Mirrorwork: 50 Years of Indian Writing 1947-1997

Bys: Rushdie, Salman and West, Elizabeth

Book Overview

This unique anthology, Mirrorwork, presents thirty-two selections by Indian authors writing in English over the past half-century. Selected by Salman Rushdie and Elizabeth West, these novel excerpts, stories, and memoirs illuminate wonderful writing by authors often overlooked in the West.

Chronologically arranged to reveal the development of Indian literature in English, this volume includes works by Jawaharlal Nehru, Nayantara Sahgal, Saadat Hasan Manto, G.V. Desani, Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Kamala Markandaya, Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan, Ved Mehta, Anita Desai, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Satyajit Ray, Salman Rushdie, Padma Perera, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Rohinton Mistry, Bapsi Sidhwa, I. Allan Sealy, Shashi Tharoor, Sara Suleri, Firdaus Kanga, Anjana Appachana, Amit Chaudhuri, Amitav Ghosh, Githa Hariharan, Gita Mehta, Vikram Seth, Vikram Chandra, Ardashir Vakil, Mukul Kesavan, Arundhati Roy, and Kiran Desai.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805057102
• ISBN13: 9780805057102
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Mirrorwork

The book was practically in mint condition--the only sign it had been used was a slight crease in the cover. The pages were in good condition, and the book still had that "new" smell. Shipped in good time. No qualms about buying from this seller.

Worthwhile for Indian Writing in English

This book, edited by Salman Rushdie and Elizabeth West, was published in 1997 and contained 32 writers and as many works, created in the 50 years after India's independence. There were 14 extracts from novels, 12 short stories, 4 excerpts from memoirs, 1 excerpt from a nonfiction novel, and 1 speech. As far as could be determined, more than two-thirds of the pieces came from the 1980s and 90s, and a fifth from the 1940s and 50s. There seemed to be very little from the 1960s and 70s. Though this was an anthology of Indian writing, also included were works by two authors from Pakistan -- Bapsi Sidhwa (1938-) and Sara Suleri (1953-) -- together with another who left India for Pakistan, Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-55). And Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1927-), a woman of Jewish heritage who was born in Germany and married to an Indian. V. S. Naipaul, according to Rushdie's introduction, declined inclusion in the collection. Nearly all the writers selected had spent some years living in the West or currently live there. The few exceptions, as far as could be judged, were Narayan, Manto, Ray, Chatterjee and Roy. In his introduction, Rushdie generated some controversy by stating that in the course of compilation he'd found Indian prose in English during the period was proving to be stronger and more important than writing in the vernacular languages, and that the writing in English was perhaps India's most valuable contribution to the world of books. As a result, all but one of the selections made for the anthology were written originally in that language. Of works in the many vernacular languages, only Manto's piece from the 1950s, translated from Urdu, was judged worthy of inclusion. On the other hand, the editor of a more recent anthology of Indian prose, Amit Chaudhuri, has argued that Indian writing is much too diverse to be represented only by authors who write in English, many of whom live in the West. And that the most profound impact of Western culture on India, and Indians' complex response to it, can be discovered in the vernacular languages. It was worthwhile to keep the opposed viewpoints in mind while reading. In Rushdie's anthology, roughly four generations of writers were included. The oldest were those born in the late 19th century or very early 20th (Nehru, Nirad Chaudhuri, Anand, Narayan, Desani, Manto). Following were those born in the 1920s through early 40s (Ray, Markandaya, Jhabvala, Anita Desai, Gita Mehta), the late 1940s through mid-60s (Rushdie, Sealy, Mistry, Seth, Ghosh, Tharoor, Kesavan, Chandra, Roy, Amit Chaudhuri), and the early 1970s (Kiran Desai). Though many of the authors in this collection live abroad, all the works of fiction except for Desani's were set entirely in India or Pakistan. For the nonfiction, an excerpt from a work by Ghosh began with the narrator's attending a wedding somewhere in the Egyptian countryside, but his memories carried him back to a time of unrest in East Pakistan during the 1960s. Some

Enjoyed it...

I enjoyed this anthology quite a bit.It may be "self-serving and slanted towards his friends" but his friends write *well* and I enjoyed reading their work. His introduction is especially good and addresses several issues that are mentioned above.No one should expect an anthology to be complete- their very nature is to exclude more than they include. I appreciate seeing some of my favorite "Indian" authors in print (Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Arundhati Roy among others) and I look forward to a companion edition in the future. If anyone would like to recommend another anthology of post-indepence Indian fiction I would be interested in hearing about it.

A fairly readable compilation though narrow in its sweep

It would be really unfair to say the book has not been a representative collection of Indian writing in English. It is, though a few glaring points puts it at a disadvantage to become a volume to be cherished. The editors' seems to have allowed their backgrounds and biases to rule which determined their choice to large extent. This could have been avoided had the editors gave a harder look on the literary environment in India which is rapidly changing for the better. Much of the excellent work produced in vernacular languages is conveniently forgotten ascribing lack of good translation - a reason which simply does not hold water. And, if the all time favourite 'Tryst with Destiny'is included, no harm would have come if one of much sought after editorials by VN Narayanan or a science fiction was included. A translated piece of Hindi heartland politics mirrored by say, Rahi Masoom Raza could fill the gap. The absence of the enigmatic Khushwant Singh disturbs. The collection gives a fair space to new writers of the subcontinent, even if they are now based outside India. However, it remains skewed towards the age old mysticism and bullock carts in an age where these are pushed to the background by the fast enveloping modernity and automation. it is forgotten that we have a thriving middle class and a large educated elite which is crying to be heard and represented in our stories. For a book claiming to represent 50 years of writing, it is a bit focussed narrowly. The collection, though remains a must read. I read it over a long stretch of time, finishing many other volumes inthe the meantime, and would recommend the same way.