Manipal: “Brevity and singleness of effect make for good short story writing”

By Snehalatha, Udupi
Bellevision Media Network

Manipal,21 March 2013: Story telling is an art that is tough to master. Maintaining brevity while doing it is all the more challenging said the veteran journalist M V Kamath here on Tuesday. Releasing a book titled Master Storytellers of India published by the Manipal University Press (MUP), he brought out the nuances of the short story writing and elaborated on the techniques of some of the short story writers.

Short story must essentially have three important traits; it must electrify the reader, must have a specific aim and importantly, a sharp ending that thrills the reader at the end, he added. He complimented the author Dr Jaba Gupta for analytically putting across the works of major short story writers in India.

 

Expressing her joy that a few copies were pre-ordered even before the release event, the author, Jaba said in the present work she had tried to put across works of seven authors thematically with a broader purpose to showcase the varied hues of life portrayed in Indian English literature. She briefly touched upon the works of R K Narayan, Raja Rao, Bhabani Bhattacharya, Manohar Malgonkar, Kushwanth Singh, Anita Desai, Mulk Raj Anand which she has dealt with in the book and highlighted the singleness of effect and poetic justice brought in their individual stories.

Answering a question from the audience, Jaba said her work was limited to Anglophone writers, those who wrote specifically in English and not translations of works form other Indian languages. Though many new writers have come into short story writing today, she said, she would consider the above seven as Masters of this art who laid foundation for this genre in India.

Dr Vinod Bhat, Pro Vice Chancellor of Manipal University appreciated the effort of Jaba in transforming her research into an analytical book. He suggested that an analysis of writings of the bilingual writers – those who write in their mother tongue as well as English – may separately be carried out and said, MUP would publish such a work.

Dr Neeta Inamdar, who looks after the activities of Manipal University Press welcomed the gathering for the release of this 14th publication of MUP.