Kochi: The publication of O.V. Vijayan’s Khasakkinte Ithihasam with footnotes and interpretations, which were not part of the original text, has drawn sharp reactions from the Malayali literary community.
Writers and readers have expressed shock at the ‘desecration’ of the book and demanded that the publisher, DC Books, do amends to the gross injustice done to the writer and his readers.
The 63rd edition of the book by DC Books, published on July 15 and now on sale, comes with about 300 footnotes and interpretations whereas the original work had less than 70.
Worse, the edition nowhere mentions that the footnotes and interpretations were authored by eminent writer Asha Menon, nor does it differentiate them from those by Vijayan, prompting the reader to think that all of them were made by the author.
Vijayan’s sister and writer O.V. Usha told Deccan Chronicle that the publishers should withdraw the edition. “The readers will get a distorted idea about the book and its author from some of the footnotes given in the book,” she said. “They should at least ensure that the next edition did not contain the distortion,” she added.
Mr A.V. Sreekumar of DC Books said Asha Menon had prepared the footnotes for a special edition of the book and the same were carried in the subsequent editions. He admitted that his name was omitted from the text. Asked if the publishers would correct the mistake, he said he would check if it was possible.
