Review of the Novel Titled " The Last Folktale " written by Dr. Balasaheb Labade

The path - breaking novel titled " The Last Folktale" delineated by the formidable novelist, Balasaheb Labade does have so many elegant and eloquent features so incorporated to it. Before bringing that into the forefront through this review, it is ideal to emphasize here that this literary exercise of mine is to position this novel in the comity of other great works by pointing out the undercurrents so inherent in this novel and how that would make it so unique and also project it as reflective of the present world.

The novel dwells upon the postmodern literary theory Magic Realism which is typically redeemed through the novel in a sum and substance manner. The ordered regularity amounting to discipline does act as a focal point of subversion as long as the novel is concerned. There is also in the novel the repudiation of rationalism making it to be a cult of irrational scheme of things. The surrealism so incorporated in the novel lifts it to the realm of the unconscious projecting the obscure anarchic passions, dreams and desires so spectacular and popular for sure. The dovetailing of the reason and the unreasonable is accomplished through the technique of fascination in terms of this novel.

With the application of Magic Realism in terms of this novel, the themes and the subjects in it reach a level of imaginary, partially outlandish, fantastic and dream like tone and tenor. The novel does bring into the forefront magic realism like features such as the commingling of the realistic and the bizarre, the dexterous interchanging of times, the employment of maze like narrative wavelength, the intermittent deployment of dreams, the induction of myths and gory tales, the down to earth and absurd kind of descriptions and the presentation of the horrific and the unfathomable as something so relevant. 

The other trend which is so apparent through this novel is the philosophy of absurdity which is couched in everyday realities of existential crisis experienced by the pestilence stricken human multitudes of this world. The human condition is proven to be absurd in terms of this novel. The alien universe in which human condition is inexplicable and it is projected to be tipping towards apocalyptic scenarios. The human beings strive hard to search for a purpose in relation to their existence but at the end their significance as long as their existence here in this universe is concerned, is turned out to be in the Black Hole of nothingness.

The content centric and the form centric aspects of novel writing are taken out of the equation pertaining to the delineation of this novel. This novel highlights a chaotic world ripped apart with a heap of broken images vying for honours and jockeying for positions. The postmodern spin that is accorded to folktales elevates this novel to a Himalayan height. The dream like narrative empowered through stream of consciousness pathway adds colour, vibrancy and mettle to the novel all the way. Different genres whipped up with the images of discordant nature in a systematic order shed light on the complete annihilative status of human life in the novel. The human ties are portrayed as detached, disoriented, disintegrated and dismembered in the novel which is representative of the present world. The novel attains a contemporary soundbite because of its authentic presentation of human conditions as seen today.

The novel delves deep into the catastrophic sort of psychological consciousness underlying human endeavours which would only make the existence here in this world more unsustainable than sustainable. Living today is not simply there instead survival amidst desolation and dilapidation of various wavelengths does become the order of the day. This existential crisis of the human minds and their irredeemable physical situation coupled with so many inconsistencies, ambiguities and contradictions sprinkled around would make this novel a 21st century literary wonder.

© Cijo Joseph Chennelil 
Poet, Reviewer, Critic, Philosopher, Essayist, Humanist, Freelancer and Lover of Nature Kuravilangad, August 2025©®
Kerala