In a small backwater village in Kerala, Farook prepares to bury his father in the qabristan behind the mosque. As the rituals proceed, he is filled with memories of his growing years. Memories of the village, of secret lives, sexual proclivities, superstitions-and above all, the slow decaying of his family.
Tales from Qabristan is a strikingly vivid portrayal of a boy trying to understand the world through the eyes of the adults around him, as he navigates failure, love, life and death. Its language often slipping into magical realism, traversing the realms of both fantasy and reality, the novel reminds us that children are capable of discerning extremely complex realities even if they cannot fully understand them.
About the Author
Journalist-turned-literary curator, Sabin Iqbal is author of the critically acclaimed novels The Cliffhangers and Shamal Days. He is curator of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters. He was Festival Director of Alliance Literature Festival at Alliance University, Bangalore. The former editorial director of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Sabin has worked with Outlook, Tehelka, Business India, The Gulf Today and Sports Today, amongst others.