Kalyanaraman
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: கல்யாணராமன்
Kalyanaraman (May 31, 1952) is a Tamil writer, translator, essayist and literary critic. Kalyanaraman translates important works of Tamil literature into English.
Birth, Education
Kalyanaraman was born to Krishnaswami Natarajan and Subbulakshmi on May 31, 1952, at Jeeyapuram, Tricchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Kalyanaraman completed his schooling from Hindu High School, Triplicane, obtained a B.Tech degree (Electronics) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai and a Master's degree in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.
Personal Life
Kalyanaraman worked as a scientist for twenty one years at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and fourteen years in top management positions as well as a consultant in private companies in the satellite and telecommunications sectors. From 2009 to 2011, Kalyanaraman was an associate professor at the Chennai-based 'Asian College of Journalism' and Leader of the content-oriented research team at Puthiya Thalaimurai Television company. Kalyanaraman's wife is Geetha.
Literary Life
In March 1972, Kalyanaraman's debut work If I could bleed or sleep, a short story, was published in The Illustrated Weekly of India. Koorai Meleri Konach Suraikayai Arukkath Theriyatha Kurukkalaar was published in the monthly magazine Kanaiyazhi in September 1972. Kalyanaraman translated Grace Bailey's short story and released it as Nedunthoora Ottakkaari in the online magazine Solvanam. Kalyanaraman cites Jayakanthan and Ashokamitran as his ideal authors in Tamil and Norman Mailer, James Baldwin and Jean-Paul Sartre in English.
Since 1992, Kalyanaraman has been working on translating contemporary Tamil fiction and poetry works into English. His translated Short stories and poems from Tamil to English were featured in collections such as A Southern Harvest, Vox 2, Hot is the Moon, The Oxford India Anthology of Tamil Dalit Writing, The Greatest Tamil Stories Ever Told, On the Edge, The Orbit of Confusion, The Protector, The Leap Big, etc.
Kalyanaraman wrote forewords to books such as Vaazhvum Azhivum (Collection of Essays), Sundara Ramasamy's Oru Puliya Maratthin Kathai. Kalyanaraman wrote articles in collections of essays such as It is necessary to question Periyar to build up progressive anti-caste politics (Why Periyar – Acceptance and Denial – Kizhakku Pathippagam) and Parents and Children in the Stories of Ashokamitran (Reading Ashokamitran).
Kalyanaraman's books reviews and critiques have appeared in dailies, newspapers and online magazines such as Biblio, Caravan, Indian Literature, The Hindu, The Wire.in, Scroll.in, OPEN magazine, Mint Lounge, The Times of India, Mumbai/Chennai, The Indian Express, Outlook magazine, The Book Review.
Awards, Accolades
- Translator's Award from Tamil Ilakkiya Thotam, Canada 2015 for Farewell, Mahatma (Devi Bharathi's Short stories collection; from Tamil to English)
- Pudhumaipitthan Ninaivu Vilakku Ilakkiya Virudhu (2015)
- Katha Award for Translation (1997)
- Sahitya Akademi Award in 2022 for Poonachi: The Story of a Black Goat; translation of Perumal Murugan's novel.
- Crossword Book Award's shortlisted the translations of Ashokamitran's Manasarovar, Perumal Murugan's The Goat thief and Devi Bharathi's Farewell, Mahatma.
- The Hindu Literary Award's shortlisted the translations of Poomani's Vekkai and Perumal Murugan's Poonachi.
Books
Translations (Tamil to English )
- The Colours of Evil by Ashokamitran
- Sand and other stories by Ashokamitran
- Mole! by Ashokamitran
- At the Cusp of Ages by Vaasanthi
- Manasarovar by Ashokamitran
- Vaadivasal/Arena by CS Chellappa
- Farewell, Mahatma by Devibharathi
- The Ghosts of Meenambakkam by Ashokamitran
- Still Bleeding from the Wound by Ashokamitran
- The Goat Thief by Perumal Murugan
- Poonachi, or the Story of a Black Goat by Perumal Murugan
- Heat by Poomani
- The Story of A Goat by Perumal Murugan
- The Curse: Stories by Salma
- Breaking Free by Vaasanthi
Collections with his Translated Short stories
- A Southern Harvest: Anthology of stories in four South Indian languages edited by Githa Hariharan, (The Mirror by D Dilip Kumar)
- Vox 2: Seven Stories edited by Jeet Thayil (In the Reception Room by Ashokamitran)
- KATHA Prize Stories (The Journey by Paavannan)
- Hot is the Moon edited by Arundhathi Subramaniam, (The Rally by Vaasanthi)
- The Oxford India Anthology (Indian Quarterly)
- The Big Leap by Sa Kandasami
Collections with his Translated Poems
- Unbound: 2000 Years of Indian Women’s Writing (poems by Kutti Revathi and Malathi Maithri)
- Name Me a Word: Indian Writers Reflect on Writing: 2018 (poems by Sukirtharani)
- India in Verse: Contemporary Poetry from 20 Indian Languages and 167 Poets, The Little Magazine
- Women’s Poetry in Tamil: Some Contemporary Voices selected by Kutti Revathi,
- Poetry with Prakriti 2007-2008, curated by Ranvir Shah, Prakriti Foundation, Chennai, 2009 (poems by Kutti Revathi and Salma)
- No Alphabet in Sight: New Dalit Writing from South India (Tamil and Malayalam) (poems by ND Rajkumar and Sukirtharani)
- The Oxford India Anthology of Tamil Dalit Writing (poems by ND Rajkumar)
- Other Places: The Sangam House Reader – Volume 2, 2013 (poems by M Yuvan)
- These My Words: The Penguin Book of Indian Poetry, 2012 (poems by Kutti Revathi)
- Hot is the Moon edited by Arundhathi Subramaniam (SPARROW, Mumbai, 2008) (poems by Salma, Kutti Revathi and Malathi Maithri)
- Poems by Salma, Poetry International
- Poems by Kutti Revathi, Poetry International
- Poems by Malathi Maithri, Poetry International 2008
- 'Eternity, though, never blinks’ Three poems by Perundevi in Circumference Magazine
- 'We are going to meet soon’ Eight poems by Srivalli, Scroll.in
- 'Nothing imagined is excessive’ Eleven poems by Perundevi, Scroll.in
- 'Substitute this betrayal with yet another’: Five poems on grief and memories by Salma, Scroll.in
Essays
- The City and the World, in Beantown, Boomtown: Writings on Bangalore
- 'By the Water’s Edge: Ashokamitran’s Thanneer’ in 50 Writers, 50 Books
- 'Dream-World: Reflections on Cinema and Society in Tamil Country’ in Beyond Bollywood: The Cinemas of South India
- Clashing by Night: on Poomani’s Agnaadi’ Caravan magazine
- Boats against the Current: The Kongunadu novels of Perumal Murugan’ Caravan magazine
References
- https://www.nkalyanraman.com/ N. Kalyanaraman's Website
- Coffee with Kalyanaraman : Sridar Narayanan in Solvanam
- 'There is no critical discourse around translated works,’ says Tamil translator N. Kalyanaraman: The Hindustan Times
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