The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction: Vol. 1

ok could even give it five stars -- so much lighthearted drama and intrigue. The equivalent of the Perry Mason detective genre and sci-fi pulp -- and the few modern day selections are so fun too. I appreciated it because my tamil reading is at 1st grade level and not up to even reading these pulp magazine serials -- my brothers or mom would read excerpts to me from their favorites occasionally and I have fond memories of those few stories. Loved reading the more literature class translations like ponniyin selvan which were translated in the 90s and 2000s and super delighted to find this trove.

This is a varied selection of tales from popular magazines. The stories include detective fiction, romance fiction science fiction and strange tales of ghostly retribution. Each tale is interesting in it's own right and taken as a whole they provide a window into the popular reading tastes of average Indians.The book also includes copies of the very lurid covers of some of the popular magazines from which the tales were taken. Pulp fiction indeed.

An omnibus of freakin' awesome short pulp stories that crosses cultural borders and packs plenty of humor, mystery, action, and sexy-strong gals. If you have an interest in Indian/Tamil culture, traditions and social norms, this collection is a delight to read. Granted, it is fiction and takes a few liberties, but without a modicum of reality and truth, fiction wouldn't be enjoyable.

I have always wanted to be able to share in the stories read by my mother and other relatives and friends in Chennai. This anthology was a great opportunity to participate in that world. The introduction is insightful and enjoyable as are the translations. The English of the translations was crisp and clean; I felt that it must be honest to the language of the original stories. The translator and editor have made clear that they only chose 'pulp fiction,' so we must wait for another anthology if we are looking for the 'semi-literary' or for 'socially conscious literature.' I found some stories were quite gripping and some a bit too simple, but all gave me a look into the fictional world of the Tamil magazine.

I started with Volume two of this series and it is absolutely brilliant. Thriller and horror stories beautifully written with the potential of each story to be turned into a movie. Read and enjoy

Great book. Read the second volume first loved it and then , came across this one. Loved the translation !!

This is a rather uneven collection of crime fiction, sci-fi, satire, social commentary. There are two or three absolute sparklers, but the rest are somewhat pedestrian and obvious. I loved the brilliant wit and repartee of Pattukotai Prabakaran's `Sweetheart, Please Die' and the innuendo and bonhomie of Subha's `Hurricane Vaij', which were possibly the best stories in the book. Some of the stories are overtly preachy - offering a defence of a woman's sexual rights, say, or urging honesty in a politician - and some involve mad scientists and that old favourite of Indian films, reincarnation and revenge. I guess this is not surprising: they must appeal to the lowest denominator, and so become obvious and forced. Still, it's heartening to see that the remarkably prodigious authors of the stories (some of whom have written thousands of tales and novellas) are often capable of superb and sophisticated imagination, refusing to pander to the base, and, fortunately for us, Pritham Chakravarthy has located several gems of the genre, and published them here.

I will admit I am biased towards this book. This is the first time, pulp novels written in my native language tamil have been translated into English. For that alone, this book was a definite purchase for me. What makes it all the more interesting is the diverse set of authors covered. Ranging from thrillers to almost soft porn like mysteries, it has all. Strongly recommended.

Loved the book! Not only is it a fun read but the cover art makes it an amazing coffee table book. It arrived in pristine condition and the staff at Zuber were fast to reply to my concerns and were extremely helpful. I would definitely buy from them again :)

It was an entertaining collection. It contains five long stories and a comic book.If you liked the first volume, you are going to love this one. All the stories were great although i was disappointed with the comic. I'll be eagerly waiting for the third volume.

Good

Perfect read for this season. Arrived in good condition and much earlier than expected!

Couldn't keep the book down. My wife and I r fighting over it