Mining the recesses of the human mind

New Delhi, Feb 11 : When they were first published, Gracys stories shocked readers with their sexual candour and frank celebration of female desire. She is now widely recognized as one of the most important contemporary writers in Malayalam.
Her short stories, which vary from half a page to novella-length, draw the reader into the world of modern men and women caught in quagmires of desire, lust, jealousy and vengeance – emotions that they often carry even into the afterlife. In these pages we will find: the bitter defiance of a daughter going to her mother’s funeral in her most alluring sari; a contemporary retelling of the story of Draupadi; the sinister coming-of-age tale of a young girl.
“I enjoy mining deep into the recesses of the human mind while writing. Often, my stories tend to be woman-centric, as they can’t help but be fierce responses to male intrusions, and dominance over female bodies,” author Gracy says, adding: These stories attempt to evoke a sense of woman’s identity, even as they try to meet the challenge of exploring diverse themes and concerns.” “I am looking forward to the responses of new readers who, I hope, would take to my stories in Baby Doll’”, she says.
Gracy’s first collection of short stories, “Padiyirangippoya Parvathi”, came out in 1991. It was followed by nine more short-story collections. She has published three memoirs and a short autobiography. She has also made her mark in writing for children. Her work has been translated into Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, etc. Some of Gracy’s stories have also been translated into English and Oriya.
She has been the recipient of many awards, including the Lalithambika Antharjanam Award (1995) instituted for women writers, the Thoppil Ravi Award (1997), the Katha Prize for the Best Malayalam Short Story (1998) and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (2000).