A Few Contemporary Indian Authors
Salman Rushdie is another postcolonial writer. He was born in Mumbai in 1947.
His second novel Midnight's Children was critically acclaimed and won the Booker Prize in 1981. His most controversial novel is The Satanic Verses which he caused controversy in the Islamic world due to the perceived irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad. Public burnings and firebombings of bookstores caused international bedlam. The book is still banned in several countries. Rushdie found sanctuary in England. The United Kingdom and Iran broke diplomatic relations over the Rushdie controversy and he still receives death-threats from militant Muslim fanatics concerning the novel. He was knighted in 2007 for his contribution to literature. He currently has ten novels and several collections of stories and non-fiction essays published.
His style is often classified as magical realism mixed with historical fiction, and a dominant theme of his work is the story of the many connections, interruptions, and travel between the Eastern and Western worlds.
Salman Rushdie reads from The Satanic Verses
A Conversation with Salman Rushdie (from Penn State)
Arundhati Roy. If Rushdie’s work liberated Indian writing from the colonial straitjacket, Arundhati’s Roy’s book, The God of Small Things, radically changed perceptions about Indian authors with her commercial success. She won the Booker prize and remains on the top of the New York Times bestseller list. With her commercial success, publishers began promoting and publishing many Indian writers. She has moved into more political circles. Here is a Australian documentary interview with the author.
Jhumpa Lahiri tackles the much-debated topic of Indian cultural identity. Lahiri took the literary world by storm and surprise when her debut book, The Interpreter of Maladies, won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2000. The Namesake, her first novel, is an ambitious attempt to chart the lives of a family of immigrants through the eyes of a young boy. The Namesake was made into a film in 2008.
Looking for some inspiration for an Indian-based story, essay, poem, play, etc.? Take a look at some of these photos and use them as a basis for a story, poem, essay, etc.
Recent film: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
His second novel Midnight's Children was critically acclaimed and won the Booker Prize in 1981. His most controversial novel is The Satanic Verses which he caused controversy in the Islamic world due to the perceived irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad. Public burnings and firebombings of bookstores caused international bedlam. The book is still banned in several countries. Rushdie found sanctuary in England. The United Kingdom and Iran broke diplomatic relations over the Rushdie controversy and he still receives death-threats from militant Muslim fanatics concerning the novel. He was knighted in 2007 for his contribution to literature. He currently has ten novels and several collections of stories and non-fiction essays published.
His style is often classified as magical realism mixed with historical fiction, and a dominant theme of his work is the story of the many connections, interruptions, and travel between the Eastern and Western worlds.
Salman Rushdie reads from The Satanic Verses
A Conversation with Salman Rushdie (from Penn State)
Arundhati Roy. If Rushdie’s work liberated Indian writing from the colonial straitjacket, Arundhati’s Roy’s book, The God of Small Things, radically changed perceptions about Indian authors with her commercial success. She won the Booker prize and remains on the top of the New York Times bestseller list. With her commercial success, publishers began promoting and publishing many Indian writers. She has moved into more political circles. Here is a Australian documentary interview with the author.
Jhumpa Lahiri tackles the much-debated topic of Indian cultural identity. Lahiri took the literary world by storm and surprise when her debut book, The Interpreter of Maladies, won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2000. The Namesake, her first novel, is an ambitious attempt to chart the lives of a family of immigrants through the eyes of a young boy. The Namesake was made into a film in 2008.
Looking for some inspiration for an Indian-based story, essay, poem, play, etc.? Take a look at some of these photos and use them as a basis for a story, poem, essay, etc.
Recent film: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
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