3 Review(s)

Papers on Indian Writing in English is in two volumes—first volume deals with poetry while the second volume is on fiction. This is the second volume of the book consisting of seventeen papers, dealing exclusively with Indian Fiction in English right from its beginning to the present day. The papers called herein are mostly author-based and text-based. Those which do not attempt a survey of a particular period or form concentrate on a certain author or text. One good point of text-based studies is that they bring out the strengths or weaknesses of a particular text in a notable manner. The present volume focuses on such reputed novelists of India as Raja Rao, Kamala Markandaya, Bhabani Bhattacharya, Khushwant Singh, G.V. Desani, Nayantara Sahgal, Manohar Malgonkar, B. Rajan, Anita Desai, Arun Joshi, Kamala Das, Michael Chacko Daniels, Farrukh Dhondy, Shashi Deshpande, and Arundhati Roy. There is also a chapter on the origin and growth of the sister form, Indian Short Story in English. 'The Big Three' consisting of Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan, and Raja Rao have also been focused in this volume. An Index has been provided at the end of the volume to guide readers through it. Most of the papers included in this volume have already appeared in various magazines, periodicals, and critical anthologies, but putting them together here in book form enhances their accessibility and demonstrates a sense of commitment on the part of the author to the cause offast-expanding Indian Writing in English. The original form of papers has been retained and the sources of their first appearance duly acknowledged. Nowadays, Indian Writing in English has acquired a certain respectability and popularity both in India and abroad, and hence scholars and researchers in this area will find this book quite useful and rewarding