Caustic Cover Critic: Tamil Pulp

Sunday, 10 January 2010

Tamil Pulp

At the end of last year I briefly mentioned a book I suddenly and desperately wanted, The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction. Well, I now have it, and though I've only read a couple of the stories (one great, one awful, both daft as a brush), I have marvelled at the gallery of Subcontinental pulp covers it features. Here are some of them.

11 comments:

Matthew Adams said...: These covers are so... enthusiastic.

I love the cover of the rambo dude climbing a cliff with a glorified steak knife gripped in his teeth. It's like the movies pre teen boys make, dressing up in some aproximation of a commando outfit consisting of dad's tie for headband, dad's nylon jacket for commando clothes.

And the one with the snake coming out of the eye gives a new definition of snake eyes.

And I love the cover with the gigantic pussy cat turned vampire, who has just attacked a mysterious women with a body that fades into nothing.

A lot of work and pride went into these covers.; 10 January 2010 at 14:48
JRSM said...: Your description (as of teenage boy-made movies) is perfect: the appeal of these covers lies in the gap between the imagination behind them and skill and resources used in making them.; 10 January 2010 at 14:53
Brian Lindenmuth said...: If you go the Blaft website they recently stated that there will be a another Tamil Pulp fiction antho.

I recently read The 65 Lakh Heist from them. What an odd and wild ride.; 10 January 2010 at 17:11
Anonymous said...: Third one from the bottom... I didn't know that The Vision starred in pulp tales? Where's the Scarlet Witch?; 10 January 2010 at 17:17
Blaft Publications said...: The Vision! Thank you! I've been wondering who that was.

We're hoping to have Tamil Pulp Fiction Vol. 2 out in March (in India -- will take a bit longer to make it available overseas.) More cover art will be included :-); 11 January 2010 at 00:11
Anonymous said...: Jeez-- these covers are TRULY strange. Look at that one with the bodybuilder's body, then an eagle head, wrapped in a live snake.

Who in their right mind woule put those three elements together?

Ah, crazy, pulpy goodness.; 11 January 2010 at 11:51
JRSM said...: And there's more! See, via Blaft's blog, http://comic-guy.blogspot.com/2009/06/bal-pocket-books-popular-novels.html and http://www.flickr.com/photos/45859145@N00/sets/72157622960058261/; 11 January 2010 at 14:31
Blaft Publications said...: I think JRSM's link is broke, I think he means our blog post on Shelle covers:

http://blaftblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/hindi-pulp-art.html

and another post on Hindi covers here:

http://bit.ly/8yUqtN

Note these are (mostly) Hindi covers not Tamil.; 11 January 2010 at 22:11
Steerforth said...: The half-man/half-bird cover is my favourite - echoes of Tutis, I think.; 12 January 2010 at 08:48
Ben said...: Again: I MUST get this anthology.

I love how these covers are all clearly fairly modern, with computer aided graphics etc., but still convey the sort of batshit intensity that hasn't been seen on the front of Western popular fiction for decades...; 13 January 2010 at 07:39
Peter Rozovsky said...: My copy of the book arrived today. The translator's introduction is a fascinating bit of modern and ancient history and sociology, and the low-key humor in Subha's story is delightful.
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"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/; 3 June 2010 at 20:48