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Vijayawada. The world of popular print. Film,
astrology, crime and sex magazines, post cards, posters, self
help books, star biographies, song books.... |
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| Ambadipudi, Bruce Lee: Vichitra Veerudi Chitra Charitra
[Bruce Lee: The Strange History of a Mysterious Hero], Vijayawada:
Jalaja Publications, no date. |
Ambadipudi, Vichitra Veerudu Bruce Lee: Yuvasakti
Katha [Mysterious Hero Bruce Lee: Story of Youth
Power], Ambadipudi, Vijayawada, no date. Ambadipudi's picture appears
as an insert on the cover of the book, which is a later edition
of the other Bruce Lee biography by the same author. |
Ambadipudi, China Karate Rahasyalu [Secrets
of Chinese Karate], Ambadipudi, Vijayawada, no date. |
| Ambadipudi ‘Vijayapriya’
is a prolific writer who claims to have authored 500 books.
Among the scores of books that he now publishes himself are
primers in half a dozen languages, biographies of films stars
and historical figures, books on cookery, infertility, magic,
health and astrology. He is also an investment consultant, astrologer
and sexologist. |
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| Ambadipudi, Kungfu Nerchukondi: Atma Rakshanaku,
Dhairyaniki, Sahasaniki [Learn Kungfu: For Self
Defence, Confidence and Bravery], Vijayawada: Ambadipudi, no date. |
Ambadipudi, Judo Nerchukondi: Atma Rakshanaku, Dhairyaniki,
Sahasaniki [Learn Kungfu: For Self Defence, Confidence
and Bravery], Vijayawada: Jalaja Publications, no date. |
Ambaudi, Karate Nerchukondi: Atma Rakshanaku,
Dhairyaniki, Sahasaniki [Learn Kungfu: For Self
Defence, Confidence and Bravery], Vijayawada: Ambadipudi, no date. |
 M.
Vijayasaradhi, Self-Help Karate, Vijayawada:
Vijetha Publishing House, 1994. Unlike writers like Ambadipudi,
whose authenticity lies in the sheer volume of their work, self
help books have also been written for popular audiences by those
who claim formal training in martial arts. |
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| Gopinath, Martial Arts Fighter in Pakistan,
Vijayawada: SMK Publications, 1983 |
Narendra, Kungfu Commands,
Madras: Harish Creations, 1984. |
Harinadh, Chinese Mission,
Tenali: MVR Publications, 1985. The novel is dedicated to the
Telugu film star Krishna. |
N.S. Nagireddy, Black Belt Killer,
Vijayawada: MKR Publications, 1979, rpt 1983 |
| 'Detective novel' (the
English phrase, is used in Telugu) is a broad category of popular
literature in Telugu, which includes a range of writings that
might otherwise be classified either as crime fiction, spy thrillers,
ghost stories, science fiction, pornography or martial arts
novels. Detective novels are printed on cheap newsprint and
are often considerably shorter than regular Telugu novels. For
a generation of neo-literates and school going boys, the detective
novel was an important point of entry into the world of fiction,
perhaps reading itself. From the nineteen seventies, detective
novels often had English titles. While a variety of detective
novels from the early seventies had graphic descriptions of
fights, by the late seventies there emerged a distinct martial
arts fiction tendency within the detective novel. Although detective
novels continue to be published at present, the form has been
on a decline since the nineties. |
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| Madhubhushan, Judo in Nepal,
Vijayawada: Popular Publishers, 1986. |
Krovi Sodarulu [Krovi Brothers], Killers’
Century, Vijayawada: Bomber Books, 1978. |
Chandrakanth, Shade in Space,
Madras: Decons Publishers, 1986. |
Chandrakanth, Shade in Nepal,
Madras: Decons Publishers, 1988. |
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| G. Raju, Dileep in Hong Kong,
Vijayawada: SMK Publications, 1982. |
G. Raju, King of Nanchaku,
Vijayawada: SMK Publications, 1982. |
R.K. Prasad, Sequence of Kungfu,
Vijayawada: SMK Publications, 1982. |
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 G.S.
Srivatsa, Ee Gantaku
50 Nimashale [This hour is only 50
minutes long], Vijayawada: Raviteja Publications, 1994. The
novel was serialized in a popular magazine before it was published
in the form of a book. Unlike the martial arts variant of the
Telugu detective novel, which was almost never considered to
be respectable, this book positions itself within the tradition
of mainstream popular novel which has consistently reworked
tendencies within the detective novel, often via the popular
periodical, for a more middle class readership. |
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