East (2013). Important Points Women in the Arab world have been producing significant fiction for the past half century.  Arabic literary traditions had its own narrative types short story and the novel were the new genres adopted from the West in late 19th and early 20th centuries al-nahda -- cultural revival in Arabic emergence of short story is closely co...

"Bhaskara Pattelar and My Life" is a novella that delves into the complexities of power, identity, caste, and social hierarchies in a rural, feudal setting in Kerala, India. Written by Paul Zacharia, a prominent Malayalam writer, the story is a profound exploration of human relationships and the oppressive systems that define them. The novella is narrated by Thommi, a lower-caste servant who works for Bhaskara Pattelar, a tyrannical feudal lord. Through Thommi’s perspective, the story unfolds as a gripping narrative about loyalty, subjugation, and the search for self-identity.  Setting and Context The novella is set in a rural village in Kerala, where the feudal system is still deeply entrenched. The village is governed by rigid caste hierarchies and social stratification, with Bhaskara Pattelar, an upper-caste landlord, exerting absolute control over the lives of the villagers. The social structure is characterized by oppression, violence, and exploitation, particularly towa...

Summary Goat Days (original title: Aadujeevitham ), a novel by Indian author Benyamin, is a powerful narrative set against the backdrop of the Gulf migrant experience. First published in Malayalam in 2008, the novel became an instant success and has since been translated into multiple languages, gaining international acclaim. The story is a harrowing account of Najeeb Muhammad, a man from Kerala who migrates to Saudi Arabia in search of a better life, only to find himself trapped in a nightmare of modern slavery. The novel is inspired by real-life events and offers a chilling portrayal of the brutal conditions faced by many migrant workers in the Middle East. The novel begins with Najeeb, an ordinary man from a small village in Kerala, who dreams of escaping poverty by working in the Gulf. Like many young men in Kerala, Najeeb believes that the Gulf holds the promise of prosperity and a better future. He leaves behind his pregnant wife, Sainu, and his ailing mother, hoping to earn eno...

Please come, Oh flood Come, let’s sit in the shade of the boat. Pareekutty invited. Karuthamma maintained her posture, looking down, just like in the film poster. The pot to carry water remained in her hand. She wore a polka dot blouse, cleavage showing biting her lower lip seductively. As it is said in the theories on gaze, the male gaze relentlessly travelled down. Pareekutty’s fish-hooking eyes became Marcus Burtley’s camera that kept executing tilt-ups and tilt-downs. Precisely at that moment, the Old Man from Panopticon turned his observation camera towards the seashore. Such wanton gaze on women, you s-o-b! God growled within and unleashed a northern wind and southern wind and then the westerly and easterly winds. That woman! She is also a hussy! Thus. all mountainous waves were sent forth to lash the seashore. It was thus that everything was drowned in a flood and the shore was carved away by the sea. Unlike what these novelists say! Summary The poem is a creative re-imagining o...