The English translation of the epic Kannada novel Anchu by the renowned author S.L. Bhyrappa, Brink is a love saga between Somashekhar, a widower, and Amrita, an estranged woman. The novel deliberates on the moral, philosophical, and physical aspects of love between a man and a woman. At the core of the story is compassion, and Somashekhar is the very personification of compassion. He brings love and warmth into Dr Amrita's melancholic life. But time and again, she loses her temper and undergoes swift mood changes. In such times, she inflicts pain and torture on Somashekhar in spite of his sincere love for her. Will Somashekhar be able to help her overcome depression by his perseverance and sacrifice? An enthralling read, the novel has stood the test of time like Bhyrappa's other novels. Packed with internal drama, tension, and flashbacks, the book promises to impart an aesthetic experience to the reader.
S.L BHYRAPPA, the Kannada novelist, is regarded as one of India's foremost writers. His works are unique in terms of theme, structure, and characterization. Bhyrappa participated in the freedom struggle, but believes that Indian independence was just a political freedom and that real independence is the intellectual freedom which is nurtured by the strong foundations laid in the teachings of rich Indian culture and values. Bhyrappa has been honoured with many awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Daatu in 1975 and Saraswati Samman of K.K. Birla Foundation for Mandra in 2010. His novels have been translated into almost all Indian languages. He retired as a Professor of Philosophy from Mysore University and lives in Mysore. R. RANGANATH PRASAD worked for a public sector bank. He resigned voluntarily halfway through, and took interest in translation (English, Kannada, and Hindi). Eventually, he sought out true scholars - Dr S.L. Bhyrappa and Dr R. Ganesh - to benefit from their knowledge and wisdom. He participates in literary study circles, wherein classical Sanskrit and Kannada literature is studied under the guidance of Dr R. Ganesh. Initiated to metrical versification, he has penned about a thousand verses and participates in the performing literary art called Avadhanam.
Brink is the translation of Anchu (1990), a Kannada novelby renowned philosopher-historian-litterateur Padmashri Dr S.L. Bhyrappa. It is a prominent work that deserves to be reckoned alongside his other works — Vamshavriksha, Niraakarna, Daatu, Parva, Nele, Sakshi, Tantu, Saartha, Mandra, Aavarana, and Uttarakaanda — most of which are translated into English besides pan-Indian languages. His autobiography Bhitti is as engrossing as his novels. Brink deliberates on the nature of male—female love from physical, moral, and philosophical angles. Dr Amrita', the female character, repeatedly suffers from the severest urge to commit suicide, and the male counterpart Mr Somashekhae anchors her to life each time. She nevertheless revolts, and he inevitably becomes the target of her unrelenting anger, torture, and blackmail — emotional and moral. With great personal suffering, perseverance, and sacrifice, he brings her back to normalcy. Ostensibly, Brink is a love saga between a widower and an estranged woman. Obviously, it borders on adultery, but on the part of the man, it is not adultery. His empathy is genuine, and it morphs into love. As would a guru, he assumes responsibility to make her realize a value expounded in the Bhagavadgita, that is, ninipti (selfless conduct/ unaffectedness) vis-a-vis her estate usurped by her kin in particular and vis-à-vis the familial injustice perpetrated by them in general. Compliance to his wisdom equips her with the means to overcome depression. Such leverage and his compassion for her go on to serve as her emancipation, thereby doing away with the need for a psychiatrist. The remedial nature of this traditional canon makes human distress bearable. Brink would like to know if such values of Indian tradition appeal to the readers as worthy of inculcation. The aforementioned constitutes the philosophical undercurrent of the novel. What equally matters in a work of fiction is its linguistic vehicle, and the creative narrative of Brink is enthralling to say the least. Employing techniques such as flashback, stream of consciousness, internal drama, and tension, this novel is verily quick-paced. Considering that there isn't much of interconnected `events' in this tale, to be able to pen these many pages of anatomized emotional catharsis between two lovers — actually entirely the abreaction of one of them — and still make it engrossing is nothing short of ingenuity.
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