Fiction

The Story of a Goat

The Story of a Goat

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  • Create Date：2021-06-02 11:51:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Perumal Murugan
  • ISBN：1782275711
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Summary

A farmer in India is watching the sun set over his village one quiet evening when a mysterious stranger， a giant man who seems more than human， appears on the horizon。 He offers the farmer a black goat kid who is the runt of the litter， surely too frail to survive。 The farmer and his wife take care of the young she-goat， whom they name Poonachi， and soon the little goat is bounding with joy and growing at a rate they think miraculous。

But Poonachi's life is not destined to be a rural idyll: dangers lurk around every corner， and may sometimes come from surprising places， including a government that is supposed to protect the weak and needy。 Is this little goat too humble a creature to survive such a hostile world？

With allegorical resonance for contemporary society and examining hierarchies of caste and colour， The Story of the Goat is a provocative but heartwarming fable from a world-class storyteller who is finally achieving recognition outside his home country。

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Reviews

Poonkuzhali ，

A brilliant piece of art。 Its writer's pride to write about something as trivial as a goat's life and making it absolutely interesting。 A brilliant piece of art。 Its writer's pride to write about something as trivial as a goat's life and making it absolutely interesting。 。。。more

Donna Woodard ，

I felt like I was reading a Grimm’s Fairy Tale with all sorts of deeper meaning to discover。 There is a moral to the story…life is hard， punctuated with a few miracles， then you die。 Interestingly to me is that I kind of forgot Poonachi as a goat and when I would just recall it， I’d feel like a cannibal。 I never felt bored or disconnected from the characters even though their lives are nothing like my own literally。 Why？ The only answer for me is this is a universally themed story at the core。 L I felt like I was reading a Grimm’s Fairy Tale with all sorts of deeper meaning to discover。 There is a moral to the story…life is hard， punctuated with a few miracles， then you die。 Interestingly to me is that I kind of forgot Poonachi as a goat and when I would just recall it， I’d feel like a cannibal。 I never felt bored or disconnected from the characters even though their lives are nothing like my own literally。 Why？ The only answer for me is this is a universally themed story at the core。 Liked enough to try another by this author。I had to give a 5 because it literally is the story of goats…that tells the story of life。 。。。more

Malarkodi ，

ஆடுகளின் வாழ்வியலோடு， பசி பஞ்சத்தின் வாசமும் கதை நெடுகவாசிப்போடு தொற்றிக்கொண்டது。 இனி வீட்டில் வளரும் வெள்ளாடுகளின் மொழி புரியுமோ！

Rasu ，

என்னோட ஆட்டு பேரு அழகி。。。。 போன வருஷம் செத்து போச்சு。。。 Rembering

Dinesh Kumar ，

வெள்ளாடுகளின் வாழ்வியலை மிக அழகாக தன் எழுத்தில் கொண்டுவந்திருக்கிறார் பெருமாள் முருகன் அய்யா。 பல கட்டங்கள் நெஞ்சை நெகிவைக்கிறது。 கிழவி பிள்ளைக்கறி தின்பவளா நான் என்று சொல்லுவது， பூவனை பலியிடுவது， முதல் ஈற்று குட்டிகளை பூனாச்சியிடமிருந்து பிரிப்பது என。 கிடாய்களுக்கு ஆண்மை இழக்கச்செய்யும் நிகழ்வையும் அதன் விளைவாக அதன் உடம்பில் ஏற்படும் மாற்றத்தையும் இவ்வளவு வெளிப்படையாக சொல்ல வேண்டுமா？ கொடூரமாக இருந்தது。

Venkatesh Max ，

Most read novel

Anshuman Swain ，

An intriguing， well-paced story！

Debosmita Das ，

I wonder，should I cry first or write a review。。。

Renuka ，

One-line review: Not worth the hype！I picked it up because of its popularity and being long/short （I forgot） listed in JLT fest。 The beginning was interesting and it went down so damn fast。 A story of a black goat it is。 It personifies her emotions as equivalent to humans'， not a problem there。 For me， it felt like reading loose anatomy written for a veterinarian。 When the author describes the sexual desires of a goat， I felt like puking。Some people compared it to being in the same line as Anima One-line review: Not worth the hype！I picked it up because of its popularity and being long/short （I forgot） listed in JLT fest。 The beginning was interesting and it went down so damn fast。 A story of a black goat it is。 It personifies her emotions as equivalent to humans'， not a problem there。 For me， it felt like reading loose anatomy written for a veterinarian。 When the author describes the sexual desires of a goat， I felt like puking。Some people compared it to being in the same line as Animal Farm。。。。those people。。。。 have you lost your mind？ I tried hard to find satire！ Or even a little something to keep me going after certain pages。。。 I tried really hard but life is too short to waste on such books。I did skim through pages so as some would say it is not a real review。 Whatever。 。。。 I can not say how much I hated "reading" this book。 So sorry。 。。。more

Indra Vijay ，

लाजबाबमुझे यह कहानी बहुत पसंद आई क्योंकि इसमें एक अलग प्रकार का भोलापन है। व्यंग कमाल का है किंतु अन्य आते आते अचानक कहानी गंभीर हो गयी और दिल को एक हिक सी दे गई।

Erica Amad ，

felt uncomfy reading abt goats having sex。。。。 for school， not my type of books

Ro Hart ，

Wow I didn’t expect to find a gem of a book like this。。。。。。。。！ The author has done a fine job of creating a narrative that takes a simple goat through a series of human emotions and urges。 It is an intensely political text in the order of Animal Farm。 Wonderful writing。

Siddhartha Krishnan ，

A modern masterpiece in this genre by Perumal Murugan！Over the last ten days， every evening when I stared at the cover of this book， a feeble looking goat stared back at me with its innocent， marble eyes。 It took me a while to understand the power of its gaze， but when that happened， I was shaken！The story is set in a nondescript village in Tamil Nadu。 One quiet evening as an old man watches the sun set over his village， a mysterious and unusually tall man， approaches him and gifts him a one-day A modern masterpiece in this genre by Perumal Murugan！Over the last ten days， every evening when I stared at the cover of this book， a feeble looking goat stared back at me with its innocent， marble eyes。 It took me a while to understand the power of its gaze， but when that happened， I was shaken！The story is set in a nondescript village in Tamil Nadu。 One quiet evening as an old man watches the sun set over his village， a mysterious and unusually tall man， approaches him and gifts him a one-day old black goat。 She is the seventh child of her mother， so delicate， that her fragility becomes a cause of wonderment for all in the village。 The goat is therefore treated as a tiny miracle by the old man and his wife who do everything within their capacity to keep it alive。 Thus begins the story of Poonachi， the black goat。Poonachi， is a political novel that takes a look at society， it’s abuse of power， gender inequities， greed， surveillance and the resultant subjugation of the weak。 But all of this from the perspective of a goat。 As a result， comparison to Orwell’s Animal Farm or Kipling’s Jungle Book are obvious。 But as testified by the scroll， in this story the animals are not sacrificed at the altar of allegory。 This is what differentiates， Poonachi， from other famous works in this genre。 The title therefore is conclusive – it is the story of a black goat， and all that we draw from the book as human beings is an accompaniment to that story。 To understand this aspect better， it is best to quote an excerpt from N Kalyan Raman’s translator’s note – “As we track the destiny of this orphan goat， shaped by a force-field of humans and animals， we realise that the author’s real theme is our own fears and longings， primordial urges and survival tactics。”However， the novel does resort to anthropomorphism （attribution of human traits， emotions， intentions on non-human beings） to make the animal characters relatable while also retaining their animal behaviour。 This fine balance that has been struck in the narrative along with an eye for detail is an astonishing feature of the writing。 Only a person who has a deep understanding of animal behaviour could have pulled this off。 This， I am assuming has come from years of close observation。The other commendable aspect of the storytelling is， how deeply layered it is？ Every sentence carries weight， no word is wasted， and paragraphs often end with some message conveyed。 The translation is brilliant， and despite the absence of Tamil words in the narrative， I felt that I was a part of that village。 I may have missed some hidden references intrinsic to the culture but that does not rob me of understanding the perspective。 Yes， it might take time for one to fully relate to the story， since it is written from the perspective of a goat， but that investment is surely worth it。But the standout feature of the book， for me， is the tenderness of the storytelling。 Despite being a political novel with a powerful message， the empathy displayed even while describing the most macabre moments mesmerized me as a reader。 It helped me connect deeply with the characters and their journeys。 Only a truly gifted writer can pull this off with such finesse。 Through， Poonachi， I am now introduced to the genius of Perumal Murugan， and I am kicking myself as to why I had not read any of his books up until now？Well， I guess there is a time for everything。The book was shortlisted for the 2018 JCB Literature Prize， and I think it is best to end with the comments of the jury –“Funny and warm， Poonachi is a book that forces us gently to look at ourselves and our contribution to an unequal world。 Perumal Murugan is a master storyteller who reflects profoundly on our transactional society and its inequities and struggles。 Through the character of the lonely goat， he has written a powerful modern fable。” 。。。more

Cherrie ，

engl 1f03

Jai Ganesh ，

Journey of a Goat from its perspectiveAs the title suggest this story is about poonachi。 The story revolves around the life and things happening around her。 Author made us feel the emotions which the protagonist goes through。 Author gave reason for choosing a goat as other animals being sacred， untouchable， or they can only be used in poems。One peculiar process followed by the government in the story is they register every birth every animal and human。That was satirically exposing the right wing Journey of a Goat from its perspectiveAs the title suggest this story is about poonachi。 The story revolves around the life and things happening around her。 Author made us feel the emotions which the protagonist goes through。 Author gave reason for choosing a goat as other animals being sacred， untouchable， or they can only be used in poems。One peculiar process followed by the government in the story is they register every birth every animal and human。That was satirically exposing the right wing government。Poonachi was a special for the kizhavan and kizhavi as they just got it from a stranger from no where。 The stranger promised that this goat is from the family like where every goat yeilds seven lamb at once。A good fast read which also explains the different things done by humans under different circumstances。 。。。more

Carly ，

By the second half， I was reading this with great interest， but overall this simple tale of poverty and desperation， with a bit of love thrown in， and all from the perspective of an anthropomorphized goat — I don’t know。 It had its moments， but overall I think I’d rather read about people。

Riddhi Goenka ，

Never thought i would this engrossed and touched by the life story of a goat。

Oken Keithellakpam ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 When I finished reading this book it honestly made me feel depressed about it。 How a goat can signify the great of a tragedy and trauma one has to face through。 I'm not complaining how the story ends or how it was written， I'm just sad how it made me feel even tough there's people who exists like this。 When I finished reading this book it honestly made me feel depressed about it。 How a goat can signify the great of a tragedy and trauma one has to face through。 I'm not complaining how the story ends or how it was written， I'm just sad how it made me feel even tough there's people who exists like this。 。。。more

Kshitiz Goliya ，

While Poonachi may sound like a name of children's storybook or something to be read by an animal lover， it is too deep， political and unapologetic to simply fit either of the box。 The book of course assumes that Poonachi， the protagonist， thinks as well as feels pain， amazement and love。 Well， to be truthful， there is nothing to assume there since animals actually do go through all these emotions in their own ways。 Poonachi's helplessness to convey all this to her caring but poor owners only ex While Poonachi may sound like a name of children's storybook or something to be read by an animal lover， it is too deep， political and unapologetic to simply fit either of the box。 The book of course assumes that Poonachi， the protagonist， thinks as well as feels pain， amazement and love。 Well， to be truthful， there is nothing to assume there since animals actually do go through all these emotions in their own ways。 Poonachi's helplessness to convey all this to her caring but poor owners only exacerbates the despair that this novels throws the reader's way。Raised with love， but forced to choose between survival and an animal's needs， the book strips humans， especially Poonachi's owners， to their very core survival instincts。 It highlights the helplessness of the poor villagers who just want to survive in their little world， but still can't escape the shadow of the overarching structures of power。 It perhaps shows that the government can also treat poor people just like animals; without any dignity and sense of empathy。 The book creates two parallel worlds， one of Poonachi and her fellow goats and one of the humans rearing those goats。 The book has no intention of judging either since both face hardships and are dependent on each other for survival。 Both suffer but while one have the power to share or lessen their suffering， the animal world doesn't。This is no fairy tale。 But it might certainly leave you with a little bit more empathy for those animals， who actually do try to communicate their emotions to us， but we just choose to not hear。 Perhaps this book might make the reader open their ears and heart a bit more to let those emotions in。 。。。more

Sheela Lal ，

I'm still not sure how to feel about this novel but I read it in its entirety， which I wouldn't do if I didn't like it。 I'm still not sure how to feel about this novel but I read it in its entirety， which I wouldn't do if I didn't like it。 。。。more

Vani Alagarsamy ，

Well ！ I read the book in my Mother tongue Tamil。 This is the first one I am reading from this Author。Truly has unique way of Story telling， also leaving you so many issues/things to think about ！！ This book has a real impact on you once completing it。 Also， the characterization are making you travel close with them。 I feel the Author playing a Hide and Seek through out the Story with us: The language， places， thoughts on a particular Scene are neither openly revealed nor hidden completely。 He a Well ！ I read the book in my Mother tongue Tamil。 This is the first one I am reading from this Author。Truly has unique way of Story telling， also leaving you so many issues/things to think about ！！ This book has a real impact on you once completing it。 Also， the characterization are making you travel close with them。 I feel the Author playing a Hide and Seek through out the Story with us: The language， places， thoughts on a particular Scene are neither openly revealed nor hidden completely。 He always provided us the truth， same time hidden it to some extent。 Overall its a good， easy， interesting read - which ends you with a deep thought。 Happy Reading ！！ 。。。more

Harshita ，

Can't imagine the life journey of a goat without this book。 Can't imagine the life journey of a goat without this book。 。。。more

Archana ，

Very subtle political commentary。 Brilliant translation。

Dave Osborne ，

tA goat’s life。 The Story of a Goat is a compact， multi-layered allegory which critiques contemporary Indian society。 The author， Perumal Murugan， from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu， wrote the story in Tamil language in 2016。 The story was translated into English by N。 Kalyan Raman in 2016。tThe title of the book which I read is The Story of a Goat。 The original title was Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat。 “Poonachi” translates to “kitten，” a name which captures the endearment in which the tA goat’s life。 The Story of a Goat is a compact， multi-layered allegory which critiques contemporary Indian society。 The author， Perumal Murugan， from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu， wrote the story in Tamil language in 2016。 The story was translated into English by N。 Kalyan Raman in 2016。tThe title of the book which I read is The Story of a Goat。 The original title was Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat。 “Poonachi” translates to “kitten，” a name which captures the endearment in which the elderly farming couple， whose lives are circumscribed by abject poverty， hold the goat in its infancy。tThe publishers’ decision to omit the title word “Black” may have been done out of sensitivity to political correctness， but the omission erases an element at the heart of this story: discrimination against the goat because of its blackness。tThrough the anthropomorphic character of the goat and the villagers’ own experiences， Murugan alludes to numerous criticisms of India， including caste discrimination， racial discrimination， gender discrimination， abusive governmental control， and constrictions of poverty。tThe short book has the feel of something written quickly， a short story that could be included in an anthology of short stories from India。 。。。more

Prabhazacharias85 ，

Brilliant story。 Do read everyone。

Nandhini ，

An old man receives a small black baby goat from a random passer-by。 Along with his wife he brings up the goat， Poonachi， with his other goats。 The book is about the life of the goat Poonachi。 How difficult it is to grow up as an orphan goat， being very small and not able to cope up with the other goats and even her love and motherhood。Perumal Murugan is a wonderful storyteller and the translation is also good。 I can't help but compare the story of Poonachi along with a normal woman。 The struggl An old man receives a small black baby goat from a random passer-by。 Along with his wife he brings up the goat， Poonachi， with his other goats。 The book is about the life of the goat Poonachi。 How difficult it is to grow up as an orphan goat， being very small and not able to cope up with the other goats and even her love and motherhood。Perumal Murugan is a wonderful storyteller and the translation is also good。 I can't help but compare the story of Poonachi along with a normal woman。 The struggles Poonachi faces is similar to what a woman faces at some point in her life。This is small book of only 167 pages but it definitely is not a light read。 The book is equally delightful and heartbreaking。 。。。more

Ashwati Biju ，

"A must read"Poonachi is the life of an orphan goat， told through her and her owner's POV。 Here the goat is like a human， with all the emotional and physical feelings and we travel along with her and see good times， face hardships and see Poonachi grow up。。 From the beginning the story kept me entranced and it is a very good page turner。 As the story progresses we see many metaphors where political issues are addressed along with many other human behaviors。 The translation is good and I read the "A must read"Poonachi is the life of an orphan goat， told through her and her owner's POV。 Here the goat is like a human， with all the emotional and physical feelings and we travel along with her and see good times， face hardships and see Poonachi grow up。。 From the beginning the story kept me entranced and it is a very good page turner。 As the story progresses we see many metaphors where political issues are addressed along with many other human behaviors。 The translation is good and I read the whole book at a go。 It is a really good quick read and I think it's great enough to be compared to Animal Farm。 。。。more

Prathapanu ，

4。5

Joy ，

4。5/5From the Translator's note: "Though a feat of storytelling that is both masterly and nuanced， Murugan makes us reflect on our own responses to hegemony and enslavement， selflessness and appetite， resistance and resignation， living and dying。 This novel is not just the story of a goat。 Through exploration of the life journey of an animal， Murugan leads us deep into 'an intimate history of humanity' and the irreducible human essence that we must fight to preserve 。。。 Poonachi experiences both 4。5/5From the Translator's note: "Though a feat of storytelling that is both masterly and nuanced， Murugan makes us reflect on our own responses to hegemony and enslavement， selflessness and appetite， resistance and resignation， living and dying。 This novel is not just the story of a goat。 Through exploration of the life journey of an animal， Murugan leads us deep into 'an intimate history of humanity' and the irreducible human essence that we must fight to preserve 。。。 Poonachi experiences both the promise and the structural violence embedded in the life of a female。""Once， in a village， there was a goat。 No one knew where she was born。 The birth of an ordinary life never leaves a trace， does it？""None of the sheep had their neck and forelegs bound together with a rope。 That was only done to the proud goats， who were forced to look at the ground as they walked。 Goats always tried to break free of their shackles。 Sheep had none， so they didn’t need to make the effort。 If it was in your nature to bow down， why would anyone shackle you？ And yet， they were fortunate， these sheep。 They had no inkling that to bow was to be shackled""The woman of the house said that once upon a time， wild hounds， jackals， leopards and herds of deeper had lived that forest。 Now， there were only wild boar。 'People keep destroying everything and shoving every last bit into their mouths。 How then can anything or anyone survive here apart from human beings？ In the end， can even people survive for very long？' she remarked with a sigh。""Everyone was well versed in how they were expected to behave towards the regime。 They had mouths only to keep shut， hands only to make obeisance， knees only to bend and kneel， backs only to bend， and bodies only to shrink before the authorities。""'That's the way it is， ayah。 When did the rich ever suffer any hardship？ It's only the poor people who come here like fools to stand in the queue and suffer。''Speak softly， sir。 The regime has ears on all sides。''There's an old saying that the regime is deaf。''It's deaf only when we speak about our problems。 When we talk about the regime， its ears are quite sharp。""They talk about the highs of toddy and liquor， but those are not highs at all。 Real intoxication comes from talking。 The moment it crosses a limit， we forget everything。""'We die for meat。 We die for sacrifice，' he said said。 Had her kid died for meat or for sacrifice？" "Those who had bought the meat and cooked it told her， 'I'll bring you a little。 Will you eat？''I bought him up like a baby，' the old woman said。 'Do I have the devil's heart that I would consume my own child？'Even then， some people persisted。'What's the big problem， ayah？ Don't we eat animals that we sacrifice to God？ Think of it that way，' they said。'When we offer a sacrifice， God takes the life and gives us the reuse。 But our kid is alive in every bit of this meat。 How can a mother have the heart to eat her own son？' asked the old woman。They listened to her and agreed。'Pity the person who suffered the loss， but it's no gain for the one who got the meat，' another old woman said。" "All the love the couple showed her had shrunk into the length of this rope， Poonachi thought。 When the old woman found it difficult to look after the kids， she had freely abused Poonachi。 She had called her an evil wretch and a devil。 When she got some money from selling the kids， she changed instantly。 Now she was carrying all her jewellery in a waist pouch kept hidden under her sari。 The couple， who never used to be afraid of thieves， moved about with great caution， in constant fear of being robbed。 As soon as she had drunk Poonachi's milk， the old woman would coo fondly at her: 'You are the deity of our clan。 Messaya himself。' Poonachi was wise to all her ways， but what could she do except walk in obedience to the pull of the rope？""When the kids were around， she had felt sometimes that she might be better off without them。 But that stemmed from a feeling of helplessness。 For the past few months， being with the kids had become her whole world。 There was finally some meaning to her existence。 Now it had all come crashing down。 Unable to bear her loss， Poonachi cried out。 She believed her cries would reach the ears of her kids， far away in the buffalo cart。""We live in dark times where are our most intimate feelings， as they have evolved through the ages， are under siege。 We are compelled to protect and assert their primacy in order to stay human and sane。""The call for hunger sweeps aside all other invitations to rise up in front of you。 You become aware of other calls only after you've heeded this one。 Even if you're wealthy， you can only eat food， right？" 。。。more

Subhiksha ，

4。5 stars 。 Humans DO NOT deserve animals

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Story of a Goat

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Story of a Goat&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Story of a Goat&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0