Ahmed Ali Twilight in Delhi Glimpses of life in Delhi a few years before partition Arshad

abdullah hashim khuda aur mohabbat it tells power of love waqas ahmed

Advaita Malla Burman A River called Titash unknown (penguin india edition) I love this book. Its set in a remote Bengali fishing village depicting a personal, human, tale of loss within another. That of the cultural and economic destruction of the villagers way of life bought about by the death of the river. By vividly evoking this life, its customs, traditions, songs, in prose we share the authors acute sense of loss. There is a famous film by Ritwik Ghatak (wonderful in it's own right), based on the book, but the novel needs to be better known. Ibrahim

Akhil Sharma An Obedient Father This is a tale of a corrupt, petty, weak man who feels guilt about sexually abusing his daughter yet struggles not to repeat that crime with his grand-daughter. It should be simple to detest him wholly, but Sharma's subtle story-telling coaxes out enough nuance and complexity to make you feel some sadness and pity for this pathetic man. Sharma also pens a good picture of Delhi and especially of the shabby intrigues that consume the minds of corrupt low-level functionaries working in the education system. AggieH

Allan Sealy The Trotter-Nama in English A huge, satisfying saga of 7 generations of an Anglo-Indian family. Like Rushdie's work, the book transports the reader, it conveys history, it offers a vast imaginative view of India. But Sealy has his own idiom and a truly wonderful sense of drama and of humour. This is a fun read and a funny book. satiredoc

Amit Chaudhuri A New World Really understated but wonderful book. Interesting because it's the sort of understated realistic fiction which is exactly antithetical to all the mystical, stereotype-building hype you get from Rushdie. leetlep

Amitabh Ghosh Hungry Tide This is a marvelous book , bringing out the very rhythm of Indian life with all its beauties, trivialities, innocence and above all complexities. Young marine mammalist , Piya arrives to Sundarbans in search of Irrawaddy dolphins. Ghosh takes us tour de force with his immense in depth understanding of the subject. Its Indian Moby Dick without cliches khalid

Amitav Ghosh The Glass Palace Beautifully written with some very memorable set-pieces. Love, war, the tiny lives of individuals, the grandness of nations, home, exile, the status quo, the forced rush of modernity - Ghosh's story raises these and other issues in a pertinent, rather than didactic, way as the characters play out their lives across many historically significant decades in Burma and India. AggieH

Aravind Adiga the White tiger It captures the vast contrasts of 2 different worlds within a country and how a streetsmart person makes it big, jumping from one side of the invisible line to the other, a feat many live their whole lives attempting to accomplish. Mayhem

aravind adiga the white tiger It encapsulates the Indian urban society today, in a tragic funny way. But a quick glance through the hard facts of the newspapers and it all happens. Simple, fast style of writing as well...something which is just indian, not colonial, not post colonial, just urban indian. Tanu

Arundhati Roy The Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire A collection of essays in which Roy is as clear as she is passionate about subjects including the invasion of Iraq, political rhetoric, the 'loneliness of Noam Chomsky', nuclear power and anti-Americanism. The opening essay - Ahimsa - about non-violent resistance in India to big dams and forcible evictions makes a particular impression. AggieH

Aubrey Menen The Prevalence of Witches in English biting, dark, hilarious. chaosbogey

Bhalachandra Nemade Kosla Bhalchandra NEmade Greetings! 'Kosla' is a great novel- it explores existantial plight of a migrant student in Pune, India. I admire Bhalachnadra Nemade as an author because of his control of the narrative, ability to evoke humour (which unfortunately gets lost in translation) . For me, a novel/ fiction is supposed to ignite an emotional response in one's heart. 'Kosla' does that. The characters have become part of my world--and not only my world, but in Marathi language 'Kosla' is considered one of the best novels by the readers. Charm of Nemade's style is his ability to create fiction that blends realism and existentialism in its form. Indiego Deshpande

Chandrakanta A Street in Srinagar Manisha Chaudhry A beautiful portrait of Kashmir before it became the 'Kashmir' that the outside world associates with violence and nuclear standoffs. Originally written in the 1960s and only translated into English in 2010, 'A Street in Srinagar' follows a cast of characters from one area of that city, showing their struggles with modernity and tradition, home loyalties and job opportunities elsewhere. ElenT

chitra banerjee divakaruni sister of my heart this is a very experiential book. though ive never been to calcutta, i could feel, taste, smell everything the protagonist could. chitra's books have a very subtle mystical, magical quality to them, which is akin to the mystic underbelly of olden india. in addition, she describes very convincingly the sensitivities and mental states of the immigrant diaspora and how they redefine themselves when plucked out of the traditions and customs that nourished them. excellent read. Ritu Cheema

Devakinandan Khatri Chandrakanta Deepa Agarwal (abridged edition for Puffin Books) Written in 1892, Chandrakanta is believed to be the first novel in modern Hindi language, and owns its immense popularity to its fantastic and romantic elements. Many non-Hindi speaking readers were so charmed on hearing about it that they learned Hindi to be able to read the novel. IndianReader

Fakir Mohan Senapati ଛ ମାଣ ଆଠ ଗୁଣ୍ଠ (Six Acres and a Third) foxinsocks Lots of important ideas about power, language, and law. foxinsocks

Geetanjali Shree Mai Nita Kumar "Not that we did not give it a thought, but we learnt to think about our thoughts only later." With sentences like this Shree manages to articulate the interiority of young Indians growing up in a creolized, postcolonial India. In the process she illuminates the circumscribed world of Indian mothers...the injustices of their quotidian worlds, how this mother transcended such constraints vicariously through her children, and the children's self-centred exploitation of her sacrifices... The writing has a quality that is not native to English...for that alone Shree's books must be read. Unfortunately only this one has been translated as far as i know... Coolie Duppy

George Haimbiri A Sensible Child It is a rich cultural book with international appeal story. Haimbiri

Girish Karnad Hayavadana Girish Karnad you're going to hear about vikram seth, salman rushdie and rk narayan, so i thought i'd put in a theatre plug. this is a rich, satisfying meditation on mann's "the transposed heads" and a fine read hellcat

Hana Rambe Mirah of Banda Toni Pollard This book reveals human trafficking and slavery that occurred during Dutch occupation in Indonesia. Genocide and concubinage are part of story of this book wahanakecil

Irawati Karve Yugantha Seminal book on the Mahabharata. Karve dissects the epic from a socio-anthropological perspective and gives us a snap shot of how life could have been when the war was fought. Jadegreen

Kaashinath Singh काशी का अस्सी (Kashi Ka Assi) v9y

Kabir Songs of Kabir Arvind Krishna Mehrotra Mehrotra's new translations breathe fresh life into this medieval Indian poet. In his hands, Kabir is less a new-age saint and more a beat poet from 500 years ago. Aseem

Kalidasa Abhigyan shakuntalam many That is play by a great 4th century A.D. poet, Kalidasa. A wonderful and much praised book. 360575

Khushwant Singh and Neelam Kumar Our Favourite Indian Stories The authors have painstakingly selected two "literary gems" from each of India's regional languages, edited them and made them accessible to the English reading public.Soaked in the flavours and colours of its region, each story smacks of its unique regional culture. This anthology traverses through States as far-flung as Kashmir and Tamil Nadu, mapping out our multi-lingual, multi-cultural land and fascinating diversity. Neelamku

Ki. Rajanarayanan Where Are You Going, You Monkeys? -- Folktales from Tamil Nadu Pritham K. Chakravarthy A collection of folktales, mostly very simple: some friendly animal tales, some about different kinds of ghosts and spirits (peys and pisaasus), lots of cheating married people, some naughty & dirty folktales also pak

Kiran Nagarkar The Cuckold A quiet gem by one of the country's most under recognized writers. jadegreen

Kuzhali Manickavel Insects Are Just Like You And Me Only Some of Them Have Wings Manickavel writes dark, strange, funny short stories. She also has a wonderful blog where she writes in a bizarre mixture of parody Indian English and netspeak. Insects... is her first collection of stories, and it's so far removed from what is generally thought of as Indian Writing in English that it would be worth reading for that alone, even if it didn't stand up by itself as a very good book. AS

Kuzhali Manickavel Insects Are Just Like You and Me Except Some of Them Have Wings Kuzhali Manickavel's writing is weird, shocking, funny, surreal, and absolutely different than anything else you have ever read. mkp

Luke Jennings Breach Candy It captures the India that everyone seeks, but so few find. BrerRabbit2

M.K. Indira Phaniyamma (not sure) This is one of my favorite books of all time -- about the life of a child-widow in southern India in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Even in translation (it was originally written in Kannada), the language comes across as pure and simple, yet incredibly powerful. This is a very popular book in India, and was made into a movie in 1983. Jyotsna

Magda Szabo The Door Len Rix This was the first book by this author to be translated to English. Reading this novel left me breathless, which is probably a sign of a good translator too.... msreader

Manohar Shyam Joshi The Perplexity of Hariya Hercules Robert Hueckstedt Manohar Shyam Joshi gets the ethos of Indian middle-class thinking and gossiping pitch-perfect in this novel, although the book can be read at many levels. Is it a magic-realist tale of a dutiful son looking for a spiritual treasure? Is it an analysis of how gossip grows into something unbelievable? Is it a chronicle of a simple-minded man's descent into madness? It's all these and more - and Hueckstedt's brilliant translation does justice to the original by bringing out the accents and speech of a family from the Pahadi region of India. sudarshan purohit

Manoj Das Amrutaphala Untranslated This is why the book is great: http://indisch.wordpress.com/2011/01/02/amrutaphala-manoj-das-2/ Amrit Mishra

Manoj Das Amrutaphala Amrutaphala presents a brilliant psychological fusion of the past and the present. It depicts the story of king-turned-saint Bhaartruhari of Ujjain who, after getting back the nectar-fruit (capable of providing eternal youth) gifted by him to the queen whom he loves most, through a dancer, leaves his palace in a quest for absolute truth of love, as well as narrates the story of Amarnath, a wealthy businessman, who searches for the meaning of life after his wife's death, in order to show a contrast. Fantastically written, these two main characters can ripple and vibrate the psyche of the reader. After reading the book, one will experience the language of silence as I did so. [Manoj Das is perhaps the foremost bilingual Oriya writer and a master of dramatic expression both in his English and Oriya short stories and novels. He says that, 'characters follow the theme of a story and the words are merely added by author to represent the thoughts of the character'. That is the precise reason why Das's persons in fiction are from so many varied backgrounds and display many different dimensions of human nature. He is a philosopher, a thinker-writer whose works can be defined as quest for finding the eternal truth in everyday circumstances. ]-----quoted from the public domain "Manoj Das - Oriya Writer: The South Asian Literary Recordings Project" Library of Congress, New Delhi Office Sudarshan das

Mirza Waheed The Collaborator The Collaborator is Mirza Waheed's first novel, and it's a brilliant read. The novel is set in Kashmir, and the plot is surreal, but also very real. Inihos

Mohan Rana Poems Bernard O'Donoghue Mohan Rana lives in the UK but writes in Hindi. His poems offer an intriguing bridge between two cultures; a sense of dislocation alongside a sense of place. differentdrums

Munshi Premchand Godan Vasudha Dalmia No recollection of hindi literature is complete without a mention of the greatest hindi novel of pre-independence india - Godan (A gift of a cow). Telling a dark story about a feudal serf, Hori, in pre-1947 india, it shows the stark reality of indian farmers, a truth which more-or-less applies even to this day sidmohata

Namdeo Dhasal Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld Poems 1972-2006 “I am venereal sore in the private part of language.” That’s Namdeo Dhasal, the maverick Marathi poet who hardly had any formal education. Born in 1949 in a former ‘untouchable’ community in Pur-Kanersar village near Pune in Maharashtra, as a teenage taxi driver he lived among pimps, prostitutes, petty criminals, drug peddlers, gangsters and illicit traders in Bombay/Mumbai’s sinister and sordid underworld. In 1972, he founded Dalit Panther, the militant organisation modelled on Black Panther. The same year he published Golpitha that belongs to the tradition in modern urban poetry beginning with Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal. Since then, he has published eight collections of poems from which this representative selection is drawn.

Namdeo Dhasal Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld Poems 1972-2006 Dilip Chitre (from the publishers page for the book) “I am venereal sore in the private part of language.” That’s Namdeo Dhasal, the maverick Marathi poet who hardly had any formal education. Born in 1949 in a former ‘untouchable’ community in Pur-Kanersar village near Pune in Maharashtra, as a teenage taxi driver he lived among pimps, prostitutes, petty criminals, drug peddlers, gangsters and illicit traders in Bombay/Mumbai’s sinister and sordid underworld. In 1972, he founded Dalit Panther, the militant organisation modelled on Black Panther. The same year he published Golpitha that belongs to the tradition in modern urban poetry beginning with Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal. Since then, he has published eight collections of poems from which this representative selection is drawn. ..... Dhasal’s long-time friend and bilingual poet Dilip Chitre, acclaimed for his translations of the seventeenth century Marathi poet-saint Tukaram, considers Namdeo Dhasal to be one of the outstanding poets of the twentieth century. http://navayana.org/?p=137 arrack

Namita Gokhale Paro: Dreams of Passion This book gets marketed as chick-lit, but it's too good and intelligent for that label. Many people have tried to write the authentic Bombay novel... this is the best one. mkp

Nirmal Verma Indian Errant Prasenjit Gupta Having written my Masters thesis in Comparative Literature (before I began my PhD) on this collection of short stories written by Hindi writer Nirmal Verma and translated by Prasenjit Gupta, I can suggest these writings as representative of the post-Indenpendence Indian psyche, at a time when expatriation was beginning to appear a possibility for the Indian middle classes. Verma is a proponent of the Nayi Kahani movement of Hindi Literature, one which grapples with the conflicts of the middle classes in the 1960s and 70s during a time when Gandhian idealism has faded and the realities of the newly formed post colonial state are coming into being. Verma's stories elucidate the myriad complications of a time of transition, be it in gender roles or the middle class individual grappling with the difference between a colonial style education and his perception of a daily Indian life. The author went away to the Czech republic in the 60s to translate Czech fiction into English and was greatly influenced by European existentialism, particularly Capek and Kierkegaard. I find that his work speaks of a time of transition between the colonial and the postcolonial, British India and India, expatriation and return, the individual and the world around him; while highlighting the impossibility of a perfect transition, he suggests the necessity of it. SuchetaSOAS

Nirmal Verma Indian Errant Prasenjit Gupta Having written my Masters thesis in Comparative Literature (before I began my PhD) on this collection of short stories written by Hindi writer Nirmal Verma and translated by Prasenjit Gupta, I can suggest these writings as representative of the post-Indenpendence Indian psyche, at a time when expatriation was beginning to appear a possibility for the Indian middle classes. Verma is a proponent of the Nayi Kahani movement of Hindi Literature, one which grapples with the conflicts of the middle classes in the 1960s and 70s during a time when Gandhian idealism has faded and the realities of the newly formed post colonial state are coming into being. Verma's stories elucidate the myriad complications of a time of transition, be it in gender roles or the middle class individual grappling with the difference between a colonial style education and his perception of a daily Indian life. The author went away to the Czech republic in the 60s to translate Czech fiction into English and was greatly influenced by European existentialism, particularly Capek and Kierkegaard. I find that his work speaks of a time of transition between the colonial and the postcolonial, British India and India, expatriation and return, the individual and the world around him; while highlighting the impossibility of a perfect transition, he suggests the necessity of it. suchetakanjilal

O V Vijayan Legends of Khasak Aseem

O. V. Vijayan Legends of Khasak O. V. Vijayan Vijayan's use of beliefs, myths and stories to convey something of the inner lives of people as well as illuminating the structure of the society is really profound. The narrative is often very dense and it needs to be read and reread, but it is also replete with humour. The translation (by the author himself, very late in his life') isn't altogether faithful to the original Malayalam, but it suffices to show how paltry the likes of Arundhati Roy are. To write an Indian novel in English is possible - DH Lawrence could have written about Nottinghamshire mining folk in Punjabi - but the results are likely to be a superficial exposition of India for foreigners. prem28885

O.V. Vijayan The Legends of Khasak O.V. Vijayan This novel revolutionized the literature of Kerala in the sixties. Written in Malayalam, it definitely broke with the classical criteria of the language to explore the lyrical and the idiomatic in a modern sense. The story is that of a depressed young man who decides to leave the erudite middle-class to become a school-master in a very small village where mostly illiterate people from Hindu as well as Muslim backgrounds thrive on a heady trend of mythology injected into their daily life. High characters and a windy sweep of moving figures. Better in Malayalam than in English, eventhough it was translated-adapted (in the 90s) by the author. But the French translation is from the Malayalam, and it is a very good one. Damayanti

OV Vijayan The Legends Of Khasak OV Vijayan Seminal work in Malayalam. Liberated the Malayalam novel from the clutches of Romanticism.Existentialist angst was first introduced to Malayalam literature. Chestnut Gray

Pankaj Mishra Temptations of the West An erudite blend of travelogue, history, geography, memoir, social studies, character sketches, politics and simple - in the absolutely best sense of the word - reportage. As always, Mishra's writing, story-telling and analysis are clear and intelligent. There is no resort to rhetoric, clichés or regional romance as he raises and tackles complex issues both within the region and between the region and the West. AggieH

Partha Chaterjee The Prince and Sanyasi The book starts off as a story of a legal case (true story), and quickly incorporates the socio-political history of early 20th century Bengal. Chaterjee, a subaltern historian, has always written well. With this particular work, he's able to bridge academic history writing with popular writing. I purchased the book on a whim at the airport and didnt put it down till my own flight touched down at destination. havepassort willtravel

Perumal Murugan Current Show V. Geetha Intimate portrait of a gang of male friends that survives on the fringes of a small-town movie theatre... drugs, sex, petty crime... something like and Indian Irvine Welsh but more trapped and claustrophic. Translated from Tamil. mkp

Prahlad Parekh 1. Sarvani, 2. Bari Bahar Not yet. It is in Gujarati 2011 is centenary year of the Poet Prahlad Parekh. He wrote Gujarati poems on Monsoon, Love and Devotion. He has music in words and touches hearts and feelings of readers. The poems are most unusual. We are celebrating centenary in Bhavnagar - his birth place and teaching place in December 2011, recreating musical notes of his poems. Contact me Sudhakar, his student and lover of his poems Sudhakar Shah

Pupul Jayakar Indira Gandhi: An Intimate Biography The book provides a deep insight into the life and relationships of the female prime minister to the largest democracies in the world. It gives the reader access to her childhood relationship with her often absent father Jawaharlal Nehru. It also details her turmoil with her husband and sons on her path to gaining control of Indian politics. Another key feature of the book is the account of Gandhi's own premonition of her assasination. This book provides a stimulating journey into the making of India's very own "Iron Lady". aseem888

R.K. Narayan Narayan Omnibus vol. 1 Swami & Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room and The English Teacher; every one of them is a sheer delight. Am recommending the omnibus because I refuse to believe that anybody who has read one will not immediately want to read all the others. AggieH

R.K. Narayan Narayan Omnibus vol. 2 Mr. Sampath The Printer of Malgudi, The Financial Expert and Waiting for the Mahatma. Exuberant, touching, absorbing stories with characters and set-pieces that you remember vividly long afterwards. Waiting for the Mahatma is a personal favourite because of the surprising character development and the exquisitely plain writing. You are so immersed in what's happening that you almost feel you are there. Am recommending the omnibus because I refuse to believe that anybody who has read one will not immediately want to read all the others. AggieH

R.V. Smith The Delhi That No One Knows I discovered R.V. Smith through his columns generally titled 'Down the Memory Lane' on Delhi's history and her monuments in The Hindu newspaper. I remember these columns came out every Monday and I would wait with excitement to read what the master story teller had to say on that particular Monday morning. Through Smith, I discovered a Delhi long forgotten. Being a history buff myself, I loved his charming stories and his easy way of writing. After The Hindu discontinued his column, Hindustan Times had him on Sundays and then eventually The Statesman, Delhi edition. Not satisfied with reading just his columns, I started to search if he has a book or two. To my pleasure he has written a book. Borrowed his book 'The Delhi That No One Knows' from a friend-- loved it. In the book’s introduction, Mr. Smith writes: 'I did not refer to any book, did not make notes from dusty volumes in old libraries—I just walked! Sometimes I took buses—many a long afternoon years ago, when as a bachelor and a young journalist in Delhi, finding out about old monuments was a passion.' Would love to own a copy of the book. Have read that R.V. Smith has been going through difficult times. Maybe your tour can bring him back to popularity. Another favourite is Ruskin Bond, he has immortalised the northern hills of India. Both the authors write in English. suchimajum

Rana Dasgupta Solo One of the main reasons I read foreign literature is to gain aun understanding is to gain an uderstanding of other cultures. I hugely enjoyed Vikram Seth's generous ' A suitable boy,' But I agree with AggieH that authors writing about their own cultures can be guilty of 'paddywhackery' One Indian example of this is 'Home' by Manju Kapur, a rather tedious chronicle of a young woman's family as the move from tradional Indian family home and values to an apartment and more Western values But just as well Indian authors can look beyond their own cultures. A world away is Vikram Seths 'An equal music' centres round a London based chamber quartet and captures the rather intense and claustrophobic nature of the musicians lives. 'Solo' by Rana Dasgupta is an elegaic novel aboutUlrich, a 100 year old Bulgarian which captures Eastern Europe's turbulent history of the 20 th century, through monarchism, communism to materialistic and valueless capitalism, and the life that Ulrich can only imagine he had Oggie

Rohinton Mistry Family Matters An accurate portrayal of the struggles in a typical Indian family where the aged are left to the mercies of their children who, more often than not, do not get along with one another. Mistry writes poignantly, but isn't unnecessarily sentimental; this is a story that has repeated itself in several families, and will continue to do so for years to come. jayas

Rohinton Mistry A Fine Balance This is one of the best books on the life of everyday citizens of India. A classic in the style of Dickens, A Fine Balance provides westerners with a true depiction of the balances of life in modern India. Mistry's characters come to life and can never be forgotten. Malca

Rohinton Mistry Tales from Firozsha Baag A short story collection or an ensemble novel - all the tales take place in the same Mumbai apartment block with recurring characters and, sometimes, with the same events glimpsed from different perspectives. It is that delightful thing: a hugely enjoyable read that is extremely well written. AggieH

Rohinton Mistry Such a long journey The turmoils and tales of personal and political lives are presented beautifully in this absorbing book that, as always with Mistry, is wonderfully written. AggieH

Rupa Bajwa The Sari Shop N/A Seth's Golden Gate is nothing short of brilliant, but this modest debut novel is another favorite of mine. Published in 2004, it’s the story of Ramchand, a shop assistant in Amritsar who is bestowed with a thrilling opportunity to experience the world outside Sevak Sari House. The author's lucid prose and attention to detail (“he noticed that the tray was made of frosted glass with a pattern of dancing peacocks engraved on it”) carries us through the story and endears the earnest hero to us. Bajwa has yet to publish a second book, but I’ll be ready to read it when she does. LaGracia

Saadat Hasan Manto Bitter Fruit: The Very Best of Saadat Hasan Manto Kahlid Hasan One of India's greatest short story writers. Manto lived through the Partition, which forms the setting for a number of his stories. He is short and brutal and bitter and gorgeous, and stuns me every time. AS

Saadat Hasan Manto Bitter Fruit Kahlid Hasan Manto's short stories are brutish, nasty, and short. And deliciously funny. Aseem

Saadat Hasan Manto Mottled Dawn This particular collection of short stories captures the madness and chaos that prevailed at the time of India's partition in 1947. Manto was a shrewd observer of people and his inability to mince words led to several of his stories being termed offensive. Gems such as Open Up and Cold Meat, in particular, recreate the horror of those troubled times. Manto moved to Pakistan after the partition and it was here that he produced some of his best literary output. jo_eyre

Salman Rushdie Midnight's Children Rushdie's comic history of post-Independence India bewitches with its zest and wit, as Saleem tells the story of his life from the 'precise instant of India's arrival at independence', when he 'tumbled forth into the world'. It won the Booker prize in 1981, opening the door to Indian fiction in English, and was a worthy winner of the Booker of Bookers in 2008, leading Rushdie to declare that it had 'leaped the generations'

Sane Guruji Shyamchi Aai Aaditi Kulkarni The autobiographical book portrays a very poignant story of a family with the mother (aai) as the central character in pre-independent India. It stresses on the importance of values and love. A great read, especially for the younger generation. nightflyer

Sanjay Nigam The Snake Charmer Fun, lyrical tale of the Delhi charmer who bites his snake, thereby losing not just his livelihood but the respect of friends and family, his libido, and very nearly his mind. The story of his bid to regain all these things is quite touching and funny and is lightly told. AggieH

SArat Kashyap At 5, San Thome This is a psychological novel away from the colonial writing stresses on post modernist approach. anwesha

Sarat Kashyap At 5 San thome Its a Great book because its a psychological thriller, and a post modernist Book Onaiza Lampwala Khatri.

Sarat Kashyap At 5, San Thome One of the most obvious reasons as to why I would recommend 'At 5, San Thome' is because of its robust gripping power and a bizarrely amazing plot. The story, apart from being an interesting psychological thriller, is set up in a post-modernist era, which makes it stand apart from the common horde of fiction novels. Swaroop Bhartiya

Sarat Kashyap At 5, San Thome Same Author( Eng Original) I think its written well which has a Universal appeal although based in goa India and it is already considered by many as a true literary piece. Saby

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome This is a psychological novel set in Goa, India. Capturing a slice of Goan Catholic life, the book deals with human values, and the debilitating psychological effects of domestic violence on women and children. With creation of character as the paramount obligation of a novelist, the book is a post-postmodernist experiment. And it is refreshingly away from the colonial fare expected from India. Very atmospheric and cleverly plotted, the book is fast paced and makes a very interesting read. Pavan Kumar Manvi, Chief Producer, ETV Network and Dean, Ramoji Academy of Film and Television

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Post-postmodernist (Away from colonial writing)and a Psychological novel.. Deepak

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Sarat Kasyap When I read the book I felt high, like I am in a lucid dream and could snap out of the trans only after a day or two of its completeion. ehsaankhan

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Sarat Kasyap's psychological novel is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing books of the post-postmodernist era that came into my hands. The novel takes you on a journey with both, Rachel, the main character of the book as well as the author, who put so much of his own insight and yearning into the pages. A thrilling and exciting read that reverberates far beyond it's final pages. John Lemon

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome pawi78

Sarat Kasyap At 5, SanThome N A This novel is one of the best Psychological Thriller, that will really distort our perception of reality without any doubt ... likeindiannovel

Sarat Kasyap At 5,San Thome Amongst the best features of this book are the points that it is a- 1. Post-postmodernist novel 2.Psychological novel 3.Stream of consciousness novel Sawrnali Das

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Its a one of a kind post modern Psychological thriller to come out of India which is on par with the novels llike shutter island. It keeps you engaged from page 1 and as it keeps getting better as pages increases. Once it comes to an end you would want to go back to page 1 to re read the whole thing again, now with a different perspective. If you haven't read it till now READ IT ASAP ! sumanp

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome the book is a psychological novel highlighting the effects of domestic violence on women and children, and also speaks about the Emotional turmoil that they face, the book is refreshingly away from the usual colonial fare Vandana Saxena

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome NA It is in some sense a inverted perception of India and Indianess. I will elaborate. There are two popular perceptions about India today: the one of the westerners(outsider) and the other of the native Indians (insider). This book falls in a third and unique one. Its represented by a native fantasizing about how India and Indians would had been if the geographic and temporal location would have been the British isles during late medieval/colonial times. Just because of this unique vision, this book is worth a read. Rajkamal

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome 1. Post-postmodernist (Away from colonial writing) 2. Psychological novel Sanjana

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Kasyap's book is an ideal representative of the new direction the Indian novel is taking. Moving past the post-colonial novel-without rejecting it--it charts a new course. A self-assured psychological thriller, it's ultimately a wonderful read. Ram

sarat kasyap At 5 San Thome u would getto know about the psychological mind of a human being. and itz post-postmodernist you wont get any sign ofcolonial,classical influence in it. drisha01

Sarat Kasyap At 5 San Thome This book is a psychological thriller with a post-postmodernist appeal...It keeps a reader glued as he tries to guess the reasons that shape the story... its totally addictive... sayanikadutta

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome It's just wierd perspective-to grab attention wallas that I have a problem with. Sarat Kasyap has his head screwed on the right way. In a world where one flounders to find people who can write normal novels about normal or abnormal things, one heaves the same sigh that one would on first spotting the familiar curtain in the kitchen on the way home from work. I feel the comfort of having reached a destination when reading his writing. With the confidence of being able to write in a contemporary style, without using colonial grandeur as a camoflage for poor prose, the novel is another definite pyschological happening that helps the world go round in the right direction. Definitely a Chesire Cat-cane chair-chocolates-and book to myself affair to be conducted with speed. Shorna

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Sarat Kasyap's novel "At 5, San Thome" surely deserves a mention here.The book centers on everyday concerns of modern India like the debilitating effects of domestic violence, and not about some colonial hangover with which we are not concerned. Also there are precious few psychological novel from India, and the writing style is romanticist. Really a nice work by the author. Navneet

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Post-postmodernist (Away from colonial writing) Psychological novel Siva

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome This psychological thriller is power packed with strong tastes in writing. Post-modernist ideas resurface from time to time in the book. It's a very good read for those who like mysteries and thrillers. Indian Book Reviews

SARAT KASYAP at '5 ,SAN THOME SARAT KASYAP A psychological novel post-postmodernist away from colonial writing grips you from the beginning to the end..once u start u never want to put it down.language is interesting and well used.the writer effortlessly plays with the words...sure a novel in the best seller list..must read... ruqaiya qureshi

Sarat Kasyap At 5,San Thome A Post-modernist,Psychological novel that takes the reader to a different world,an experience to remember.A gripping plot,intelligently woven incidents makes this book an Unputdownable one.... Deepika Thapa

Sarat Kasyap At 5,San Thome i like the way he narrated the things ...... Deepan Haridas

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome 1. Post-postmodernist (Away from colonial writing) 2. Psychological novel Julie

Sarat Kasyap At 5, San Thome Check this book guys...its a psychological thriller novel, and for a change its not about casting India in bad light rather a sympathetic glimpse at the one of the problems of modern India that does not catch media attention - domestic violence. The story is setup in Goa where protagonist get caught in unexpected situation. Vasant Patil

Sarat Kasyap At5,San Thome Its an arresting book,written in a manner which makes the reader feel the being.... shairin

Sarnath Banerjee The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers N/A "Inspired by the legend of the Wandering Jew, this second work of fiction from India's foremost graphic novelist is an irreverent tale of illicit sex and drunken religiosity, which unravels new riddles with each reading." (Penguin Books India) Stereo Rooster

Shani Mootoo Out of Main Street A collection of short stories that was released to much acclaim in 1993, the stories pivot around the issues of identity, focusing on characters involved in an untangling and intertwining of their identities as women of South Asian descent...The two most intriguing stories of the collection focus on issues of authenticity. The first, Out on Main Street, is narrated by an Indo-Trinidadian butch lesbian, who relates, in a somewhat amused tone, the experience of shopping with her girlfriend in an Indian area of Vancouver. For the narrator, a visit to the Punjabi market on Main Street consists of strained encounters with Indians who do not accept the narrator's Trinidadian Indianness, nor her lack of femininity. Remotely connected to India by descent, but in her brown skin, embodying "Indianness", the narrator struggles with the Main Street Indians' contempt. --from http://english.emory.edu/Bahri/Motoo.html MiraidaM

Shashi Tharoor The Great Indian Novel Tharoor marries the great Indian epic (hence the title) the Mahabharata with the story of the Indian struggle for independence from the Raj and the result is spectacular and epic. For a witty, brilliant look at India's famed mythology and the most important chapter in its history, this book is an ideal read. Kals

Shauna Singh Baldwin What the Body Remembers Beautifully rendered and critically feminist look at Sikh marriage set against the backdrop of India's move toward independence. oneraremini

Shehan Karunatilake chinaman Its in english shehan has written the great sri lankan novel. It's fantasy, fact and expose all in one great read. And it's funny as hell. bhois

Shivaji Savant Mrityunjaya Not yet translated Mrityunjaya discovers the character of Karna from the epic Mahabharata in a completely different light. The poignant character of a man disowned by his mother at birth, and who goes ahead to fight his blood brothers in the battle of Mahabharata, takes a look at the Karna that was never really understood before. Essentially a search for meaning in his life and behaviour, this masterpiece from Shivaji Savant is a brilliant autobiographical account of an important mythological character. GuardianAngel

Shivaji Sawant Mrutyunjaya NA One of the greatest adaptations of the Mahabharata and a heart wrenching tale of Karna, the tragic hero. nightflyer

Shrilal Shukla Raag Darbari Gillian Wright The novel is a social and political satire highlighting the failing values rampant in post-Independence Indian society. It exposes the helplessness of intellectuals in the face of a strong and corrupt nexus between criminals, businessmen, police and politicians. It features some unforgettable characters with an earthy sense of humour that resonates with anyone who knows India. A must-read if you want to get to the heart of India. Abhijeet R

Sri Lal Shukl Rag Darbari Gillian Wright It is the last word on the social ethos of the mofussil Hindi heartland. kabir.dx

Sujit Saraf The Peacock Throne This is a visceral, and often funny, portrait of Delhi over decades. It is so realistic, and so heartbreaking, I have trouble reading too much at one time as the book itself conjures the difficult reality of today's Delhi better than the city streets themselves. It is a fine work, beautifully written, carefully executed. It should be in the Top 10 for anyone thinking of visiting or living in India. katy d

Sukumar Choudhuri BOHEMIAN SONGS B Sudipta He enjoys an enviable reputation. Brimming over the geographic confines of Bengal as well as Vidarbha, his fame has now permeated throughout the Globe. We, the moulders of words who perpetuate deeper sensitivities through verbal expositions, pause for a moment whenever we find the glimpse of Maratha in the media or anywhere else and recollect, “That’s where our Sukumar ………. His susceptibilities are many. Among them, his love for literature is foremost. He may rightly be called the mainstay of the life force of the 80’s world of Bengali Poetry. Forsooth, the ever-reactionary transit of Bengali poetry had never known so much of virulent and dynamic probing into the abysmal threshold of vivisecting self-analysis leading to precariously revealing impacts. Never had so much of unmatched translations of elusive humane experiences found such bohemian ebullitions. To date his publications number only twelve or thirteen volumes, each tracking a different trail. The diversity of style, the floridity of expressions and the varied nuances rather suits him because he writes ‘to transgress art to reach the art beyond’. He loves diversity and therefore ponders over man’s contrasting and contradicting role and its gamut of variations. Life reveals its little secrets before us in bits and pieces and intellectual perceptions can manage to grasp only a tiny flitting glance of them. The remaining only rest in the realms of imagination. This aspect of life is his pet theme and therefore always exists as a signature refrain in his writings. This is also the reason why a veil of romantic mysticism prevails around him. The person, like his poetic frugality, is a spartan in speech. He is the Creative Editor of ‘Khanan’, the only Bengali Little Magazine of Vidarbha. A little more about Sukumar, who is averse to publicity and is leading a self-exiled life in Maharashtra. He was born on 14th January 1962 in Balarampur village in the Purulia District of Bengal. He had his childhood days in Jhalda, a small town surrounded by hills, jungle, falls and rivers. One of his poetry works in local dialect of Jhalda, has initiated a storm of controversy. The book has been awarded by ‘Durer Kheya’ of Kanpur as the best book of the year (1999). His works has widely been translated in Marathi, Hindi, Kannad, Urdu, English and Telugu languages. We are amazed at the effortless ease with which he courses into the various tributaries of literature besides poetry and drawings. He has been awarded “Ekhon Kabita Puraskar (1997)’ for the best poetry, ‘Maya Megh Puraskar (1998)’ for the best short story and ‘Mahadiganta Puraskar (2000)’ for the best editing. He has recently been awarded with Sadvabana Puraskar in the year 2009. Little Magazine Library O Gabeshana Kendra of Kolkata, All India Radio, Nagpur, Kabi Pushparani Smriti Sangsad, Bhilai, Vidharbha Sahitya Sangha, Nagpur and many other academies invited and felicitated him on different occasions. His creativity had widely been compiled in different "Who's Who' of prominence. Besides he has been awarded with the prestigious ’Sahitya Setu Puraskar (2001)’ for his sincere contribution to the world of Bengali literature. Moreover his well-researched papers presented in different occasions triggered the mankind for his different and unparallal evaluation on specific issues. On 30th December 2005 his edited journal ‘KHANAN’ had been awarded ‘Munshi Premchand Award’ as the Best Little Magzine of India’ at Jalpaiguri Book Fair. He has been honoured with ‘Late Kalyani Haldar Memorial Award’ locally on 12th April 2011 at Nagpur. As on date his published works are 'Manush Hey’ (1986) ,'Mangso O Manisha' (1987),'Mayer Baper Bari' (1989, 2nd Edition),'Aamader Parjyatan' (1996), 'Chhannamoteer Kuhu'(2006, 2nd Edition, Eng Translation ~ 'Bohemian Songs' (1999) by B Sudipta),'Lal Leel Hoeelda Tin dikey Jhaeelda' (1998), 'Fanimansar Ulu'(2000), 'Libidore Haarmala' (2000), 'Padya Pratibeshi' (2001), 'Gadya Pratibeshi' (2002), 'Rajaneer Neel' (2004) and ‘Aamar Katiye Otha’ (2004) etc.. He prefers working on different tributaries at a time. Presently he is working on his forthcoming poetry collections titled ‘Aamar Sonnet’, 'Hatao Yaar', 'Kabitapath' and 'Roomar Jannye', essay books titled 'Susamachar' and 'Shilpo ebong Uttaran' and few more creative works like 'Ulanga Diary Theke', 'Unsung Days', 'Chingri Fisher Deem', 'Hriday', and couple of books yet to be named. He is bit slow in processing his creations, as he believes in spontaneity. His creation can only be compared with the virgin dew drops. Most probably he defined it as the ‘silent notation' in his poems. Whatever it may be, with his non-stop creations, everybody thus experience the flow of his witty love and finest feelings towards life and literature. Bohemian Sukumar's present thikana is Khanan Sarani, 215 VASANT VIHAR, LAVA ROAD, WADI, NAGPUR~ 440 023, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA Email khanan@gmail.com khanan

T Sivasankara Pillai SCAVENGER'S SON R E Asher This even beats Mulk Raj Anand's calssic UNTOUCHABLE as a narrative of life on the lowest rung of the ladder. First published in Malayalam in 1948, it urgently need a new English translation, which might give it the more explicit and appropriate title SHIT-SHIFTER, for that is the profession the hero inherits. This is the dark side of the Kerala of THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS, and a book that deserves to reach (and teach) a wide audience who enjoyed that classic too. johnmcrae

T.S.Tirumurti Clive Avenue A fantastic take on the city of Chennai in South India and on the Tamil Brahmin community and the typical Chennai mileu. Devender Singh

The CyberMohalla Collective Trickster City Shweta Sarda It's a extraordinary and authentic vision of urban life in India, by a group of working-class authors who are perspicacious, humorous and very talented. I wrote, in a review at the time, that "the way Trickster City pours light on the Indian megacity feels similar to how Arun Kolatkar’s Jejuri made the Indian pilgrimage town visible, using a mix of mockery, devotion, observed detail and vast imagination." The discovery of something crucial and formerly missing from India's literary map. rkarnad

U R Ananthamurthy Samskara (originally in Kannada) A K Ramanujan Naipaul said that this is the novel that most clearly brought out the "Indian concept of the self". The most faithful depiction of the philosophical contradictions found in the Hindu way of life.

U. R. Ananthamurthy Bharathipura Susheela Punitha oneraremini

umaira ahmed thora sa asman it tells how money destroys relations umar farooq

Upamanyu Chatterjee English August The story of an English educated, upper middle class man (Agastya), newly inducted into the Indian Administrative Service, serving his first posting in an obscure Indian rural district, and fighting to resolve the contradictions between his elitist upbringing and the many messy real life & lives of India. DL

UR Ananthamurthy Samskara Oxford University Press It's a a wonderful reworking of ancient Hindu myths. Also a poetic study of a religious man living in a community of priests gone to seed sidvee

V. S. Naipul House for Mr Biswas Captures universal issues in a highly humorous and accessible way. Great pathos too.

V.S. Naipaul Half A Life Thoughts and themes of exile (social, psychological and actual) and desire (social, psychological and actual) permeate this tale of half of Willie Somerset Chandran's life. The writing is clean, quite unsentimental and yet not icy cold. Well-written. Well worth reading. AggieH

Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer Poovan Banana & Other Stories V Abdulla Really wonderful stories... Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer's stories give you a sense of floating like a ghost through the world, giggling at things that you find funny amidst all the tragedy... wish I could read them in original Malayalam pak

Vaikom Mohammad Basheer Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu (Me Grandad 'ad an Elephant) A touching depiction of childhood. (in a Kerala village in early 20th century India) Nishant R

Various The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction Pritham K. Chakravarthy It's got robots and reincarnation and sexy detectives. And a bunch of crazy cover art. foxinsocks

Various The Indian Epics Retold R K Narayan It is a compilation of India's most influential age-old stories (Ramayan, Mahabharata and others) that have shaped almost all Indian art forms. It is essential background on anything Indian, and it is rare to find a translation with a particular focus on narrative rather than theology, that still has great fidelity. It is beautifully translated to English by R K Narayan, one of India's greatest storytellers. Shivnn

Vijaydan Detha Chouboli & Other Stories, Volume I & II Christi A Merrill, with Kailash Kabir "Nothing happens to a story if all you do is listen. Nothing happens if all you do is read, or memorize word for word. What matters is if you make the heart of the story a part of your life." In loving tribute to iconoclast storyteller and folklorist Vijaydan Detha, Chouboli & Other Stories, Vol I & II, showcases some of his best short fiction, much of which has been translated into English for the first time by Christi A Merrill, with Kailash Kabir. In these beautiful red cloth-bound volumes, you will encounter crafty ghosts and cross-dressed narrators, amorous cobras and ambitious canines, truthful thieves and talkative lamps, wise shepherds and willful women ... Detha has a gift for picking the most provocative and compelling stories from the rich folk landscape of the Rajasthan he inhabits and recreating them in a literary form as engaging and daring as his oral sources. These colourful tales shapeshift like desert sand, dazzling us with their wry wit and radical wisdom. They blur the lines between rural and urban, ancient and contemporary, to pose riddles that find echoes across languages, cultures and ages. Lively, lyrical, subversive, yet deeply humane, Detha's stories gift us with searing insights on the human predicament. The stories in this collection entertain, enrich ... and endure - Katha's tribute to the power and magic of storytelling at its best. AWARDS “Chouboli and Other Stories” won the Excellence Award (Runner up) in the Best Book/Best Writer category of the Asian Publishing Awards 2011, held in Bangkok this month. http://www.katha.org/site/media-centre/press-releases/asian-publishing-awards-2011 REVIEWS 1. "… a magic realist by default… he offers us lost ways of our selfhood. … These two volumes – by far his best in English till date – are outstanding in how they perform translation as an act of telling the story when your turn comes." – Giriraj Kiradoo, Tehelka ['The Renegade Rides Again' http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=hub220510the_renegade.asp] 2. "… in Detha’s work the folktale … seems to find in itself the energy to find not just a new meaning but a new self. … definitely worth experiencing …" – Chandrahas Choudhury, The Middle Stage ['Vijaydan Detha: Between the Folktale and the Short Story' http://middlestage.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-vijaydan-dethas-chouboli-and-other.html] 3. "Any first-aid kit for those malnourished ones deprived of literature's genuine gifts will always include the stories of Vijaydan Detha." - Amitava Kumar 4. http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=38&id=2711 GSP Rao, Muse India 5. http://www.confluence.org.uk/2011/04/10/chouboli-other-stories-by-vijaydan-detha-vols-i-and-ii-2/ Prof Malashri Lal, Confluence IMHO: For many, perhaps what is most attractive about these stories is their vibrant folk element. But it is not the folk element alone which made these stories special for me. It is Detha’s very political, humane and sane vision, and his masterful ability to use the folk narrative form brilliantly and subtly to subvert every conceivable normative, while seeming to almost not do so and purportedly just aiming to tell a ripping good tale. He subverts accepted perspectives of gender, love, desire, patriarchy (in Chouboli, Two Lives, The Dilemma, Press the Sap, Light the Lamp); of power, hierarchy, caste, class (in The Thakur’s Ghost, The Dove and the Snake, Untold Hitlers, A Hound’s pride – powerfully reminiscent of Animal Farm in its scathing satire); of ethics, truth, faith, (in The Crafty Thief, A True Calling) to mention a few examples. And to me, these subversions, especially given their cultural-historical locale - within Rajasthan, and India at large - are vital; also because Detha is so unpretentious, so nonchalant, and yet so upfront about them. Because his stories are so colourful, so entertaining, witty, so ‘pretty,’ and yet so political. Stylistically, he also makes good use of the folk/oral narrative form to project both the craft and act of storytelling itself, self-referentially, as meta-narrative/meta-story (from oral to written) most brilliantly in 'Chouboli' for instance; I liked deft little touches like that. His stories are dramatic and very visual. It's not surprising therefore that they have often been adapted for the Indian stage as well as the screen by greats like Habib Tanvir, Shyam Benegal, Mani Kaul and Amol Palekar. I also enjoyed the deliberate two-dimensionality (‘flatness’) of his characters at times, rather like Rajasthani puppets, and their wide-eyed expressions; because they leave more space both for the writer’s intentions, visible and invisible, and the reader’s ability to gauge/interpret them according to his/her own sensibilities and imagination. Of course, there is always the danger of over-reading here, and quite often, Detha may be showing you just that much as is visible, and no more than that. But the power of suggestion is something he makes use of subtly and well. He also uses irony to scathing effect in all his stories, but especially in stories like The Straw Epic, The Dilemma, The Crafty Thief, Untold Hitlers, A Hound’s Pride, and A True Calling. His subversiveness most often lies in his use of irony and wit. But over and above all this, his stories are an absolute delight to read! Lastly, I know short fiction is not included amongst the categories mentioned above. But it should be. For you'll find you are missing out on many a rare treasure there. And Vijaydan Detha is most certainly one of them - he deserves to be read by everyone. Thanks! Warmly, Moyna Moyna Mazumdar

Viramma and Josiane Racine Viramma: Life of an Untouchable An eye-opening autobiography of the life of an untouchable woman who is skilled in folk songs. Her views on life are unforgettable. Despite her status she is joyful about life. Jyotsna

Vishnu Bhatt Godse 1857 Mrinal Pande The 1857 mutiny - as told by a beggar/priest who wandered into it by mistake. History from the ground up. Brilliant. chameleon

Vishnu Nagar Ishwar ki Kahaniyan In a nation where you see as many gods on the road as potholes, where myths are televised and faith is packaged, and where people die of hunger and apathy while religion is a political issue - it's hard to find voices that can paint a honest and humane picture of the common Indian's hard realities to whom gods are not much help. Vishnu Nagar uses the motif of Indian myth and juxtaposes it in the crowds of contemporary Indian towns where gods or otherwise have to go hungry, ride rickety buses, deal with phoney godmen and shoddy politicians, hide from the cruel heat, and pee on walls. Vishnu Nagar tells his tales in a light vain that transports you to the daily realities of the Indian people and ignites your imagination to grasp the deeper truth hidden in his beguilingly simple prose. RandomWalker