Early twentieth-century Indian novels often depict the harsh material conditions of life under British colonial rule. Even so, these 'realist' novels are profoundly imaginative. In this study, Ulka Anjaria challenges the distinction between early twentieth-century social realism and modern-day magical realism, arguing that realism in the colony functioned as a mode of experimentation and aesthetic innovation – not merely as mimesis of the 'real world'. By examining novels from the 1930s across several Indian languages, Anjaria reveals how Indian authors used realist techniques to imagine alternate worlds, to invent new subjectivities and relationships with the Indian nation and to question some of the most entrenched values of modernity. Addressing issues of colonialism, Indian nationalism, the rise of Gandhi, religion and politics, and the role of literature in society, Anjaria's careful analysis will complement graduate study and research in English literature, South Asian studies and postcolonial studies.

Asking what Indian readers chose to read and why, In Another Country shows how readers of the English novel transformed the literary and cultural influences of empire. She further demonstrates how Indian novelists writing in English, from Krupa Satthianadhan to Salman Rushdie, took an alien form in an alien language and used it to address local needs. Taken together in this manner, reading and writing reveal the complex ways in which culture is continually translated and transformed in a colonial and postcolonial context.

Featuring works by: Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, Premchand (Dhanpat Rai), Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Jibanananda Das, R. K. Narayan, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Raja Rao, Lalithambika Antherjanam, Agyeya (Sachchidananda Vatsayan), Umashankar Joshi, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chugtai, Amrita Pritam, Nissim Ezekiel, Mahasweta Devi, Nayantara Sahgal, Qurratulain Hyder, Jayanta Mahapatra, A. K. Ramanujan, Nirmal Verma, K. Ayyappa Paniker, Arun Kolatkar, U. R. Ananthamurthy, Kamala Das, Keki Daruwalla, Anita Desai, Girish Karnad, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Adil Jussawalla, Ambai (C. S. Lakshmi), Paul Zacharia, K. Satchidanandan, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Salman Rushdie, Agha Shahid Ali, Namdeo Dhasal, Meena Alexander, Githa Hariharan, Vijay Seshadri, Amitav Ghosh, Raghavan Atholi, Jeet Thayil, Arundhati Roy, Amit Chaudhuri, Sudeep Sen, Arundhathi Subramaniam, S. Sukirtharani.

Includes songs by Buddhist nuns, testimonies of medieval rebel poets and court historians, and the voices of more than 60 other writers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the diverse selections are a rare early essay by an untouchable woman; an account by the first feminist historian; and a selection from the first novel written in English by an Indian woman.

India has a rich literary assemblage produced by its many different regional traditions, religious faiths, ethnic subcultures and linguistic groups. The published literature of the 20th century is a particularly interesting subject and is the focus of this book, as it represents the provocative conjuncture of the transitions of Indian modernity. This reference book surveys the major regional literatures of contemporary India in the context of the country's diversity and heterogeneity. Chapters are devoted to particular regions, and the arrangement of the work invites comparisons of literary traditions. Chapters provide extensive bibliographies of primary works, thus documenting the creative achievement of numerous contemporary Indian authors. Some chapters cite secondary works as well, and the volume concludes with a list of general works providing further information. An introductory essay overviews theoretical concerns, ideological and aesthetic considerations, developments in various genres, and the history of publishing in regional literatures. The introduction provides a context for approaching the chapters that follow, each of which is devoted to the literature of a particular region. Each chapter begins with a concise introductory section. The body of each chapter is structured according to social and historical events, literary forms, or broad descriptive or analytic trends, depending on the particular subject matter. Each chapter then closes with an extensive bibliography of primary works, thus documenting the rich literary tradition of the region. Some chapters also cite secondary sources as an aid to the reader. The final chapters of the book address special topics, such as sub-cultural literatures, or the interplay between literature and film. A list of additional sources of general information concludes the volume.

A History of the Indian Novel in English traces the development of the Indian novel from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century up until the present day. Beginning with an extensive introduction that charts important theoretical contributions to the field, this History includes extensive essays that shed light on the legacy of English in Indian writing. Organized thematically, these essays examine how English was "made Indian" by writers who used the language to address specifically Indian concerns. Such concerns revolved around the question of what it means to be modern as well as how the novel could be used for anti-colonial activism. By the 1980s, the Indian novel in English was a global phenomenon, and India is now the third largest publisher of English-language books. Written by a host of leading scholars, this History invites readers to question conventional accounts of India's literary history.

Annotation This volume surveys 200 years of Indian literature in English. Written by Indian scholars and critics, many of the 24 contributions examine the work of individual authors, such as Rabindranath Tagore, R.K. Narayan, and Salman Rushdie. Others consider a particular genre, such as post-independence poetry or drama. The volume is illustrated with b&w photographs of writers along with drawings and popular prints. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

English speakers may read for the first time a previously hidden literature of great beauty and importance, compiled and translated by one of the foremost scholars of the literature of twentieth-century India. Richly appealing, sensitively and masterfully translated, surprisingly accessible, and adeptly organized, these poems from the Telugu language of southern India will find in this groundbreaking anthology the wider international readership they deserve and a place in the worldwide emergence of India's vernacular literature. Velcheru Narayana Rao is an ideal guide for the English-language reader's timely introduction to this long and vigorous literary tradition and to the generously varied poets whose accomplished, exotic, enigmatic voices speak to us here at last in the boundless tradition of all great poetry.