The Wanderer

About the Book

Translated by the joint-winner of the JCB Prize for Literature 2021.

The Sampark Kranti Express is travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Chandigarh. It’s pulling a vintage steam engine called the Wanderer, which will be exhibited in the Republic Day parade in Delhi. This train travelling across the length of India carries a cross-section of the Indian populace. One of its travellers, Karamchand (named so after Mahatma Gandhi), through the intersection of his observations along the journey, his memories, and the history of the places the train passes through creates a fantastic, parallel journey along the one he is already on.

Landmarks in the history of India-the construction of railways in India by the British, the notorious Portuguese sailor Almeida’s attacks on ports in Kerala, the 1857 mutiny, the Chauri Chaura incident, the Godhra riots find mention in the novel.

About the Author

V. Shinilal is a popular, contemporary Malayalam novelist and short story writer. He hails from Nedumangad, near Thiruvananthapuram and works for the Indian Railways.

His major works include the novels Udal Bhauthikam, Adi, 124 and Iru and the short story collections Chola, Buddhapadham, Garisappa Aruvi Adhava Oru Jalayathra and Naroda Patyayil Ninnulla Bus.

Shinilal is a recipient of the inaugural Karoor Award (Udal Bhauthikam), Padmarajan Award (124) in 2021. He is the winner of the O.V. Vijayan Award in 2023. His works have been translated into many other Indian languages. Sampark Kranti (The Wanderer) was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the best novel in 2022.