Indo Anglian Literature
Indo-Anglian Authors
It’s the same Indian Curry – the spices are Indian, the flavours remain rural and the colours are still rich and earthy, except for the fact that it is savoured with a different spoon. That is Indo-Anglian literature or English literature penned by an Indian author. With the sudden surge of writers in this genre, its history is very recent, mostly limited to the last two centuries. As a category it owes its roots to the post-colonial era and today with almost three Nobel laureates and five Booker Prize holders it finds a much respected place on the racks of international bookstores. Compiled below is a timeline that traces the birth of various writers in this genre right from its roots in the year 1759:
1759 –Birth of Dr. Brighton, famously remembered as Sake Dean Mahomet who laid the foundations of Indo-Anglian literature with his autobiographical travel narrative “The Travels of Dean Mahomet” written during his stay at Cork in 1794. A remarkably versatile entrepreneur he presented British India through the lens of a common man.
1905 – Birth of Mulk Raj Anand, another towering figure in this genre, best remembered for his depiction of the neglected castes of society in his book “The Untouchable”.
1908 – Birth Of Raja Rao, who published the first major English novel in this genre called “Kanthapura” which portrayed a small South Indian village as a microcosm of the traditional Indian society along with its participation in the Gandhian movement. He also went on to become the first Indian to win the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, often referred to as the “American Noble”.
1909 – Birth of G.V.Desani, the man behind the cult literary piece “All About H.Haterr” in Nairobi,Kenya.
1910 – Ahmad Ali, an Indian and later Pakistani, novelist, poet, scholar, critic and diplomat responsible for writing “Twilight in Delhi”, is born.
1927 – The second daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and the
It’s the same Indian Curry – the spices are Indian, the flavours remain rural and the colours are still rich and earthy, except for the fact that it is savoured with a different spoon. That is Indo-Anglian literature or English literature penned by an Indian author. With the sudden surge of writers in this genre, its history is very recent, mostly limited to the last two centuries. As a category it owes its roots to the post-colonial era and today with almost three Nobel laureates and five Booker Prize holders it finds a much respected place on the racks of international bookstores. Compiled below is a timeline that traces the birth of various writers in this genre right from its roots in the year 1759:
1759 –Birth of Dr. Brighton, famously remembered as Sake Dean Mahomet who laid the foundations of Indo-Anglian literature with his autobiographical travel narrative “The Travels of Dean Mahomet” written during his stay at Cork in 1794. A remarkably versatile entrepreneur he presented British India through the lens of a common man.
1905 – Birth of Mulk Raj Anand, another towering figure in this genre, best remembered for his depiction of the neglected castes of society in his book “The Untouchable”.
1908 – Birth Of Raja Rao, who published the first major English novel in this genre called “Kanthapura” which portrayed a small South Indian village as a microcosm of the traditional Indian society along with its participation in the Gandhian movement. He also went on to become the first Indian to win the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, often referred to as the “American Noble”.
1909 – Birth of G.V.Desani, the man behind the cult literary piece “All About H.Haterr” in Nairobi,Kenya.
1910 – Ahmad Ali, an Indian and later Pakistani, novelist, poet, scholar, critic and diplomat responsible for writing “Twilight in Delhi”, is born.
1927 – The second daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and the