Novel
Karmelin
कार्मेलीन
Damodar Mauzo · 1981
Synopsis
Karmelin, an orphan from a village in southern Goa, is raised by a loving uncle, Joao Philip. Her cousin Agnel, whom she loves, leaves her to marry the rich girl his mother has chosen for him, and she marries Jose, who drinks and beats her. Pursued by poverty and debt, determined to raise her daughter with dignity despite the village gossip, she goes to work as a domestic servant in Kuwait, where her employer exploits her.
Context
The novel appeared in 1981. Its frankness about sexuality then contrasted with the customs of a society in which the subject remained taboo; it combines the exploitation of domestic workers in the Gulf countries, family intrigues and caste conflicts within the Christian community of Goa. It has been translated into many languages of India, and into English by Vidya Pai for the Sahitya Akademi in 2004.
Who it is for
A novel of about three hundred pages in its English translation; no French translation.
Prizes and reception
Sahitya Akademi Award for Konkani in 1983; regarded as a landmark novel of that literature, translated into a dozen languages.
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