Bookwatch: O Venugopal cannot stop gushing about Paul Zacharia
O Venugopal, the managing director of Anaswara Offset, started the company with Thomas PJ, and Mathew VA, in 1982, and over the years has worked towards making it a force to be reckoned with. An avid reader, Venugopal swears by the works of Malayalam author Paul Zacharia, whom he reads in Malayalam.
04 Jun 2019 | 6836 Views | By PrintWeek India & PrintWeek India
Paul Zacharia is a very practical author. He has the genius to tackle any subject on earth,” says Venugopal. “Be it Jesus Christ or a common man on the street, Zacharia is capable of handling both the same way.”
According to Venugopal, ‘O Vella Vadi’ is one of Zacharia’s best stories.
For the English-speaking world, one of the early translations of Zacharia’s works was published in 2002, as part of Katha Trailblazer Series. The book was Two Novellas by Paul Zacharia and Gita Krishnankutty.
Other prominent works in translation include The Reflections of a Hen in Her Last Hour and Other Stories (2000) and Sister Jesme Amen and the children’s book, Ju’s Story.
A prolific author, Zacharia published his first short story collection Kunnu in 1969 and his latest Then was published by DC Books in 2016.
Zacharia has written more than 17 short story collections and seven novellas, besides a series of travelogues and essays.
“Zacharia can handle any situation with ease and his characters are very simple and down to earth,” says Venugopal, adding, “Usually, he uses words and sentences in a satirical manner.”