Annotation This volume surveys 200 years of Indian literature in English. Written by Indian scholars and critics, many of the 24 contributions examine the work of individual authors, such as Rabindranath Tagore, R.K. Narayan, and Salman Rushdie. Others consider a particular genre, such as post-independence poetry or drama. The volume is illustrated with b&w photographs of writers along with drawings and popular prints. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This Book Presents A Collection Of Essays And Research Papers On Indian English Poetry And Fiction. It Has Been Classified In Two Sections. Section A Comprises Essays On Poets Such As Toru Dutt, Aurobindo Ghose, Krishna Srinivas And Kamala Das. Section B Contains Essays On Indian English Novelists Like R.K. Narayan, Raja Rao, Bhabani Bhattacharaya, Anita Desai, Khushwant Singh, Kamala Markandaya, Shashi Deshpande, Shobha De, And Arun Joshi. The Research Papers In The Book By Some Distinguished University Teachers And Professors Of English Posted In Indian Universities Cover A Brief Critical Survey Of Indian English Poetry And Novel Since Their Birth Upto The Present Day. A Brief Survey Of Indian English Religious Poetry And Humanistic Trends In Contemporary Indo-English Fiction Has Also Been Included.

Indian English, or rather, the forms of English used in India, have long been a topic of interest for laymen and scholars. For generations, the 'exotic' nature of the transplanted language was commented on, often ridiculed as a matter of unintentional comic. It was only from the 1960s onwards that the local forms of English were recognized for what they are — adaptations of the world language to local needs, and varying to an enormous degree, depending on the speakers' (and writers') education and the uses they make of the language. This acknowledgement came mainly from abroad (and still does); Indians are much less willing to admit to the variation and its communicative functions in the country. Therefore, standard English (if possible in its classical British form) is generally favoured, together with formal written uses often based on the stylistic models provided by English literature from Shakespeare to Dickens. R.R. Mehrotra was one of the first to see the need for a proper sociolinguistic description of the Indian situation, and the forms and functions of English in this complex set-up. He has for a long time collected and analysed the huge range of English around him, with the aim of publishing a collection of texts that reflects the variation within the country along various dimensions, historical, regional, ethnic, social and stylistic. The present collection of texts is typical in many ways, evoking in the content, style and grammatical forms the contexts in which English functions; notes help to put the excerpts into the proper frame to make them intelligible to outsiders.

Since Its Inception In 19Th Century, Indian Writing In English Has Coruscated Worldwide And The English Works Of Indian Authors Have Been Highly Appreciated Even By The People Of English-Speaking Nations. Not Remaining Confined To The Restricted Gamut Of Themes And Style Of Olden Days, Indian Writing In English Has Made Its Dent In Myriad Human Concerns At The Hands Of Great Number Of Indian Writers.In The Present Anthology, A Sincere Attempt Has Been Made To Provide An In-Depth Study Of The Works Of Reputed Indian Authors Like Bhabani Bhattacharya, Amitabh Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Raj Kamal Jha, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Shobha De, Manju Kapur, Anita Nair To Name But A Few. Aiming At Encouraging Variegated Opinions Without Conforming To Fixed And Rigorous Critical Canons, The Anthology Not Only Focuses On Novels But Also On The Other Forms Of Literature That Are Brilliant Evocation Of Historical, Philosophical And Social Issues Of Great Importance. It Also Traverses Through Psychological And Subliminal Issues. Contributors To The Present Anthology Have Explored The Varied Aspects Of Literary Works Of The Noted And Award-Winning Writers, Besides Analysing Critically And Impartially The Question Of Equal Rights For Women Raised By The Eminent Indian Writers In Their Works.It Is Hoped That Indian Writings In English Would Prove Indispensable For The Students Of English Literature And Would Even Appeal To Those Interested In The English Works Of Indian Writers. It Will Undoubtedly Enkindle In Readers An Avid Interest Towards Their Works And Also Help Them Sharpen Their Critical Understanding With Its Ample Food For Thought.

The Oxford Studies in Postcolonial Literatures series offers stimulating and accessible introductions to definitive topics and key genres and regions within the rapidly diversifying field of postcolonial literary studies in English. It is often claimed that unlike the British novel or the novel in indigenous Indian languages, Anglophone fiction in India has no genealogy of its own. Interrogating this received idea, Priyamvada Gopal shows how the English-language or Anglophone Indian novel is a heterogeneous body of fiction in which certain dominant trends and recurrent themes are, nevertheless, discernible. It is a genre that has been distinguished from its inception by a preoccupation with both history and nation as these come together to shape what scholars have termed 'the idea of India'. Structured around themes such as 'Gandhi and Fiction', 'The Bombay Novel', and 'The Novel of Partition', this study traces lines of influence across significant literary works and situates individual writers and texts in their historical context. Its emergence out of the colonial encounter and nation-formation has impelled the Anglophone novel to return repeatedly to the question: 'What is India?' In the most significant works of Anglophone fiction, 'India' emerges not just as a theme but as a point of debate, reflection, and contestation. Writers whose works are considered in their context include Rabindranath Tagore, Mulk Raj Anand, RK Narayan, Salman Rushdie, Nayantara Sahgal, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, and Vikram Seth.

The first history of Indian literature in English to cover the 200 years from Raja Rammohan Ray to Arundhati Roy, including in its scope canonical poets and novelists, social reformers (Behramji Malabari), anthropologists (Verrier Elwin), nature writers (Sálim Ali), and writers of the Indian disapora (Seepersad Naipaul, Shiva Naipaul, Ved Mehta).