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This digital document, covering the life and work of Anita Desai, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3028 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

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tr Tahira Naqvi & Syeda S. Hameed, North India ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Witty and fun to read
The book takes a look at the society of her times and provides a witty, inciteful look at it

true genius
Were it not for the inevitable dampening effect of translation from Urdu to English, this book deserves at least 5 stars. Ismat Chugtai was a brilliant writer, expressing her views with candor, vivid imagery, and awickedly sarcastic sense of humor. She dares to address and exposeseriously taboo topics at a time when the role of women in society was sosuppressed and inhibited it makes the present day seem utopian. Like a trueiconoclast, she probes questionable societal norms that most followedblindly, and still do. The only disappointment in this book is that itreads like someone's paraphrasing of Chugtai's stories; the translation,although mostly accurate, erodes the true flavor of her writing and reallymisses the mark sometimes. ... Read more

Product Description
Set on a Bengali noble's estate in 1908, this is both a love story and a novel of political awakening. The central character, Bimala, is torn between the duties owed to her husband, Nikhil, and the demands made on her by the radical leader, Sandip. Her attempts to resolve the irreconciliable pressures of the home and world reflect the conflict in India itself, and the tragic outcome foreshadows the unrest that accompanied Partition in 1947. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

the classic triangle in orient style
The story can be read as a prelude to Jim et Jules. Two man love the same women yet in a completely reversed way. The first (the husband) loves her by giving complete freedom. The second loves her as an idol. The woman is in a way forced to this idolation because of the freedom she had received.
The intelligent story can push the right buttons on human spirit to silence it. In an other perspective the book is a cry against nationalism.

the Home and the world
I'm sure it's a great book, only i haven't received it - after TWO months waiting since I ordered it. Yet I'm being asked to review the purchase?
hmmm.

A good introduction to Tagore
The Home and the World has been variously praised and criticized for reasons having little to do with its literary merit.To my mind, the praise comes largely from reviewers' admiration for the author and the totality of his life and works, rather than this particular work.The criticism comes largely from reviewers' disagreement with his political views, or what they think were his political views.

It is, of course, always hard to judge the literary value of a work in translation.Many subtleties of language and reference are necessarily lost.Some reviewers have found the language ponderous.I did not.This is a short book and very readable.I would consider this book as a good introduction to Tagore's thought and style.

Some have said that the main character Nikhil is too good to be believable.I think it is true that Nikhil represents a philosophy of life more than a real flesh-and-blood person.However, a main point of the book is that Nikhil's "goodness" also appears to be weakness.Certainly his wife, Bimala, reacts that way to him at certain points.If Tagore wants to explore the relation between goodness and weakness, then creating a character such as Nikhil seems entirely appropriate, even if it makes the book more a novel of ideas than a novel about real people.There is room in this world for many types of novels.

There is no doubt that Tagore's life work as a whole is monumental.His religious poem, Gitanjali, is more widely recognized than this novel as an expression of his views and writing skill.But poetry is even harder to translate than prose and probably not as accessible to the average reader.

Regarding Tagore's political views, some critics felt that The Home and the World pandered to the British because he did not show support for all elements of the anti-British Swadeshi movement.Tagore was definitely not pro-British.But neither did he support intimidation or terrorism against fellow-Indians as means of fighting British dominance in India.

Tagore had a long and public debate with his friend Gandhi regarding India's future.This correspondence is available in book form (The Mahatma and the Poet: Letters and Debates between Gandhi and Tagore 1915-1941).Those who would judge a person for his political views should learn them first-hand and not just through the opinions of others.

Indelible Drama
Rabindranath Tagore did very well to choose the structure he did for this short dramatic novel.It is successfully written from the three points of view of the protaganists, the chapters interlocked as "Bimala's Story", "Nikhil's Story" and "Sandip's Story".It is a powerful drama of awakening, ideology, courage and tragedy.It would make a terrific opera!
The language has an unfamiliar, florid quality that takes a bit of adjustment but I quickly adapted to the Bengali lushness.It is a very poignant tale of three people enmeshed in the intolerable situation of the British partition of Bengal and foreign occupation.Written early in the 20th Century Tagore foreshadows the Indian independence movement that will come later in the century and the idea of the liberation of women.
The unintended consequenses that result from the relationship of the three main players is predictable and tumultuous and a suitable metaphor for the terrible circumstances that were tearing through Bengal and other parts of India at that time.I was deeply moved by the work in spite of the harsh criticism it received at the time of it's original publication.

Poetic Fog
Ok ok... I know that Tagore is such an important figure in the literature and the history of India's independence struggle. And I recognize that he is a fantastic poet. Thing is, I prefer poets writing poems, not whole novels. Perhaps it is a flaw with my personality, but I found reading The Home and The World and exhaustive experience. The fluffy, poetic language throughout interrupted the flow of the intense drama that Tagore describes. I found this book, thus, incredibly difficult to read. Still, it provides an important metaphor for the struggles of india's independence movement and a good vein for familiarizing oneself with that time and place. Still, approach this book with a lot of patience. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of 26 short stories which spans the gamut of Bengali culture, past and present, from the orthodox Hindu of the last century to the violent social and political clashes of the recent decades. Interwoven are elements of folktale, fantasy, science and humour. ... Read more

Product Description
Set on a Bengali noble's estate in 1908, this is both a love story and a novel of political awakening. The central character, Bimala, is torn between the duties owed to her husband, Nikhil, and the demands made on her by the radical leader, Sandip. Her attempts to resolve the irreconciliable pressures of the home and world reflect the conflict in India itself, and the tragic outcome foreshadows the unrest that accompanied Partition in 1947. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Is the thing which happens the only truth?
My heading for this review is a quote from this engaging novel. In some ways I now understand that indeed the greater truth may exist in the things that haven't happened, where the actions of people are imposed upon by their personal constraints - often to the detriment of all. But what a sentence for the writer to produce!!

This novel is told from the perspective of three people - Nikhil, his wife Bimala, and the activist (in the name of national India) Sandip. By hearing the story from each of them we understand their individual constraints and the drives they have, or lack, to realise their ambitions and desires.Rabindranath Tagore has not written this novel from the perspective of an all-seeing observer and this leads us - the readers - to be deeply entrenched in the individual characters' drives, passions, doubts, uncertainities and failures.

For me this is a very personal expose of my own drives, passions, doubts and failures. If only I could have the views of those around me similarly exposed - if I had some indication of their drives, passions, doubts and sense of failure I am sure that I could respond to them with greater confidence. But, of course, Nikhil, Bimala and Sandip do not have knowlege of each other's innermost thoughts (unlike we, the readers) so their struggle - all three of them - is just as difficult for them as mine is for me.

Did I end up liking any of these characters? Did I admire any of them? Was I appalled by any of them? These are questions I will not answer - read the book for yourself and you will develop your own views which may be as different for you as my constraints are as different from yours.

Here is another quote:

'What harm if you did have a wholesome fear of me? Does anybody know anybody else in this world?'

A complex allegory
A prolific Bengalese writer, Tagore structured this novel such that three main characters represent the turbulence of the Partition that was yet to come to India in 1947. Nikhil is married to Bimala, living in the traditional domestic manner; for herself, Bimala has no expectation of her life ever deviating from her wifely path. The concept of "Swadeshi", a renewed appreciation of everything Indian, and a denial of everything British, particularly British imported goods and grains, rages throughout the country. The egocentric Sandip, a guest in Nikhil's home, is a fierce proponant of Swadeshi. Sandip finds himself passionately attracted to Bimala; he idealizes her as the epitome of "Mother" India, and pursues Bimala without reservation. Flattered by Sandip's attention, Bimala begins to question the nature of her marriage, and the three embark upon an emotional journey that will forever alter their lives, just as India begins a lengthy period of upheaval and unrest. Of the three, Sandip is transparantly shallow, while Nikhil thoughtfully considers every aspect before embarking on a course of action. Both men indulge in lengthy discourses, but the introduction by Anita Desai does much to frame this novel in the appropriate perspective. The allegorical nature of this tale is evident as the characters plunge headlong into the future.

Simply Brilliant
One aspect that non-Indian readers will completely fail to realise is the boldness with which Tagore used to weave his imagination based on stark solid reality. Tagore was socially ostracised for his depiction of the passion (always cloaked and shrouded in the garbs of the civilsation, norms of the society) of an honourable aristrocatic married lady, which acts as the metaphor for the passions the society was undergoing in those turbulent days of political upheaval against the British Empire. A brilliant picture of the torment of the human character caught in the web of desire of ecstacy and quest for contentment, peace and bliss, this narrative draws a beautiful parallel to the miopic frenzy of the mob in its quest for subversion with the destructive consequences of unbridled passion, and an individual's attempt to bring harmony and order in the chaos, attaining salvation. Technically brilliant, this disturbingly beautiful tale is another of Tagore's timeless creation.

complex moral tale
This book is largely a parable about the conflicts in Bengal in the early twentieth century.Tagore uses a triangle of husband and wife and outside suitor.Bimala, the wife is a sort of central figure as the novel largely revolves around her conflicting feelings towards both her husband Nikhil and Sandip.She feels excited by Sandip's passion but also has a bond with her husband.Nikhil is the reserved and dignified religious man who is not swayed by the mob mentality that was sweeping through the Bengal state.Sandip is the passionate, xenophobic leader pushing for the immediate gain.The narrative is written threefold.All three characters take turns telling the story from their own point of view.This is an interesting effect that adds dimension to the tale.Tagore obviously feels empathy towards Nikhil but he refrains from being too judgmental toward Sandip.Bimala becomes the most sympathetic character simply because she faces the most ambivalence in the book.There are many blatant political overtures in this book but I find that it works well as human drama as well.You needn't be knowledgeable about the conflicts in India to appreciate the moral dilemmas presented in this tale.Reading this book made it easy to understand why Tagore was awarded a Nobel Prize.

Moving
This book is terrific. Although written with the idea of a parallel to theproblems of Bengal and her people at the time of Swadeshi, in my opinionthis book is a masterpiece in the depiction of human nature and itscontradictions; as depicted in the characters of Bimala, Nikhil and Sandip.The push and pull between a sense of righteousness and the equallycompelling force of passion is brilliantly portrayed. It will endure as aclassic for a long time to come. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases on February 1, 2009. The length of the article is 2257 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chikungunya virus and central nervous system infections in children, India.(DISPATCHES)
Author: Penny Lewthwaite
Publication: Emerging Infectious Diseases (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2009
Publisher: U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases
Volume: 15Issue: 2Page: 329(3)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more