Being Indian-American means having a foot in two worlds. My reading has always reflected this. Picking from all over the place, never systematically, always yearning for that love affair with an author or a book that can bring the satisfaction of illuminating some aspect of the human experience or simply give the pleasure of great writing.
When I read books by Indian authors I feel often I as if I’m looking into an out-of-focus photograph. Somewhere in there is me; my childhood, my cultural upbringing and twisted roots. I love the tension between the familiar and unfamiliar. I’m reading to discern what mysteries of time or place or people reside there. I want that world to come into sharper focus. I want to be transported to the world I left behind. The world I may never have known.
I’m curious about what’s pressing on the writers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan too. I’m curious about how writers from the West interact with the East and vice-versa.
My aim is not to generalize or offer an expert view. I simply want to explore & share discoveries and good reads. Be warned this blog will be a fairly random sampling from classics to contemporary. It may digress onto unrelated topics!
If you’re curious about South Asian Literature, I hope you’ll join me.