Critics have evaluated novelist S L Bhyrappa’s works without reading them properly, said former president of Kuvempu Bhasha Bharathi Prof Pradhan Gurudatta. He was speaking after releasing the Kannada book, Dr S L Bhyrappanavara Kadambarigalalli Kautumbika Samasyegalu, published by Sundara Prakashana, on Sunday.
He said some critics are of the opinion that neither the language nor the characters in Bhyrappa’s novels have made an impact on the readers and the books read like a report. “This is not true because Bhyrappa did not hide reality,” he argued.
Critic Dr G B Harish stressed the need of a comparative study of novels of Bhyrappa with that of other litterateurs like Shivaram Karanth, Kuvempu, Tha Ra Su and Masthi.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhyrappa said social responsibility is a term imported from Western culture and it was imposed on litterateurs in the 20th century and it is irrelevant. “When I look into each of my books, I feel that I have discovered one or the other values of life. These aspects should be assessed by the critics rather than comparing a work with any ideology, theory or the political scenario,” he said.
“Some people staged protests and termed me anti-women after Kavalu, but I did not see protests accusing me of being anti-male when I published Gruhabhanga, Sakshi and Parva,” Bhyrappa said.