anuradha roy

  Thanks to my wonderful publishers in Romanian, Humanitas, most of my books are read there in translation. Recently, Romanian philosopher Mihaela Gligor, who is the director of the Cluj Centre for Indian Studies in Transylvania, wrote to say: "I edited a volume of essays dedicated to some remarkable Indian women, called "Daughters of India". It just appeared... One chapter is about you and your novels..."  The author of this chapter, Anda-Irina Sturza, has written a detailed analysis of my books, having read some of them in Romanian and some in English.   This unusual book features essays on the life and work of an eclectic group of women, including mystics, dancers, artists. Amrita Pritam, Maitreyi Devi, Kamala Das, Anita Desai, Kiran Desai, Chitrita Devi are the other writers included here. 

  I have the huge privilege of being in conversation about the Earthspinner with the brilliant Sri Lankan writer and publisher Ameena Hussein at the Jaipur Literature Festival . The session is on 8th March, at 1230 pm IST, at the Mughal Tent, available online. It's fabulous to be talking to each other again about a new book. We were in conversation in 2016 too, in Galle, Sri Lanka, where we met. I found her one of the most interesting and lively conversationalists about literature I've encountered. I loved Ameena's own new book, IBN BATTUTA IN SRI LANKA.    It is an effortless intertwining of history, family memoir, travelogue. The spread of Islam in the second century meant hospitable networks worldwide, enabling Ibn Battuta to travel far and wide, including to SL. With a blend of very engaging detective work, map reading and travel, Ameena reconstructs Ibn Battuta’s journeys in her country. Tongue-in-cheek vignettes place modern day Sri Lanka against the past: where pl...