Cambridge Scholars Publishing Personal and National Destinies in Independent India: A Study of Selected Indian English Novels

Product Description Personal and National Destinies in Independent India is an innovative analysis of the interface between individual lives and national history, between citizen and state in modern India, as reflected in contemporary fiction. It critiques the selected works of a host of distinguished Indian English novelists such as Gurcharan Das, Arun Joshi, Rohinton Mistry, Arundhati Roy, Meher Pestonji, Kiran Desai, Vikas Swarup, David Davidar, Aravind Adiga, Manjula Padmanabhan and Tarun Tejpal. The author offers a new interpretation of twelve major novels with reference to the enormous framework of nearly seventy years of the history and politics, culture and economy of independent India. This is a study of fiction that re-writes the grand Indian narrative from a genuine, subaltern point of view and pays tribute to the heroism of ordinary Indians in times of extraordinary transformation. In these times of conflict and disparity which threaten democratic values, these novelists advocate an inclusive and humane India with a strong moral core instead of aggressive or elitist nationalism. They represent an era of painful introspection, an attempt to keep the soul of the nation alive. This unique project would be of interest to students and scholars of Literature, Political Science and History, especially Post-colonial studies. The vast scope of the time period, geographical expanse, social groups, writers and works covered here makes the work comprehensive and contemporary; very few such works on recent Indian history and fiction exist as of now. Review "Some of the features that make this an immensely useful book include an extremely focussed and lucid treatment of the subject and a wide range of sources that the book accesses. It is a work that bridges the gap between literary studies and history. Ms. Valiyamattam’s work is a remarkable exercise in new historicism. Her book will prove useful to students and teachers of Indian literature in English by offering new insights into the subject."Dr Ravi Nandan SinhaEditor, The Quest About the Author Rositta Joseph Valiyamattam is presently Assistant Professor in English at GITAM Institute of Management, GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, India, where she teaches literature, language, business communication and soft skills. She completed her Masters in English language and literature from Andhra University, winning six awards and two gold medals including the prestigious Acharya K.R.S.Iyengar Memorial Gold Medal. A UGC Research Fellow, she was awarded a Doctorate in English by Andhra University for her thesis on the Indian English Novel. Formerly faculty at St. Joseph’s College for Women (Autonomous), Visakhapatnam, her areas of interest are post-colonial and Indian English literatures. A keen orator and theatre enthusiast, she has presented nineteen papers at national and international seminars and published over thirty articles in reputed literary journals and anthologies. She also freelances for popular national magazines such as Indian Currents and Youth Action, and also serves on the editorial boards of esteemed academic journals.