Outcaste: Akkarmashi Limbale, Sharankumar From Marathi by Bhoomkar, Santosh

The Outcaste Akkarmashi captures the anguish and irreverence of the cultural ferment that opened up Marathi literature to Dalit writing. As a first-person account of the struggle against poverty, deprivation, discrimination and violence, The Outcaste captures the dehumanizing impact of caste oppression in Hindu society. In tracing the author's gradual awakening to selfhood and maturity, the book provides an inside view of life in a Mahar village. Moving bleak, its narrative punctured by bitter wit, this is a revelatory novel for people who are not on the uncomfortable periphery of social and economic life in India. An acknowledged masterpiece in the Mahar dialect, The Outcaste asserts the Dalit inner quest for identity using original language, idiom, metaphor and imagery. It will appeal to students of Indian literature in translation, Marathi literature, and the general reader interested in Dalit literature.