Family Un-Ties

Vivek Shanbhag's latest novel, Sakina's Kiss, is a complex yet subtle critique of middleclass mores

- Amit Dixit

SAKINA'S KISS by Vivek Shanbhag (translated by Srinath Perur) PENGUIN VINTAGE ₹499; 194 pages

Sometimes, writers are truly found in translation. A proliferation in translations of vernacular texts in the past decade has allowed many regional Indian writers to be discovered by a wider audience-occasionally gaining international recognition as well. The case of Kannada novelist, short-story writer and playwright Vivek Shanbhag is special in that it is underpinned by a close partnership with his translator, Srinath Perur, an accomplished writer in his own right.

They first tasted success with Ghachar Ghochar. Perur's 2015 translation brought international acclaim to Shanbhag's work. Ghachar Ghochar was included by The New York Times in its listing of the best books of 2017. It was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. And Srinath Perur bagged the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation in the English section in 2020 for the book.