Of Men Women and Witches

An extraordinary memoir from one of Tamil Nadu’s most acclaimed novelistsThe great Tamil novelist Jeyamohan came from the region of Tamil Nadu that originally belonged to Travancore (in Kerala) and grew up in a unique syncretic culture straddling two distinct worlds. In this memoir originally written in Malayalam he draws a vivid picture of his family which followed the matriarchal family systems of Kerala. He especially focuses on his powerful motherand grandmother who pitted their wills against and were constantly at odds with his abusive father. Moving between the stories of his parents’ marriage his often-unhappy childhoodfalling in love and becoming a writer Jeyamohan also tells the story of the region he comes from stretching the form of the memoir from family to history. Beautifully written and profoundly imaginedOf Men Women and Witches is another masterwork from this great novelist.