Indian Writing in English: Perspectives (Hardbound - 2003)

Indian Writing in English: Perspectives looks at Indo-Anglican writings from two aspects—as a social document and as a work of literature. The essays included in this volume focus on some of the works of some of the writers who wrote in the period 1947-2001. The novel “Azadi” chronicles a transitional as well as a turbulent period in the history of India. From the 1960s onwards one can discern a change in the style of writers writing in English. They became bolder and stronger in expressing their emotional needs. Kamala Das’s writings epitomise this change. Degeneration of old values and corruption that creep in with modernization are depicted in the writings of Upmanyu Chatterjee and Arundhati Roy.

The favourite theme of nearly all the writers analysed here has been human relationships. Our lives revolve around them in some form or the other. Relationship make all the difference in life. Relationships cannot grow from nothing. They develop through association and require a long gestation period between conception and delivery.

The contributors who have contributed articles for this volume are teachers and researchers of great merit. They have debated and discussed on Indo-Anglican Fiction at seminars and workshops. I am sure this volume will be of great help to students and scholars of Indian Writing in English.

Dr. Joya Chakravarty is teaching in the Department of English, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. She has participated in a number of seminars and workshops and has delivered lectures at various Refresher Courses. She has written a number of articles and has published two books—one on Charles Dickens and the other on Arundhati Roy. She is on the Editorial Board of the University of Rajasthan Magazine Glimpses. She is a social activist and works for the uplift of women.