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'''''The Fatal Rumour: A Nineteenth-Century Indian Novel''''' ({{lang-ta|ஆபத்துக்கிடமான அபவாதம் அல்லது கமலாம்பாள் சரித்திரம்}}, ''Aabattukkitamaana Apavaatam allatu Kamalaambaal Charittiram'') is a Tamil-language novel by [[B. R. Rajam Aiyar]], published in 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>{{cite web|author=Bhjattacharjee, Gargi|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/book-review-old-themes/cid/924284|title=BOOK REVIEW/OLD THEMES |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] (India)|date=1999-05-07|accessdate=2018-11-16}}</ref> Aiyar began writing the novel at age 21.<ref name=Dharmarajan>{{cite magazine|author=Dharmarajan, Geeta|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19990215-book-review-of-b-r-rajam-aiyar-the-fatal-rumour-780182-1999-02-15|title=Book review: B.R. Rajam Aiyar's 'The Fatal Rumour'|magazine=[[India Today]]|date=1999-02-15|accessdate=2018-11-26}} - 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/>

Blackburn was of the [[SOAS, University of London|School of Oriental and African Studies]], [[University of London]].<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20010527021146/http://www.oup.co.uk:80/isbn/0-19-564261-9 The Fatal Rumour]." [[Oxford University Press]]. 27 May 2001. Retrieved on 26 November 2018.</ref>

==Plot==
The main character, Muttuswami Aiyar, resident in Sirukalam, fights against rumours planted against him by some area women, including Ponammal, his sister-in-law. Gargi Bhattacharjee of ''[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]]'' describes Muttuswami as "rich, virtuous and god fearing".<ref name=Bhattacharjee/>

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

Bhattacharjee states that "The plot is fairly unremarkable."<ref name=Bhattacharjee/>

==Reception==
The Blackburn translation won the 2000 A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20020625104035/http://www.aasianst.org/book-prizes-ramanujan.htm AAS SAC A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation]." [[Association for Asian Studies]]. 25 June 2002. Retrieved on 26 November 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==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20010527021146/http://www.oup.co.uk:80/isbn/0-19-564261-9 The Fatal Rumour]'' - [[Oxford University Press]]

[[Category:1893 novels]]
[[Category:Tamil-language literature]]
[[Category:Tamil novels]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian novels]]

The Fatal Rumour - Revision history

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