Postmodern Indian English Literature

Postmodernism In Indian English Literature Refers To The Works Of Literature After 1980. If Raja Rao S Kanthapura (1938) Marks Modernism, Salman Rushdie S Midnight S Children (1981) And Nissim Ezekiel S Latter-Day Psalms (1982) Mark Postmodernism In Indian English Literature. In This Book, Dr. Bijay Kumar Das Has Analysed Postmodern Indian English Literature Genre-Wise Poetry, Novel, Short Story, Drama And Autobiography. This Is A Critical History Of Indian English Literature In The Postmodern Period, Meant For Students, Researchers As Well As Teachers Who Seek An Introduction To It.

Papers presented at the National Conference on 'Dalit Literature : Contents, Trends and Concerns', held at Dehradun during 22-23 March 2009.

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.

In Recent Years, The Indian English Literature Has Made Conspicuous Progress In All Its Forms, Mainly In Fiction And Poetry. The Present Anthology Aims At Presenting An In-Depth Study Of Nineteen Authors Who Are Both Established As Well As Upcoming Writers: Toru Dutt, Nissim Ezekiel, Jayanta Mahapatra, R.C. Shukla, Rajendra Singh, Mulk Raj Anand, Kamala Markandaya, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Shashi Tharoor, Shiv K. Kumar, Shobha De, Intizar Husain And Mahesh Dattani. Although The Present Anthology Contains Articles On Indian English Poetry, Fiction And Drama, But Fiction Enjoys A Prominent Place.Since Most Of The Authors Included In The Present Volume For Discussion Are Prescribed In The English Syllabus In The Various Indian Universities, It Is Hoped That Both The Teachers And Students Will Find The Book Extremely Useful. Even The General Readers Who Are Interested In Literature In English Will Find It Intellectually Stimulating.

Contributed articles.

Indian Writing In English Has Undoubtedly Acquired Its Own Independent Identity; It No More Remains Mere Imitative And Derivative. Its Long Journey From Colonial To Post-Colonial, From Imperial To Democratic And From English To Hinglish Forms A Remarkable Chapter In The History Of World Literature. Tagore Earned The First Recognition And Naipaul Is The Recent Laureate. In Between These Nobel Laureates Came A Number Of Writers Whose Work Earned Worldwide Appreciation.The Present Book Is An Attempt To Present The Different Genres Of Indian Writing In English. It Aims At Tracing Its Distinctive Features, Such As Cultural Alienation, Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism Etc. While Nehru Has Furnished The Best English To The Globe, Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Arundhati Roy, Shiv K. Kumar And Dattani Have Stirred The West With Their Great Works. The Works Of These Renowned Literary Figures Have Been Considered Thoroughly And Meticulously In The Present Book.It Is Hoped That While The Student Community Will Find It Easily Accessible, The Teachers Will Also Consider It Exciting Study Material.