The Strange Case of Billy Biswas
The Strange Case of Billy Biswas

Author: Arun Joshi

Publisher: Orient Paperbacks

Published: 2021-06-01

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 8122207162

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The Strange Case of Billy Biswas is a compellingly thought provoking novel. A novel in which the normal and the abnormal, the ordinary and the extraordinary, illusion and reality, resignation and desire rub shoulders. The protagonist, Billy Biswas, is a man of extraordinary passions. He has everything going for him — education, wealth, status, travel, and a loving wife. Yet his inner world is rocked by a groundswell of discontent. He is consumed by a restlessness which grows steadily... Characterised by great elan and sophistication, the narrative unfolds in quick succession, and would be hard to believe were it not related in such a matter of fact, down to earth manner. 'In Joshi's hands we are swept into the unknown...' — The Times Literary Supplement, London

The Foreigner
The Foreigner

Author: Arun Joshi

Publisher: Orient Paperbacks

Published: 2021-07-01

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 8122207189

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The Foreigner is a story of a young man who is detached, almost alienated — a man who sees himself as a stranger wherever he lives or goes — in Kenya, where he is born, in England and USA where he is a student and in India where he finally settles down. His detachment transcends barriers of geography, nationality and culture. It propels him from one crisis to another, sucking in the wake several other people, including June, an attractive American with whom he has a short lived but passionate affair. The transitoriness associated with the word 'foreigner' permeates the novel and is handled with remarkable maturity reminding the reader of epoch-making The Outsider by Albert Camus. The protagonist's anguish at the meaninglessness of the human condition and the eventual release from the anxieties of life through karmayoga, the principle of action without attachment, add to the aesthetics of the work.

Indian Fiction in English
Indian Fiction in English

Author: P. Mallikarjuna Rao

Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Dist

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9788171568437

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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.

The City and The River
The City and The River

Author: Arun Joshi

Publisher: Orient Paperbacks

Published: 2018-11-12

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 8122206549

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The City and The River is a political fable. Using an artistically satisfying combination of fantasy, prophecy, and a startlingly real vision of everyday politics, this novel is truly a parable of the times. The City is all cities. The River is the mother of cities. The Grand Master rules the city by the river and is determined to become its unchallenged King. Things move smoothly in this earthly Eden, till a strange prophecy is made by the palace astrologer. The learned man predicts the crowning of a new King in place of the Grand Master… With quiet humour and characteristic skill, Joshi plots the path of intrigue and corruption in high places. The Grandmaster is surrounded by a coterie of fawning councillors, whose sole aim is to remain in limelight and improve their hierarchical standing. The politics in the novel has unmistakable echoes of the Emergency period of 1974-75; acquisition of unlimited powers, presence of self-seeking sycophants, shadow of an heir apparent, and loss of individual freedom pose significant questions about identity, commitment and faith in a hostile society. The story is narrated in easy flowing prose blending political satire with philosophical and spiritual dimensions.

Last Labyrinth
Last Labyrinth

Author: Arun Joshi

Publisher: Orient Paperbacks

Published: 2012-07-05

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13:

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The Last Labyrinth is a splendid novel — serious, disturbing, lyrical and irresistibly readable, a fascinating exploration into the turbulent inner world of a successful urban India. Som Bhaskar is a millionaire-industrialist, married to a woman of his choice who has borne him two children, yet relentlessly driven by undefined hunger which he unsuccessfully seeks to satisfy by possession — of an object, a business enterprise, a woman. Much like Saul Bellow's Henderson he is always crying, 'I want, I want, I want.' His search taken him from Bombay to Benares, at once holy and repellent — with its narrow, dirty lanes, dancing girls and a mystical aura. Amidst this contrasting juxtaposition of locales, the novel explores the meaning of life and death, illusion and reality, desire and resignation. Here is an eternally contemporary theme with all its complexities; the story's spiritual and sensuous dimensions are interwoven with great finesse making this novel a rare, unforgettable treat. 'The Last Labyrinth is considered an outstanding contribution to Indian English literature for its restless search for a meaning in human existence, its treatment of the multiple levels of reality, challenging narrative technique and an evocative use of language.' — Sahitya Akademi Award Citation 'The story is beautifully written... holds the reader's undivided attention to the finis.' — Khushwant Singh

The Apprentice
The Apprentice

Author: Arun Joshi

Publisher: Orient Paperbacks

Published: 2018-10-01

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 8122206514

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The Apprentice is a novel totally different in tone from all other novels and writings of Arun Joshi. The protagonist, Ratan Rathor, represents the quintessence Everyman — a contrast to other protagonists in so far as his intellectual level is much lower. An unsophisticated youth, jobless, he comes to the city in search of a career; unscrupulous and ready to prostitute himself for professional advancement. Seduced by materialistic values, he takes a bribe to clear a large lot of defective weapons. As a consequence, a brigadier, who is also his friend, has to desert his post and, to escape ignominy, commit suicide. A penitent Rathor, avoids confessing his guilt, but, tries to achieve redemption by cleaning the shoes of devotees, every morning, at a temple.

Indian English Literature
Indian English Literature

Author: Basavaraj S. Naikar

Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Dist

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9788126901227

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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.