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India has a rich literary assemblage produced by its many different regional traditions, religious faiths, ethnic subcultures and linguistic groups. The published literature of the 20th century is a particularly interesting subject and is the focus of this book, as it represents the provocative conjuncture of the transitions of Indian modernity. This reference book surveys the major regional literatures of contemporary India in the context of the country's diversity and heterogeneity. Chapters are devoted to particular regions, and the arrangement of the work invites comparisons of literary traditions. Chapters provide extensive bibliographies of primary works, thus documenting the creative achievement of numerous contemporary Indian authors. Some chapters cite secondary works as well, and the volume concludes with a list of general works providing further information.
An introductory essay overviews theoretical concerns, ideological and aesthetic considerations, developments in various genres, and the history of publishing in regional literatures. The introduction provides a context for approaching the chapters that follow, each of which is devoted to the literature of a particular region. Each chapter begins with a concise introductory section. The body of each chapter is structured according to social and historical events, literary forms, or broad descriptive or analytic trends, depending on the particular subject matter. Each chapter then closes with an extensive bibliography of primary works, thus documenting the rich literary tradition of the region. Some chapters also cite secondary sources as an aid to the reader. The final chapters of the book address special topics, such as sub-cultural literatures, or the interplay between literature and film. A list of additional sources of general information concludes the volume.
List of contents
Introduction--Regional Literature of India: Paradigms and Contexts by Nalini Natarajan
Twentieth-Century Assamese Literature by Mahasveta Barua
Twentieth-Century Bengali Literature by Sudipto Chatterjee and Hasan Ferdous
Twentieth-Century Indian Literature in English by Alpana Sharma Knippling
Twentieth-Century Gujarati Literature by Sarala Jag Mohan
Twentieth-Century Hindi Literature by Nandi Bhatia
Twentieth-Century Kannada Literature by Ramachandra Deva
Twentieth-Century Malayalam Literature by Thomas Palakeel
Twentieth-Century Marathi Literature by Shripad Deo
Twentieth-Century Punjabi Literature by Atamjit Singh
Twentieth-Century Tamil Literature by P.S. Sri
Twentieth-Century Telugu Literature by G.K. Subbarayudu and C. Vijayasree
Twentieth-Century Urdu Literature by Omar Qureshi
Special TopicsDalit Literature in Marathi by Veena Deo
Parsi Literature in English by C. Vijayasree
Sanskrit Poetics by Arasu Balan
Perspectives on Bengali Literature and Film by Mitali Pati and Suranjan Ganguly
Index
About the author
Nalini Natarajan
