Unmadam

Here is the review of my second book 'Unmadam'.

The Hindu dated Jul 8th 2005

Linking insanity and talent

Anand Haridas

That creative talent remains on the edges of insanity is no new information. Eccentricity had been the mark of genius. Now, a book has appeared in Malayalam, delineating this link.
Unmadam (Insanity), published by Kochi-based Pranatha Books, follows a collection of essays and creative works on suicide. While the publisher preferred to call the book on suicide as "a word from someone injured with life," they called the book on insanity as "a book of memory and oblivion."
The book begins with the traditional premise of contrasting Apollonian reasoning with Dionysian realm of unreason. "Both these books belong to the same category, in the sense, they are about those who remain outside the mainstream of life. Suicide, in a physical sense, and insanity, in a psychological one, are outlets to escape from the problems posted by life," said M.A. Shanavas, who along with N.P. Sajeesh, has edited and collected these works.
There are four broad sections in the book. The lengthy, first segment is biographical sketches of celebrities who exhibited traits of eccentricities, or even insanity. The list is long, from those like Salvador Dali, who celebrated his eccentricity, to Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, who was pained by his digressions to realms of madness.
"Even though we have heard glorified versions about eccentricities of celebrities, rarely is personal angst of remaining outside mainstream discussed. That was one reason why we wanted to talk to those who were close to Basheer," said Mr. Shanavas.
Interestingly, some of the personalities featured in the book on suicide appear in the new edition also — like Ernest Hemingway, Yukio Mishima, Vincent Van Gogh and Sylvia Plath.
The second and third segments in the book are memoirs about insanity. First, there are autobiographical sketches, at times attaining confessional overtones, by writers like K.P. Ramanunni, Subhash Chandran and Lohitadas. Then come articles remembering personalities who succumbed to their eccentricities. This includes John Abraham, Surasu, and `Navab' Rajendran. The last segment is a collection of articles depicting insanity and literary works on this theme. Even though Ajay P. Mangad titled his article as "Insane comes out in night from tombs of civilisation," the book does not really rises above a collection of memoirs and literary works. Only the last three essays, including the one by Rajan Gurukkal and an overview of Michel Foucault's Madness and Civilisation, analyse the philosophy of insanity.

Rs.200

Published by Pranatha Books

Kochi

Kerala 682 018

Phone: 0484-2390179 Mobile: 9447194038