The Fatal Rumour

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'''''The Fatal Rumour: A Nineteenth-Century Indian Novel''''' ('''''Aabattukkitamaana Apavaatam allatu Kamalaambaal Charittiram''''') is a Tamil-language novel by [[B.R. Rajam Aiyar]], published from 1893-1895 and published in book form in 1896. It was translated into English by Stuart Blackburn and published by [[Oxford University Press]].

==Background==
Aiyar was born in [[Vatalakundu]], [[Tamil Nadu]], a place near [[Madurai]], and later moved to Madras (now [[Chennai]]).<ref name=Bhattacharjee>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Aiyar began writing the novel at age 21.<ref name=Dharmarajan> - Updated 17 October 2012.</ref> ''[[Vivekacintamani]]'' ran the novel in its publication from 1893-1895, and the book form was published in 1896.<ref name=Bhattacharjee/> Aiyar died in 1898.<ref name=Dharmarajan/>

==Plot==
The main character, Muttuswami Aiyar, resident in Sirukalam, fights against malicious rumours planted against him by some area women, including Ponammal, his sister-in-law.<ref name=Bhattacharjee/>

Blackburn's translation does not include a chapter in which Muttuswami has visions of a spiritual nature; Gargi Bhattacharjee of ''[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]]'' stated that the content was "not essential to the development of the story."<ref name=Bhattacharjee/>

==Reception==
The Blackburn translation won the 2000 A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation.<ref>"[https://ift.tt/2KzJqno AAS SAC A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation]." [[Association for Asian Studies]]. June 25, 2002. Retrieved on November 26, 2018.</ref>

Geeta Djarmarajan of ''[[India Today]]'' praised the Blackburn translation, stating that the "humour and sarcasm" makes it "a must-read for me".<ref name=Dharmarajan/> Bhattacharjee criticised the translation having too much influence from English over the Tamil culture into the translation, "[[Hindiisation]]", and Blackburn "trying hard (a little too hard maybe) to replace the original puns and idioms with English equivalents."<ref name=Dharmarajan/>

Bhattacharjee also lauded the translation of the novel, stating that in the late 1990s publishers looking for novels from India "seem interested only in English novels of unproven literary merit".<ref name=Bhattacharjee/> Bhattacharjee stated that the translation did not properly address the original's use of language to differentiate characters and to indicate good and bad characters.<ref name=Bhattacharjee/>

==References==

[[Category:1893 novels]]
[[Category:Indian novels]]

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