Purple Sea

'Ambai's stories in The Purple Sea are boldly experimental, pointing to the real source of the best Indian fiction in the vernacular languages. She makes use of polyphony, fragmentation and multiple perspectives, and her translator succeeds in capturing her technical virtuosity.' Times Literary Supplement

'Ambai's genius is for the telling detail, for a language never forced, never intrusive or jargon-ridden, always delivate even when tackling bold themes..Lakshmi Holmstrom's superb translation catches the pace and rhythm of the original.' The Telegraph

The seventeen stories collected here represent the work of the innovative Tamil writer Ambai. Over the past twenty years Ambai has broken new ground, both in terms of fictional norms and the courageousness of her subjects. She has been constantly open to experiment: her stories vary from gem-like prose poems to fantasy and surrealism and to realistic psychological explorations. Well-known translator and editor, Lakshmi Holstrom, captures the essence of Ambai's writing for the non-Tamil reader.