The Extraordinary Alagu Subramaniam

A Tribute penned by his grandniece Premila Thurairatnam: one initially published  in THE CEYLANKAN  magazine Nov issue &#;&#;&#;&#;&#;.. whilean abbreviated version appeared in the Daily Mirror newspaper (21 Nov ) – Revised and published in ‘Closing Time’ book&#;. while some highlighting has been added here by The Editor, Thuppahi

Alagu Subramaniam (–) was a barrister-at-law, short story, radio script writer and playwright who hailed from Jaffna. His father was a judge and his grandfather a literary personage. Alagu had successfully combined in himself, his father’s legal career and his grandfather’s literary genius.

Alagu

Alagu was a prominent figure in London’s Bloomsbury literary circle1 in the s and 40s. He wrote short stories that capture the behaviour of people whether it be Ceylonese during the colonial era or contemporary English life during and prior to the war. These stories were broadcast on the home and overseas services of the BBC. His short story ‘The Mathematician’ has been compared for its good-humoured raillery with one of the greatest writers of short fiction in history, Anton Chekhov2. More recentl

Servile Mourning for the Powerful: A Critical Reading of “Professional Mourners” by Alagu Subramaniam

American Research Journal of English and Literature Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages Research Article | Open Access ISSN (Online)- DOI : / Servile Mourning for the Powerful: A Critical Reading of “Professional Mourners” by Alagu Subramaniam EA Gamini Fonseka, BA, MA,Phd, FRSA Professor Emeritus of English Department of English & Linguistics University of Ruhuna. AbstrAct This is a literary study of the short story “Professional Mourners” by Alagu Subramaniam (). The introduction focuses on the sociological aspect of the practice of hiring professional mourners at funerals in certain parts of Sri Lanka. It is conducted in six sections, in accordance with the trajectory the story follows: 1) Exciting Element in Death; 2) Uncle’s Self-Importance as Master of Ceremonies; 3) Uncle’s Hunt for Mourners; 4) Service in Full Swing; 5) Mission Impossible; and 6) A Cacophony to Mock the Perpetrator. As the narrator is a child, all these sections attempt to establish a child’s perspective of the entire procedure the so-called “Master of Ceremonies” follows in fulfilling the requirement of hirin

Alagu Subramaniam &#;.The Unfolding of a Ceylonese Author

Premila Thurairatnam,  an essay that will appear in THE CEYLANKAN of May &#;.. with highlghting imposed by the Editor, Thuppahi

Further to my article in the November issue of The CEYLANKAN  entitled The Extraordinary Alagu Subramaniam, I present the findings from my research into how this short story writer formulated some of his stories almost a century ago.  He was commended in the Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English as an exemplar of professionalism in the short story and that he wrote fiction of merit1. So, I think my effort on his work is worthwhile.

Alagu in aged 37 when he returned to Ceylon from England

 

 

 

Let’s begin with what is considered his finest short story ‘Professional Mourners’ where he points out the inhumanity of the caste system2. The narrator is a child remembering the details of his Hindu grandmother’s funeral and the importance attached to the presence of a group of lower caste women hired to wail there. Subramaniam demonstrates how the upper middle classes displayed their social significance at the expense of such women. The stor

Alagu Subramaniam ….The Unfolding of a Ceylonese Author-by Michael Roberts

Source:Thuppahis

Premila Thurairatnam,  an essay that will appear in THE CEYLANKAN of May  ….. with highlghting imposed by the Editor, Thuppahi

Further to my article in the November issue of The CEYLANKAN  entitled The Extraordinary Alagu Subramaniam, I present the findings from my research into how this short story writer formulated some of his stories almost a century ago.  He was commended in the Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English as an exemplar of professionalism in the short story and that he wrote fiction of merit1. So, I think my effort on his work

is worthwhile.

Alagu in aged 37 when he returned to Ceylon from England

Let’s begin with what is considered his finest short story ‘Professional Mourners’ where he points out the inhumanity of the caste system2. The narrator is a child remembering the details of his Hindu grandmother’s funeral and the importance attached to the presence of a group of lower caste women hired to wail there. Subramaniam demonstrates how the upper middle classes displayed their social significance at the expense of suc

Biographies you may also like

Dr thomas p lecky biography samples Dr. Thomas Lecky developed three breeds of cattle suited to the tropics- Jamaica Hope, Jamaica Red, and Jamaica Black. His particular cattle breeding technique forms the basis for breeding .

Huang zi tao biography samples Huang Zitao is one of the most popular and richest Rapper who was born on May 2, in Qingdao, China. This Asian rapper, better known as Tao, became well-known for his Missing: samples.

Hephystus biography sampler To inspire your own bio-writing efforts, we‘ve curated over 25 of the most engaging real-life examples from across industries, roles and seniority levels. These range Missing: hephystus.

Fereidun fesharaki biography sample In , Dr. Fesharaki was appointed to the National Petroleum Council by then US Secretary of Energy and was re-appointed by Secretary Moniz in April He received the Outstanding Missing: sample.

Carlo maria giulini biography sample He was drafted into the Italian army during World War II, but went into hiding as a convinced anti-Fascist; after the liberation of Rome by the Allied troops in , he was Missing: sample.

Km cherian biography samples BENGALURU: Noted cardiac surgeon Dr K M Cherian passed away late Saturday night. He was He passed away at Manipal Hospital at pm yesterday. He was in Missing: samples.