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_arch_'s review against another edition
5.0
Painfully real. The breast as a motif is beautifully explored by Mahasweta Devi, as she establishes the breast as a political entity. Spivak’s essays just add to the multifaceted interpretations that are possible for Devi’s stories that deal with subalterns in the forefront.
payalmukherji's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
paperbacks_and_priyam's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
nuts246's review against another edition
4.0
If 'underwhelming' is a word, I will use it for this collection of short stories and essays. The translator, Gayatri Spivak, is a feminist and an academician, and to me it seemed like the book was more an effort at showcasing her literary opinions than on the stories themselves. The language and storytelling was ponderous, and it is hard to tell whether it was the translation that failed to capture the essence of the originals, or if the stories themselves were inadequate.|
The reason I give it 4 stars is because of the social issues that were highlighted using the metaphor of the breast which is at the same time maternal and sensual. I wish my Bengali was better, so I could read the originals and, hopefully, be moved more by them.
The reason I give it 4 stars is because of the social issues that were highlighted using the metaphor of the breast which is at the same time maternal and sensual. I wish my Bengali was better, so I could read the originals and, hopefully, be moved more by them.
__booksandanimes__'s review against another edition
4.0
This is a collection of three tragedies connected to each other by the common factor of breasts. Each of these present a highly plausible and probably occuring way of life. Through the stories, the author also questions the significance of breasts.
The first of these is Draupadi which turns the old myth from Mahabharat on its head. While the mythological Draupadi was protected by her friend, Krishna from being unclothed in front of a whole court, our Draupadi has no such protector, no one to keep her from being violated. The last portion of this story is hauntingly powerful and a cruel reminder that in the end women only have themselves to rely upon.
The second one, Breast-Giver again picks a mythological character and humanizes her only for her to be shunned for being human. Jashoda is a wet nurse and feeds about 50 children, humanely impossible, and so she is given the title of a goddess but when her job is over and she can no longer serve as a wet nurse, she is forsaken by everyone and killed by the very thing that kept her alive, her breasts. She dies all alone in a hospital from the painful last stages of breast cancer. Once again, this shows the cruelty of humans in placing women on the pedestal of goddesses but never learning to respect them as humans.
The last story Behind the Bodice is another brutal tale of what happens when breasts are objectified.
The three stories combine to present very lifelike women characters whom we might not be able to relate to because of their stark differences from us but whose pains are real nevertheless. All three also point out the double standards of the law and order and the so-called modernism.
While these stories have compelling tales to tell, the translator does a less than good job at handling them. At times, the narrative rambles and the characters mix up, it gets hard to keep track of what exactly was going on so I've decided to read the Bengali original if I ever get the chance.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The first of these is Draupadi which turns the old myth from Mahabharat on its head. While the mythological Draupadi was protected by her friend, Krishna from being unclothed in front of a whole court, our Draupadi has no such protector, no one to keep her from being violated. The last portion of this story is hauntingly powerful and a cruel reminder that in the end women only have themselves to rely upon.
The second one, Breast-Giver again picks a mythological character and humanizes her only for her to be shunned for being human. Jashoda is a wet nurse and feeds about 50 children, humanely impossible, and so she is given the title of a goddess but when her job is over and she can no longer serve as a wet nurse, she is forsaken by everyone and killed by the very thing that kept her alive, her breasts. She dies all alone in a hospital from the painful last stages of breast cancer. Once again, this shows the cruelty of humans in placing women on the pedestal of goddesses but never learning to respect them as humans.
The last story Behind the Bodice is another brutal tale of what happens when breasts are objectified.
The three stories combine to present very lifelike women characters whom we might not be able to relate to because of their stark differences from us but whose pains are real nevertheless. All three also point out the double standards of the law and order and the so-called modernism.
While these stories have compelling tales to tell, the translator does a less than good job at handling them. At times, the narrative rambles and the characters mix up, it gets hard to keep track of what exactly was going on so I've decided to read the Bengali original if I ever get the chance.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
mentallic_sansar's review against another edition
5.0
Mahashweta Devi writes some of the most disturbing stories or may be these are not only stories but an account of functioning of Patriarchal structure.
mb13_books's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
mveldeivendran's review
5.0
"What is the breast? Fat tissue, this that, a lot of bother."
Mahasweta Devi (1926 - 2016) was a Bengali writer and social activist, worked all her life for the empowerment of the marginalized indigenous peoples in Eastern and Central India.
Her works make the readers get powerful (perhaps powerless) experiences and notions of possibilities on what it means to be a marginalized in a system of dominant cultures enforcing restricted / bureaucratized ways of living. Mostly the works focus upon the Women - their roles, struggles, injustices faced and this short story collection revolves around three women and their breasts.
A tale of a fierce revolutionary tribal who despite got arrested and gang-raped by the officials, instills the fear in the eyes of her oppressor by her wounds.
An intricate tale of wet nurse where her breasts are commodified for suckling 50 children over the years but the chief identity and special status created by her large everflowing glands, when grown cancerous, lead her to experience the stinking nauseating lonely existence slowly to death.
A tale of a migrant whose 'natural' breasts getting spotlight due a photographer leading a series of accidents that had been strongly forged in the system of patriarchy.
Though translated from original Bengali by the eminent academic Gayatri Spivak, I feel the essence is available in a vague form, some feeling of disconnectedness with the narration. I have left out the translator's critical analysis of the stories with the deconstructing lens of subaltern/ neo-marxist feminism/ post-colonialism for the time being. I'll try to get back to her note when I become a bit more sober.
If you're planning to explore India via literature especially through marginalized perspective, she's formidably an unavoidable author.
After all, behind the bodice (चोली के पीछे ) there's nothing but a group of people getting fucked up because of their culture, class and gender. Both in a literal and metaphorically sense. Guess I'll never be able to see them in the same way again.
"Jashoda doesn't remember at all when there was no child in her womb, when she didn't feel faint in the morning, when Kangali's body didn't drill her body like a geologist in a darkness lit only by oil lamp."
"Such is the power of the Indian soil that all women turn into mothers here and all men remain immersed in the spirit of holy childhood."
"Trying to move, she feels her arms and legs still tied to four posts. Something sticky under her ass and waist. Her own blood. Only the gag has been removed. Incredible thirst. In case she says 'water' she catches her lower lip in her teeth. She senses that her vagina is bleeding. How many came to make her?"
Mahasweta Devi (1926 - 2016) was a Bengali writer and social activist, worked all her life for the empowerment of the marginalized indigenous peoples in Eastern and Central India.
Her works make the readers get powerful (perhaps powerless) experiences and notions of possibilities on what it means to be a marginalized in a system of dominant cultures enforcing restricted / bureaucratized ways of living. Mostly the works focus upon the Women - their roles, struggles, injustices faced and this short story collection revolves around three women and their breasts.
A tale of a fierce revolutionary tribal who despite got arrested and gang-raped by the officials, instills the fear in the eyes of her oppressor by her wounds.
An intricate tale of wet nurse where her breasts are commodified for suckling 50 children over the years but the chief identity and special status created by her large everflowing glands, when grown cancerous, lead her to experience the stinking nauseating lonely existence slowly to death.
A tale of a migrant whose 'natural' breasts getting spotlight due a photographer leading a series of accidents that had been strongly forged in the system of patriarchy.
Though translated from original Bengali by the eminent academic Gayatri Spivak, I feel the essence is available in a vague form, some feeling of disconnectedness with the narration. I have left out the translator's critical analysis of the stories with the deconstructing lens of subaltern/ neo-marxist feminism/ post-colonialism for the time being. I'll try to get back to her note when I become a bit more sober.
If you're planning to explore India via literature especially through marginalized perspective, she's formidably an unavoidable author.
After all, behind the bodice (चोली के पीछे ) there's nothing but a group of people getting fucked up because of their culture, class and gender. Both in a literal and metaphorically sense. Guess I'll never be able to see them in the same way again.
"Jashoda doesn't remember at all when there was no child in her womb, when she didn't feel faint in the morning, when Kangali's body didn't drill her body like a geologist in a darkness lit only by oil lamp."
"Such is the power of the Indian soil that all women turn into mothers here and all men remain immersed in the spirit of holy childhood."
"Trying to move, she feels her arms and legs still tied to four posts. Something sticky under her ass and waist. Her own blood. Only the gag has been removed. Incredible thirst. In case she says 'water' she catches her lower lip in her teeth. She senses that her vagina is bleeding. How many came to make her?"
andrea_ashima's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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