When i hit you meena kandasamy 9781786491268 allen. She has published two collections of poetry, touch 2006 and ms. I felt annoyed in the beginning and later angered that as a woman writer i was not even. When i hit you or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife by meena kandasamy the narrator falls in love with a professor and agrees to be his wife. And along comes meena kandasamy and breaks all past stereotypes and shackles and lights the fire in the room and it depicts the scene in all its blazing glory. A novel about contemporary indian intellectuals highlights an ageold problem. Ive never read anything from kandasamy before but after reading this i will be picking up her other works. Jun 12, 2017 this novel shows a writer reclaiming herself from a violent, abusive husband its not a memoir. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, writes on her abusive mariage. Or, a portrait of the artist by a young wife by meena kandasamy atlantic books, 2017 in an interview with wired india, meena kandasamy is asked why she chose marital viole. Meena kandasamy and her poetry embody a long withstanding fight against the stringent subjugation and atrocities undergone by the nondominant caste community. When i hit you by meena kandasamy is the first book ive read from the womens prize for fiction longlist this year you can see the whole longlist and the newly released shortlist here, and it has certainly set a high standard. Meena kandasamys previous novel, when i hit you, was misread as a memoir. Buy when i hit you by meena kandasamy online at alibris.
While her poetry revolves around issues of caste, sexuality, political agendas, violence, gender oppression and language, her work mainly urges her readers to act. In 2017 after meena kandasamy published when i hit you, a novel about an abusive marriage, people quickly assumed it was entirely drawn from her own experiences of intimate partner violence in her new novel, exquisite cadavers context. In its allusion to a portrait of a writer as a young man, the title of meena kandasamys second book reflects joyces tale in which a fictional alter ego searches for his identity in latenineteenth century dublin. She details the unhappy affair that led her to take refuge in. An exclusive interview with meena kandasamy poet and writer on social issues. Apr 08, 2020 in this episode of reading women, meena kandasamy joins kendra winchester to discuss her new novel, when i hit you. Meena kandasmy writes a realistic and wholly believable account of this abusive relationship. Behind closed doors, her husband turns into a control freak, a coward and a bully. When i hit you is a very personal account of a young woman in india, and the abusive marriage she endured. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife writes a hardhitting account of a writers marriage in an effort to lift the veil on the silence that surrounds domestic violence and marital rape in modern india. The books patchwork structure is frenetic yet elegiac.
Jun 01, 2017 an exclusive interview with meena kandasamy poet and writer on social issues. Most of her works are centered on feminism and the anticaste caste annihilation movement of the contemporary indian milieu. Seduced by politics and poetry, the unnamed narrator falls in love with a university professor and agrees to be his wife, but what for her is a contract of love is. If earlier, these ideologies were somewhat downplayed as likesdislikes or masked as principles that the husband liked to follow and imposed on his wife, in kandasamys book, the ideology is explicit, stated upfront and. Seduced by politics, poetry and an enduring dream of building a better world together, the unnamed narrator falls in love with a. A list of people who should read meena kandasamys when i hit you in when i hit you. Meena kandasamys book when i hit you is a powerful analysis of modern marriage and debunks popular myths surrounding love marriages. A list of people who should read meena kandasamys when i. Seduced by politics, poetry and an enduring dream of building a better world together, the unnamed narrator falls in love with a university professor. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, the unnamed narrator, who quickly finds out that her husband is a psychopath, is far too clever to commit murder. She has published two collections of poetry, touch and ms. Ive never read anything from kandasamy before but after reading this i.
Why you should pay for quality journalism click to know more. The unnamed protagonist escaped from her abusive husband five years ago when this powerful novel opens, so the suspense is not whether shell survive but whether shell be allowed to tell her own story. As of 20, meena has published two collections of poetry namely, touch 2006. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, the evidence of a crumbling marriage can be found on the bodies of the husband and wife. May 04, 2017 and along comes meena kandasamy and breaks all past stereotypes and shackles and lights the fire in the room and it depicts the scene in all its blazing glory. In 2012, when kandasamy, a poet, translator and activist, wrote about her brief, violent marriage for the indian magazine outlook, these are the kinds of questions she was asked. In this episode of reading women, meena kandasamy joins kendra winchester to discuss her new novel, when i hit you. The synopsis for poet, writer, activist meena kandasamy s latest book, when i hit you. Kandas when i hit you tells the tale of a young wifes treatment at the hands of an abusive husband. Meena kandasamys vivid, sharp and precise writing makes a triumph of when i hit you.
I wish meena kandasamy hadnt called when i hit you a novel. Meena kandasamy when l hit you or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife. Meena kandasamy, the author of the novel when i hit you. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife is a punch to the gut. Militancy 2010, and the critically acclaimed novel, gypsy goddess. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, kandasamy describescontinue reading. This is certainly, and rightly, an upsetting and harrowing book, but in no way gratuitous. And so you have kandasamy as a cinematographer, escaping to. The first few outlines of the story is narrated by the parents of the narrator, a young, badgered wife who has just managed to escape her tormentor.
Aug 18, 2017 in the wake of recent investigations into electoral bonds that exposed claims regarding their anonymity and also revealed the rbis and election commissions reservations about them, we discuss. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife juggernaut, 2017. When i hit you or, a portrait of the artist as a young. Meena kandasamy is a poet, fiction writer, translator and activist who was born in chennai, tamil nadu, india. Meena kandasamys tell all about her abusive marriage youtube. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wifeatlantic guardian. Dec 11, 2019 the indian poet, novelist and activist meena kandasamy, bruised by the reception of when i hit you, an autofictional account of her own short and abusive first marriage, argues that it all depends. When i hit you or a portrait of the writer as a young wife. Her latesta response to those reactionsembarks on an experiment inspired by the surrealist game of exquisite. I can totally picture her standing on a stark stage, performing this story to a silent, weeping audience. When i hit you by meena kandasamy overdrive rakuten. Or a portrait of the writer as a young wife, if you like that title more. When i hit you by meena kandasamy murder on the mind. Or portrait of the writer as a young wife, is an incredibly powerful fictional.
Call it a memoir in the form of a novellength poem. Most of her works are centered on feminism and the anticaste caste annihilation movement of the contemporary indian milieu as of 20, meena has published two collections of poetry namely, touch 2006 and ms. Meena kandasamy is an emerging poet, fiction writer, translator and activist. Sometimes, you read books which give you nightmares, make you think about the reality and give you goosebumps. Jul 07, 2017 kandasamy has written about her own marriage for the indian magazine outlook in 2012. Or, a portrait of the artist as a young wife reads. Buy when i hit you or a portrait of the writer as a young. When i hit you by meena kandasamy, 9781786491282, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Above all, kandasamys sharp voice and her arresting linguistic style are bread and wine. Mar 06, 2018 in its allusion to a portrait of a writer as a young man, the title of meena kandasamys second book reflects joyces tale in which a fictional alter ego searches for his identity in latenineteenth century dublin. The indian poet, novelist and activist meena kandasamy, bruised by the reception of when i hit you, an autofictional account of her own short and abusive first marriage, argues that it all depends. Her second novel, when i hit you, was shortlisted for the womens prize for fiction 2018. Meena kandasamys when i hit you shows a writer reclaiming. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife by meena kandasamy.
I think about a lot of the conversations and interviews that ive heard with. Meena kandasamy combines her love for the written word with the struggle for social justice through poetry, translation, fiction and essays. The young woman is a writer, and she fell in love and married a professor. Our nameless narrator is reflecting back on her abusive marriage to a lecturer obsessed with communism. Meena kandasamy born 1984 is a poet, fiction writer, translator and activist who is based in chennai, tamil nadu, india. When i hit you is a dazzling and provocative novel of an abusive marriage. Militancy, and the critically acclaimed novel, the gypsy goddess. This is even after her husband, a college lecturer in southern india, assures her that murdering her is very much on his mind.
Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, is a difficult book to read. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, meena kandasamy offers something for everyone from poets. Or, a portrait of the artist by a young wife by meena kandasamy atlantic books, 2017 in an interview with wired india, meena kandasamy is asked why she chose marital violence as the topic for her novel when i hit you. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife is on my blog. Meena kandasamy is a poet, fiction writer, translator, and activist who lives in chennai and london. Meena kandasamys when i hit you or, a portrait of the artist as a young wife is a deftly edited book on a marriage that reveals the dark sides of ideologyobsessed men. Jun 25, 2018 when i hit you is a hardhitting reality. The subject matter is distressing but approachable. In 2012, meena kandasamy wrote an emotional piece, for the indian magazine outlook, about her broken marriage with an abusive husband. Given how prevalent domestic violence is in india approximately 37% of married women face. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife based on the authors own experiences of marriage is a very.
This traumatic story of domestic abuse is also funny, tender and lyrical. Meena kandasamys tell all about her abusive marriage. When i hit you is the familiar tale of a young woman who falls for and marries a man who turns out to be someone completely different once they are in the marital home. Meena kandasamy s vivid, sharp and precise writing makes a triumph of when i hit you.
When i hit yous unnamed narrator gives a staggering account of psychological manipulation and marital abuse. Set in modern india, the unnamed narrator falls in love with a university professor and agrees to be his wife. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Why women stay in abusive relationships times of india. Buy when i hit you by meena kandasamy from waterstones today.
Ilavenil meena kandasamy born 1984 is an indian poet, fiction writer, translator and activist who is based in chennai, tamil nadu, india. Her debut collection of poems, touch peacock books mumbai, 2006 was themed around caste and untouchability, and her second, ms militancy new delhi, navayana publishers, 2010, was an explosive, feminist retellingreclaiming of tamil and hindu myths. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, kandasamy describes her own experiences as an abused and dehumanised wife in south india and her. This book is kandasamys rebuke to those who think privilege, financial or educational, protects against harm. The lifeandblood story behind the data, meena kandasamys searing account of an abusive marriage, when i hit you. Or, a portrait of the writer as a young wife, out now from europa editions.