A History of Indian Literature in English - by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra (Hardcover)

About the Book

From Ram Mohan Ray to Arundhati Roy, two hundred years of Indian literature in English are covered in essays by experts including Sunil Khilnani, Ramachandra Guha, Sudesh Mishra, and Amit Chaudhuri. Spanning a period from 1800 to the present, this collection of historical essays covers the canonical Indian poets, novelists, and dramatists writing in English--names like Rudyard Kipling, Rabrindanath Tagore, R.K. Narayan, and Salman Rushdie--as well as lesser-known literary figures--scientists, social reformers, anthropologists.

Book Synopsis

From Ram Mohan Ray to Arundhati Roy, two hundred years of Indian literature in English are covered in this volume, essential for anyone interested in this increasingly important literary tradition. Spanning a period from 1800 to the present, this collection of historical essays covers the canonical Indian poets, novelists, and dramatists writing in English--names like Rudyard Kipling, Rabrindanath Tagore, R.K. Narayan, and Salman Rushdie--as well as lesser-known literary figures--scientists, social reformers, anthropologists--who have made significant contributions to the evolution of Indian literature in English. The essays in this volume are arranged chronologically and are devoted to a single author, a group of authors, or to a genre. The book includes 150 rare and interesting photographs and sketches of writers and their contexts.

Review Quotes

[A] first truly comprehensive history of the extensive and now widely read and respected Indian literature in English. Undoubtedly of supreme importance for all hyperliterate Indians... Mehrotra's smart packaging of these literary-historical essays and his selection of widely scattered critics to write them, can be hailed as one unequivocally positive result of globalization.--John Oliver Perry "World Literature Today"

[A] useful and detailed guide to a varied body of writing.-- "Times Literary Supplement"

Mehrotra has put together an amazing volume... A rigorous book, with a brilliant introduction, this compendium joins K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar's legendary Indian Writing in English. Essential.-- "Choice"

About the Author

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra is a well-known poet, critic, and translator. He teaches English at the University of Allahabad. His books include The Transfiguring Places and The Absent Traveller: Prakrit Love Poetry from the Gathasaptasati and he has edited the Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets.