SALMA (1968)
Salma is a trailblazing Tamil poet, writer and social activist. She dropped out of school at the age of thirteen, in keeping with the rigid conventions of her cloistered Muslim community. Through her profound interest in literature and voracious reading, she struggled hard to win a place for herself as a writer and activist in an oppressive social milieu. The bold expression of female subjectivity and foregrounding of female desire in Salma’s first collection of poems, ‘OruMalaiyuminnoruMalaiyum’ (2000), was something of a shock to the male-dominated Tamil literary world. Salma faced charges of obscenity and threats of violence. The astonishing success of the collection proved to be an enabling moment for women poets in Tamil Nadu. Her first novel ‘The Hour Past Midnight’ was widely acclaimed and translated into many languages.
THE BINDING (Novel)
Tamil Title: AdaikkumThaazh
Number of Words in Tamil: 35,500
In a small town in Tamil Nadu, Rasangam lives with his widowed mother and aunt, and siblings and cousins. Thrust prematurely into the shoes of the patriarch and keenly aware of the need to protect the family’s standing in their conservative society, Rasangam abandons his dreams of higher education.
When great misfortune befalls his beloved elder brother and then his younger sister, Rasangam is heartbroken. However, the foundations of their ties and resilience as a family run deep, nurtured by the meticulous yet overlooked care of the women. He turns to his faith – surrendering to the will of Allah, devoting himself to religious service and undertaking the Haj – which earns him the respect that had eluded him all his life. But history appears to repeat itself years later with Imran, Rasangam’s dutiful son, whose love is thwarted by political propaganda, throwing up questions about the reality of societal progress.
In this sparkling narrative, celebrated Tamil author Salma grapples with the many forces that shape our lives: faith, family, tradition and the complicated bonds that link us to one another. Brought to life for English readers by award-winning translator Janani Kannan, The Binding is a quiet meditation on how that which tethers the human heart can also fetter it.
Rights:
English rights sold to Pan Macmillan Publishing India Private Ltd.
Malayalam rights sold to Poorna Publications. Gujarati rights sold to Desirepaths Publishers.
English rights other than Indian sub-continent open.
THE DARK HOURS OF THE NIGHT (Novel)
Tamil Title: Irandaam Jaamankalin Kathai
Number of Pages: 478
Rabia is growing up in a conservative Family in Tamil Nadu. She is subject to all the restrictions that young Girls in conservative families experience, and looking forward, with some nervous excitement, to all the changes that puberty may bring to her life. She does what all teens do-sneaks off to see a Movie with friends, plays till the cows come home, And shares everything with her best friend, Mathina. Except the news of her Firdaus Chitti’s failed marriage. But the family is already gearing up for another wedding. Rabia doesn’t like the man chosen for Wahida Akka, though she dares not say a word. When people talk to her about one of the boys, Ahmad, as her chosen one, she is overcome by confusion. Does this mean she’ll have to confine herself to her home now? Amid all this, a family secret is unearthed, threatening to undo them all. Will Rabia be able to complete her education? Will the joint family survive the pressures of the World? Will Patriarchy be unyielding even when men going out of town and country change their lifestyles and partners with ease? In this masterful translation of Salma’s first novel, Irandaam Jaamangalin Kathai (2004) the author Weaves together the story of Rabia, her friends And her cousin, Wahida, in a world dominated by men, fighting their rebellions, making compromises, finding friendships and love, and living with the dull ache of desire.
Rights:
Published in English, Galician, German, Marathi and Malayalam. Published in English by Simon and Schuster in 2024.
Turkish rights sold to Yedinci Kat Yayınları - Suzan Kaban
English rights other than Indian sub-continent open. All other languages and territories open.
WOMEN, DREAMING (Novel)
Tamil Title: Manamiyankal
Number of Pages in Tamil: 288
This is a book about communion and friendship between women, set in a small village in rural Tamil Nadu. The women are of mixed religions and castes, and they sit together and chat for hours about their lives and feelings. It portrays the plight of Muslim women and the idea of a well-defined morality that suppresses the woman’s body and mind, desires and thoughts. In this book, morality has a different connotation. It’s all about love, heart and camaraderie. It asks how women can help each other and find joy in female companionship. These are women who have spent their lives in the shadows of fathers, brothers and husbands; being dutiful, raising children and going to temples and mosques, but whose inner lives are as rich and fruitful as their untold stories. Together, they open up to each other about womanhood, sexuality, and the dark secrets within the community. They talk often of love, sex and the vagaries of men, and share their secrets, their regrets and their often-outrageous stories. By turns revealing and hilarious, these are stories about the lengths to which some women will go to find a man, keep a man or, most importantly, keep up appearances. Full of surprises, this introduction to the private lives of some fascinating women, whose life stories and lovers will strike us as at once deeply familiar and profoundly different from our own, is sure to bring smiles of recognition to the faces of women everywhere - and to teach us all a thing or two. In Tamil, Salma’s works are considered feminist classics.
Rights:
Published in English (PRH). Published by Tilted Axis in UK. Published in Armenia (EDGE Publishing House). Malayalam rights sold to DC Books. Sinhala rights sold to Subhavi Publishers
English rights other than Indian sub-continent open. All other languages and territories open.
THE CURSE (Short stories)
Tamil Title: Saabam
Number of Pages: 192
‘Salma’s stories brush aside all niceties and cut a straight path to feminine interiority, shining a light upon the hypocrisy and injustice woven into the lives of women, and the painful outcomes for all.
- ANNIE ZAIDI, Editor of Woman Unbound.
Richly layered and profoundly insightful, each story is intellectually provocative, brilliantly crafted and skillfully translated. Salma is a master storyteller who transforms ordinary lives into sagas of identity, gender and nationalism.
- K.R. MEERA, Author of Hangwoman.
Rights:
Published in English (Speaking Tiger Publishing Pvt. Ltd).
Malayalam rights sold to Olive Publications.
English rights other than Indian sub-continent open.
All other languages and territories open.
