The Goat Thief

Perumal Murugan is one of the best Indian writers today. He trains his unsentimental eye on men and women who live in the margins of our society. He tells their stories with deep sympathy and calm clarity. A lonely night watchman falls in love with the ghost of a rape victim. A terrified young goat thief finds himself surrounded by a mob baying for his blood. An old peasant exhausted by a lifetime of labour is consumed by jealousy and driven to an act of total destruction. Set in the arid Kongu landscape of rural Tamil Nadu, these tales illuminate the extraordinary acts that make up everyday lives.

A master storyteller, Perumal Murugan has written award-winning novels, short stories and poems. He is also a scholar of classical Tamil, and a beloved teacher. His best-known work is the novel Maadorubagan (One Part Woman) that attracted fierce controversy along with immense acclaim. N. Kalyan Raman has translated some of the finest and most exciting Tamil writers ranging from Ashokamitran and Devibharathi to Poomani and Perumal Murugan.