‘Space for short stories not shrinking’: A.J. Thomas, writer and translator

Interview/ A.J. Thomas, writer and translator

 

It is a great time for translated works in India. After Tomb of Sand by writer-translator duo Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell won the International Booker Prize in 2022, it was the turn of the Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp to win the prize in 2025. Deepa Bhasthi translated into English Mushtaq’s collection of 12 short stories she wrote in Kannada between 1990 and 2023.

 

And it is a good time for Indian short stories, too. Proof    of that is 100 Indian Stories: A Feast of Remarkable Short Fiction from the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries, edited by A.J. Thomas.

 

From master storyteller Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Kabuliwala’ and the celebrated Odia writer Fakir Mohan Senapati’s poignant ‘Rebati’ to Satyajit Ray’s ‘Two Magicians’ and Ismat Chughtai’s ‘Of Fists and Rubs’, it is an ambitious collection. The regional representational is impressive, and even a foreign language finds space—Portuguese—which casts    light on the several layers of the intersection between culture, society and colonialism.

 

In an interview, Thomas, who has also translated four of the six Malayalam short stories in the collection, talks about the idea behind the collection, the theme he followed and the space for Indian short stories. Excerpts:

 

Q/ What was the idea behind curating such a diverse selection? How did you go about choosing the authors and stories?

 

A/ The idea was, firstly, to bring together, in a single volume, the best short stories of our national literature of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Then there was the desire to showcase the beauty and strength of this unique genre in English translation, which, of late, was under the threat of being sidelined in mainstream publishing, much like English poetry and unlike long-form fiction which was being promoted the world over through massive advances, big-money prizes and awards.

 

Regarding the choices, it was among the best of the very best. Many people asked me, ‘Why no Upendranath Ashk from Hindi, why no Amrita Pritam from Punjabi?’ To them, I would say, they are in no way any less than the other writers. But the compulsions, primarily of space and representational requirements, influenced the choices.

 

Q/ Was there a particular theme or themes you were aiming to highlight throughout the collection?

 

A/ Loosely, yes. If you look at the pre-independence phase, you will see themes that dealt with the different aspects of the feudal system and the colonial experience. In the first half of the 20th century, one can find stories on the themes of social mobilisation, cultural reinvention, emerging from the clutches of superstitions, material progress through scientific advancement, and the welfare of the common people.

 

For example, the first story, ‘Rebati’, is on the importance of educating the girl child. Then there are stories on zamindari, peasants and their extraordinary bonding with farm animals, the inhuman treatment of women in a conservative, patriarchal setup, the bestial treatment of dalit women even in their own homes, the colonial bureaucracy and its control over the feudal system, the fanatical language pride, the human side of great spiritual gurus, and the clash of scientific temper and middle-class mediocrity.

 

The modernist stories that come after this phase carry the imprint of intellectualism, rationalism and a general mistrust of metaphysical or transcendental approaches as typified in Vilas Sarang’s surrealist story ‘A Revolt of the Gods’.

 

Then there is the revolutionary approach of rural women towards sexuality and family nurturing expressed in Ambai’s ‘Journey 4’, the depiction of the beginning and spread of a communal riot, and the radical humanist approach of some in Salam Bin Razzaq’s deeply disturbing ‘A Sheet’, the uncommon wisdom of a great grandmother in understanding the sexual frustration and remedial action taken by her great granddaughter in M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s ‘The Vision’. And O.V. Vijayan’s ‘After the Hanging’ that deals with the pathetic human condition in which a poor, old father finds himself pitted against an opaque state apparatus which is about to hang to death his only son who swears by his innocence in a murder case.

 

Q/ The anthology stands out for its representation of India’s regional and vernacular literature. Did you work closely with a specific group of translators, or did you incorporate existing translations?

 

A/ I have incorporated the works of existing translators by and large, and in some cases, fresh translations have been commissioned, roping in expert translators.

 

Q/ What unique qualities do short stories possess that make them more effective in certain areas than other literary forms?

 

A/ A short story ideally has a single, strong central point as the theme from which the plot develops and has only a limited number of characters. Many short stories are often intense, strongly appealing and emotionally saturated like a lyric poem. The use of images, symbols, metaphors, allegory, contrast and other figures of speech are similar as in poetry. A short story can often be written following a burst of inspiration, almost extempore. Because of its brevity, one can read the short story in one sitting.

 

Q/ Many prominent Indian writers gained recognition through short stories, but that seems less common now. Do you think the short story space is shrinking?

 

A/ The space for the short story is definitely not shrinking, especially when it comes to the regional literature. For example, the weekly, fortnightly and monthly magazines in languages such as Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Urdu, Odia and Telugu have traditionally carried short stories and poetry.

 

Collections and anthologies of short stories and poetry are doing well in Malayalam, and I guess the same is the case with other languages.

 

It’s correct that many prominent Indian writers made their mark through short stories, and it’s still happening. In Malayalam, which is my mother tongue, novelists like Lalithambika Antharjanam, P. Kesavadev, Thakazhi, Basheer, S.K. Pottekkat, Uroob, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, O.V. Vijayan, Kakkanadan, Punathil Kunjabdulla, Madhavikkutty and others were great short story writers as well. Living writers like M. Mukundan, Zacharia, Anand, Sethu, K.P. Ramanunni and a host of others remain in this illustrious tradition.

 

Q/ Are there any stories in this collection that stand out as personal favourites for you?

 

A/ Yes, these are ‘Rebati’ by Fakir Mohan Senapati, ‘The Prospect of Flowers’ by Ruskin Bond, ‘After the Hanging’ by O.V. Vijayan and ‘The Vision’ by M.T. Vasudevan Nair.

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