The Bungler

This Telugu classic is among the Masterpieces of Indian Literature, compiled by National Book Trust, India. Written shortly before the Independence of India in 1947, when all values were simmering in a cauldron, Gopichand created a unique character: Sitarama Rao jolted the Telugu readers. Heir to feudal order, the antihero is lost in theoretical thinking and cannot cope with the harsh realities. He goes mad and kills himself. Admirers have compared his madness to that of King Lear and Hamlet, critics carped on the novel's echoes of Gorki. This is the first psychological novel in Telugu literature. It is symbolic, selective, and representational in treatment, and poses social, political, and spiritual issues in a haunting manner.