Customer Reviews

House of Kanooru

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Written in 1934, The House of Kanooru is a powerful and universal story of family life and conflict in rural India. This book is a translation from its original language (Kannada) and has a genuine Indian (as opposed to Anglo-Indian) sensibility. The House of Kanooru explores the relationships between city and country, spirituality and superstition, men and women, masters and workers, and most importantly fathers and sons. Although many Kannada words (for food, birds,and religous rituals) are left untranslated, context almost always gives a general sense of meaning. The Kannada names of the many characters can be slightly confusing, but again context almost always supplies the key. This is a masterful book and is well worth the challenges it may present. There is also a brief introduction by Girish Karnad, who has made a well-received film version of the book (entitled Kanooru Heggadithi).

This real master work is from a great writer of a southern Indian Language Kannada.

I have read this several times. This book has changed the way I think and made me to think on each and every ignored detail of life (nature) which is presented as an true aesthetic phenomenon to enjoy. It forms as a life story in `Malenaadu' (Forest's hilly area) and grows with the personality of the hero.

This real master work is from a great writer of a southern Indian Language Kannada.

I have read this several times. This book has changed the way I think and made me to think on each and every ignored detail of life (nature) which is presented as an true aesthetic phenomenon to enjoy. It forms as a life story in `Malenaadu' (Forest's hilly area) and grows with the personality of the hero.

when I saw this title I felt I have to write a review as this is the book I have read more than 50 times, well sometimes I would start at page x and read until page y, but I must've read this in full atleast 20 times or more..
This is not just a story, an illustration or a mere book, this is an experience of life with all its colors, hues, shades, subtleties and beyond, with every detail accounted for and almost nothing goes amiss here..if one decides he/she will read only one book in life before he/she dies, this may well be it!
The scope/range of this saga is so huge that only a complete reading will make it fathomable somewhat and definitely multiple readings will naturally happen! This book shouldnt be just read as a story, since all that happens in this was experienced by Kuvempu very closely in his life, the best way to read this is to visualize and feel what is there, this will open up an entirely new world not known to us before..
its best experinced in the original Kannada version, as I did, but for those who cant read it in Kannada, the next best thing is to read the translation..
I also would recommend in the same breath, the other epic written by Kuvempu, called 'Malegalalli madumagalu', I dont know if a translation is available or not...but thats another great work of art that shouldnt be missed by anyone who comes anywhere close to it.