Critical Response to Literatures in English (Hardbound - 2005)

The present book contains a varied selection of essays ventured upon as exercises in critical evaluation of texts that are relevant in the existent literary context. These essays are certainly not a random pick for each of the works chosen for analysis, whatever be the genre of writing, represents the literature in English produced by the native writers of a particular country. The two major literatures in English are indisputably those of England and America but there are many other countries like Africa, Australia, India and Pakistan whose authors chose to write in English because they felt that English, despite being an alien language, would better verbalize their creative urge and lend itself to an exploration of the immense possibilities therein. Most of the authors taken up for study in this book are those who belong to the fraternity of Indian English writers, namely Mulk Raj Anand, Shashi Deshpande, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Mahesh Dattani and Manju Kapur. Catering to a revival of interest in the partition of India as a theme in fiction are two essays which deal with the issue. Other write-ups are on works (some in translation) by native writers of hitherto marginalized countries that have now chosen to aggressively assert themselves through their respective literatures.

The book, comprehensive and rich in its contents, is highly informative and would prove an asset to those interested in the diverse manifestations of literature in English. It would be of particular appeal to those who wish to explore the works of Indian English writers of repute.

Reena Mitra is a Senior Reader in the Department of English, Christ Church College, Kanpur. She is a gold medallist who began her career in teaching in 1970 with a two-year span in Lucknow University from where she did her postgraduation in English the same year, topping the list of successful candidates in the University. In 1972 she joined Christ Church College as a Lecturer. She was awarded her M.Phil. Degree in 1982 and did her Ph.D. in 1992, both from Kanpur University.

Dr. Mitra has evinced a keen interest in Indian fiction in English from the days of her postgraduation. She has to her credit a book entitled Indian English Fiction: History as a Mode of Literature and has also produced quality research work on The Indian English Fiction of Bhabani Bhattacharya and Khushwant Singh’s ‘Train to Pakistan’ and Manohar Malgonkar’s ‘A Bend in the Ganges’: A Comparative Study. In addition to these, she has presented a number of papers at national seminars and has contributed several articles to books and journals of great repute.