A Study of Eroding Ecologies: Lake, Life and Ethics in Softly Dies a Lake by Akkineni Kutumbarao and trans. by Vasanth Kannabiran
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The novel Softly Dies a Lake, originally published in Telugu and translated into English by Vasanth Kannabiran, is an eco-memoir-novel that examines the devastation of Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh, India, on several levels, especially with regard to its effects on human and non-human species. This article identifies the ethical consequences of the relationships between the multispecies through the novel chosen for the study, focusing specifically on the ways in which anthropocentric exploitation has rendered multispecies entanglements as unrecognisable. In addition, this article connects the work to current issues about the nature of environmental ethics, human exceptionalism, and indigenous ecological knowledge. By applying eco-criticism, post-humanism, and multi-species justice theories as frameworks for analysis, the narrative advocates for an ethical outlook that acknowledges the interdependence of all creatures, challenging the dominant anthropocentric worldview.
Authors: U. Rathi Priya, Dr.M.S. Saritha
Institution: PSG College of Arts & Science
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7160981277