Indian Fiction In English

This is the fourth and final volume in the pioneering series on Perspectives on Ma,or Forms of indian English Literature edited by Professor M.K, Naik, Following the pattern of the earlier three volumes this collection also includes two types of essays-those evaluating the entire corpus of major fictionists and schools and those attempting intensive textual analyses of outstanding novels like Untoucl,ahle, The Guide. The Serpent and the Rope and Midnight's children. The final essay on “The Achievement of Indian Fiction in English" is an attempt to survey the entire field and evaluate the total achievement in this genre. A number of collections of critical essays on Indian fiction in English have appeared during recent years but perhaps none of them. has the range and depth of this volume. The contributors include distinguished scholars such as K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar, V.A. Shahane, D.V. K Raghavacharyulu, PremaNandakumar and the editor, M,K. Naik, himself. The carefully selective Bibliography appended to the volume has further enhanced its value as a comprehensive collection of incisivse critical studies covering the entire range of Indian fiction in English. and this series which is now complete easily constitutes a significant landmark in the ongoing scrutiny of Indian English literature.

Indian Fiction In English Now Enjoys A Major Presence Across The World. From Its Humble Beginnings In The Thirties It Has Come A Long Way To Emerge As A Serious Contender To Some Of The Most Coveted Literary Prizes In The World. In Terms Of Popularity And Market Presence It Has Experienced Phenomenal Success In The Recent Years. While It Behoves Well To Celebrate Its Success And Revel In Its Glory, We Should Also Stop To Enquire Into Its Strengths And Weaknesses, Its Achievements And Failures And Its Present Status And Future Prospects Standing As We Do On The Threshold Of The Twenty First Century. The Underlying Purpose Of Indian Fiction In English, Therefore, Is To Attempt A Fairly Comprehensive Turn Of The Century Stocktaking Of Indian Fiction In English.The Anthology Puts Together Incisive And Highly Rated Articles On Almost All The Important Indian Novelists In English. Starting With The Three Pioneers, Namely Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan And Raja Rao, It Goes On To Include Perceptive And Analytical Articles On The Second Generation Novelists Such As Manohar Malgonkar, Bhabani Bhattacharya, Arun Joshi, Anita Desai, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Kamala Markandaya And Nayantara Sahgal And Finally, It Attempts An Assessment Of The Relatively Recent Entrants Into The Field Like Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, Bharati Mukherjee, Rukun Advani And Boman Desai.Among The Contributors Are Some Of The Most Respected Scholars In The Field Of English Studies In India: K.K Sharma, Saros Cowasjee, Alastair Niven, H.H. Anniah Gowda, G.S. Amur, Ayyappa Paniker, M. Sivaramkrishana, Vasanth A. Shahane, Shiv K. Kumar And S. Krishna Sarma.

Language Is A Powerful Means Of Decolonization And Self-Respect Building. Translation As A Potent Tool Of Language Works Wonders In The Process Of Resurrection Of Bruised National Pride. Indian Literature Written In So Many Colourful, Lovely Languages Of India Can Be Established With The Proper Use Of Translation. It Is With This Spirit The Present Anthology Indian Fiction In English Translation Has Been Prepared. An Attempt Has Been Made To Capture The Essence, The Smell, The Taste Of Indian Soil By Studying Various Important Authors And Their Texts In Detail. The Book Is Of Interest For All Those Who Believe In The Strength Of The Intellectual Traditions Of India.

The Essays In This Anthology Focus On Many Aspects Of Indian Fiction In English. It Seeks To Probe, Discuss And Analyse The Issues Arising Out Of The Novels And Offers Deep Insight To The Readers. Important Novelists Covered In The Volume Are : R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Anita Desai, Geeta Mehta, Salman Rushdie, Kavery Nambisan, Nayantara Sahgal, Arun Joshi, Shobha De And Arundhati Roy.

In this unparalleled collection of short stories, The HarperCollins Book of New Indian Fiction presents an absorbing view of one of the most fertile literary landscapes in the world. Traversing continents and orbits, styles and themes, in rich, original and frequently surprising ways, the stories testify to the range and depth of Indian writing in English. Variously lyric, satiric, tragic and fantastic, they are unified in their vigour and humanity. T The anthology features a rich assortment of voices from both new authors and established names including Abraham Verghese, Manju Kapur, Githa Hariharan and Amitava Kumar. With an insightful introduction by Khushwant Singh, one of India's foremost literary personalities, this is the definitive survey of a lively modern scene.

Contributed articles.

After The Pioneer Works By Scholars Such As Naik, Narasimhaiah And Mukherjee, And The Thirty Years Of Silence Which Followed Their Ground-Breaking Achievements, The Companion Appears On The Scene Striving To Reinvigorate The Tradition Of Panoramic Studies Of Indian Literature In English. In The Intervening Period, Indian Fiction In English Has Become Of Paramount Importance In The Wide Context Of Postcolonial Studies: An Emergent Crop Of Novelists Belonging To The So-Called New Generation Has Colourfully Paved The Way Towards New Artistic Horizons, Re-Interpreting Western-Derived Literary Models With Inventive Approaches. Complementary To Their Role There Is The Articulate Presence Of A Host Of Indian Scholars Who In Recent Years Have Significantly Influenced The Course Of This Analysis And Have Vitally Contributed To Enlarging Its Scope Well Beyond The Original Boundaries Of Studies In Literary Criticism.The Companion, Therefore, Addresses The Exigencies Of Critics, Teachers And Students Alike All Those Who Need To Find Quick Points Of Reference In This Wide Field Of Studies By Relying On A Team Of Authoritative Collaborators And Specialists From All Over The World. Great Care Was Taken Not Only In Selecting Collaborators On The Basis Of Their Specialisation But Also Taking Into Account Their Cultural Background In Relation To The Author They Were To Discuss. The Book In Fact Has Been Organised To Have What Have Been Deemed To Be The Most Representative Authors In Indian Fiction Discussed In An Essay-Long Chapter Each, Structured To Highlight Crucial Points Such As Biographical Details, Novels And Critical Reception. Each Chapter Includes A Final Bibliography Complete With Primary And Secondary Sources, Enabling The Scholar To Have Immediate Orientation On Various Specific Topics. Finally, The Book Has An Innovative Section, With Synopses Of Novels, Planned To Allow Our Readers To Immediately Place The Authors Analysed Within The Panorama Of Indian Fiction In English. The Over 400 Synopses Included Principally Introduce Works Written By The Novelists Discussed At Length In The Previous Chapters But, Along With Them, It Is Also Possible To Find Summaries Of Works By Authors Who, Although Contributing In A Significant Way To The Development Of Forms And Techniques, Do Not Feature In The First Part.

A great deal can be learned about a given civilization through its literature. The living image of a people—acting and thinking, of themselves. and of the world as they see it—can only be apprehended by the creative productions of a nation's best minds. Thus students of Indian civilization and culture who cannot afford to overlook its literature will find in this book a way to approach the Indian spirit through the work of Indian authors. Fiction in India, particularly the novel, is a product of Western influences. As a literary form, the novel, with its emphasis on character analysis and related plot, is not native to the Indian temperament. Nevertheless, during the last fifty years, India has produced a wealth of fine fiction : novels and short stories, sketches and satires. In this book, Dorothy M. Spencer has selected and annotated some three hundred items for the ethnographical and cultural material they can be made to yield. English translations, works written directly in English, and translations from the various regional dialects have been included—on the whole a rather sweeping cross-section of Indian literary creativity. With the aid of Spencer's notes, the student can decide which of the works deal with specific attitudes and values that are of interest to him. The sociologist interested in institutions and interpersonal relations, in the beliefs and ideas regarding the Indian character held by the people themselves, the philosopher concerned with the Indian world-view, the anthropologist, and the political scientist will find an abundance of material in these pages to heighten his appreciation of Indian culture. The attitudes toward social institutions and fixed relationships, the family, the place of women as mothers and sisters, the caste-system—all the intricacies of a civilization's development can be revealed to the perceptive student. Naturally enough, fiction in India has also dealt with political and social themes. In this connection, autobiographies and propagandistic or moralistic novels are most useful. Both have been included in this bibliography, as well as historical novels, a genre which, though it has recently fallen into disfavor, is one of the most fruitful sources for an investigation of the Indian past. More than a comprehensive guide to Indian fiction and autobiography, this volume is also a fine introduction to Indian culture, suggesting and developing directions which a study of India may take. It will be helpful and important to all scholars in the humanities and social sciences who are concerned with understanding the people and way of life of an ancient land that has recently taken great strides into the modern era.