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niyasa's reviews
167 reviews
Mother by Maxim Gorky
3.0
Mother is a novel set in the backdrop of pre-revolutionary Russia. Though the novel depicts the social life that existed more than a century ago, the conspicuous resemblance it shares with the current global socioeconomic conditions makes it a worth read. Nilovna Vlasova, the protagonist in the novel will find many parallels in the contemporary world. Migrant population, religious minorities, refugees, people facing racial and gender discrimination to name few. The current global order is in fact shaped by not just one 'Tsar' but many in different formats and sizes. Authoritarian governments and leaders that run deep state regimes, the exploitative hands of capitalism and globalism, all resemble a new Tsar in disguise. Gorky's Mother is a worth read to understand the complexities of human life and class struggle.
മനുഷ്യന് ഒരു ആമുഖം [Manushyanu Oru Aamugham] by Subhash Chandran
4.0
A lengthy and wonderful read that narrates the lives of three generations with a nuanced and meticulous literary style. The interwoven nature of history, politics and culture makes it a must read work in Malayalam literature. Subash Chandran's Tachanakkara and Nara pilla (the fictional village and a central character in the novel) is too good to be fictional. As Jithendran, the protagonist in Manushyanu Oru Aamukham says, "human is a creature that dies before reaching full-maturity", this novel also leaves some void in the reader's mind (a void created by the yearning for more).