U.R.ANANTHA MURTHY letter about Devanuru Mahadeva’s Literary works…

[U.R.ANANTHA MURTHY’s an old letter about Devanuru Mahadeva’s Literary works… Our Special thanx to journalist Indudara Honnapura for sending this letter to us. ದೇವನೂರ ಮಹಾದೇವ ಅವರ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಕೃತಿಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಯು.ಆರ್.ಅನಂತಮೂರ್ತಿ ಅವರ ಒಂದು ಹಳೆಯ ಪತ್ರ. ಹುಡುಕಿ ನಮಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತ ಇಂದೂಧರ ಹೊನ್ನಾಪುರ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು]

 

U.R.ANANTHA MURTHY

Professor of English

Department of Studies in English, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore-570 006.

KUSUMABALE is Devanur Mahadeva’s third published work. His forte is short story in Kannada. The second and the recent work can be called novellas. He has brought to Indian fiction materials which have rarely been explored with such depth and artistic ability. The life depicted in his fiction is of ‘dalits’ in Karnatake. They are so intensely depicted that it can be the story of the down-trodden anywhere in the world and at any time of history. This makes Devanur an unique writer.

What distinguishes his writing is his profound compassion behind the vision. He uses narrative techniques, hitherto not used in literary works; but they are narrative techniques deployed in cral narratives. The mind is modern, of our time, but the artistic handling of the themes exploits every narrative mode that still thrives in the oral traditions of our country. KUSUMABALE is not one story but several stories. They intertwine and mingle in unexpected ways. It is not only the story of ‘dalits’, the untouchables of India, but also of every other caste in relation to dalits. From a sociological point of view it is very dense. The novella will force the reader to redefine his notion of fiction in the same manner as great experimental and innovative writers have done all over the world.