A research scholar whose notebook reveals a surreal pig farm... A psychologist in search of the truth about one of his clients... An aspiring writer who emulates Gogol... The unforgettable men and women in N. Prabhakaran's stories have an uncanny ability to expose the fault lines between the real and the unreal, the normal and the mad, as they explore their own inner worlds and psychic wounds. A pioneer of the post-modern aesthetic turn, N. Prabhakaran weaves the nitty- gritty of everyday, small-town lives into his stories - all set in northern Kerala - that are steeped in folklore, nature, factional politics, and the intricacies of human relationships. Brilliantly translated by Jayasree Kalathil, Diary of a Malayali Madman marks the very first time this major Indian writer's work is available in English.

'A work of historic significance' - BENYAMINA journalist goes to Theeyoor - 'the land of fire' - to investigate the unnaturally large number of suicides and disappearances in the city. After completing this project, however, Theeyoor refuses to leave his consciousness, and he decides to write its history.This history is told through various documents: the writer's notes, the anecdotes told to him while researching the suicides, Wardha Gopalan's book The History of Theeyoor, information provided by a local newspaper agent, personal papers of individuals, as well as some 'incidents' that the journalist himself imagines. In N. Prabhakaran's masterful hands - and in Jayasree Kalathil's brilliant translation - history, myth, facts, nature, political events, and everyday concerns of ordinary people weave together into a story that is at once local and universal.