Oru Manithanin Kathai (transl. The tale of a man) is a Tamil-language novel by Sivasankari. It was serialised in the magazine Ananda Vikatan from 1978 to 1979.[1] The novel was translated in English under the title Tyagu by Uma Narayanan in 1990.[2]

Oru Manithanin Kathai
AuthorSivasankari
TranslatorUma Narayanan
LanguageTamil
GenreDrama
Publication date
1978
Publication placeIndia
Published in English
1990

Plot

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Background

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During her tenure as public relations officer of Citibank in the early 1970s, Sivasankari encountered many employees who were ostensibly sober during the day but heavily drinking at night parties. She was curious to know the reason behind their alcoholism, and wrote to Alcoholics Anonymous; after reading their pamphlets, Sivasankari saw alcoholism as a disease. She spent almost eight years working on the subject of Oru Manithanin Kathai, and interacted with many psychiatrists as part of her research. She claimed the story was based on the lives of many alcoholics, rather than a single individual.[1] Sivasankari considered Oru Manithanin Kathai to be one of her most challenging novels to write.[3]

Adaptations

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The novel was adapted into a 1985 TV series by the same name, and a 1990 film Thiyagu, both starring Raghuvaran.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Warrier, Shobha (21 May 2001). "'Unfortunately, we tend to condemn alcoholics'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ^ Indian Literature. Vol. 34. Sahitya Akademi. 1991. p. 173. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Probing & Popular". Surya India. Vol. 16. 1991. p. 48. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  4. ^ Subajayanthi (16 July 2011). "Her write to change lives". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  5. ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (21 March 2008). "Farewell, Raghuvaran!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2023.