Matriarchs, Cows and Epic Villains: New and Selected Fables and Poems by Suniti Namjoshi - Book Review

Publication Date: 24th Mar 2025

Purchase Link (India): https://www.amazon.in/Matriarchs-Cows-Epic-Villains-Selected/dp/819425339X/

Genre: Short Story Collection

3.7 Stars

One Liner: Interesting!

The book is a collection of short stories, fables, lyrical poems, and observations (commentary) based on Hindu epics. It has several pieces, including abridged versions of her two novellas and two books from the Ravana trilogy – Shupi’s Choices and Kumbh.

The book begins with a foreword about the author, her writing, and storytelling style etc.

The first set is a bunch of fables based on Indian and other folklore. These are short and crisp retellings with a feminist twist. However, unlike most feminist works I’ve read so far, the fables don’t preach or rant. They simply present a different perspective on things. This really cuts down the drama and fluff, leaving the reader to think about what the author wants. It’s an effective storytelling style.

There are some poems scattered between the fables. These have a surreal and abstract vibe despite the brief notes provided by the author. I like how they sound, though I can’t explain them if you were to ask (and before you wonder, I’m a poet too).

It’s amazing how some of these pieces have been written in the 1970s. They do have a timeless quality. The author mentioned P.Lal in one of her notes (he published two of her poems). I’m assuming it’s the same Prof. Purushottama Lal who translated the complete Mahabharata into English in verse. Well, if he gave his approval for her works, I’d be more than happy to read along! 

After the short pieces, we get four novellas of sorts:

• The Conversations of a Cow (abridged)
• The Mothers of Maya Diip (abridged)
• Shupi’s Choices (part of the Ravana trilogy)
• Kumbh (part of the Ravana trilogy)

The Conversations of a Cow is divided into five parts (it has an author’s note and an internal content page). The author, a lesbian and a feminist, takes on the lesbian feminist movement using herself as one of the main characters. The genres are a blend of magic realism and bizarro fiction, if you ask me. There’s no gyan or preaching. Just a confused woman trying to figure out who she is while being thoroughly stressed out by so many definitions, labels, and the behavior styles a person labeled as something should follow.

The Mothers of Maya Diip is divided into three parts and is a take on how things would be in a matriarchal society. Kinda dystopian. There isn’t enough world-building to support the plot, so you need to wing it and go with the flow.

Shupi’s Choices and Kumbh have overlapping content since both belong to the same trilogy (they didn’t include the third book). The stories deal with Shurpanaka and Kumbhakarna (Ravana’s siblings) and how they adjust to a modern-day world. As with most retellings, this one also shoves modern-day caste and empowerment into the bygone era and pretty much eliminates the nuances of the epic. Luckily, these have only a minor role. Most of the plot is set in the future timeline (current-day scenario of sorts), so it has something unique to offer (while also ticking off a checklist). As you can guess, these are my least favorite entries in the book. However, I still chuckled at a few scenes, so all is not lost!

I love how the book has been structured and formatted. It is so neat, with clear author’s notes for sections and internal ToC (table of contents). Jojy Philip did a great job typesetting this book.

To summarize, Matriarchs, Cows and Epic Villains is a collection of poems, fables, and stories with women and feminism as the central theme. Most of them are non-preachy, crisp, and thought-provoking.

My thanks to Blogchatter and Penguin Zubaan for a copy of the book. This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program and contains my honest opinions.