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Sunlight on a Broken Column, first published in 1961, is an
unforgettable coming-of-age story set against the turbulent
background of Partition. 'The deftness with which Attia Hosain
handles the interplay of manners, class, culture and different
forms of female power is gorgeously done . . . Laila is such a
remarkable heroine - sharp, spirited and passionate' - KAMILA
SHAMSIE 'An extraordinary novel, with an extraordinary heroine.
Laila - even from the confines of the women's quarters - is a sharp
observer of the tumultuous politics, and the cultural, racial, and
religious conflicts of the dying days of the Raj. There is such
richness here, waiting to be rediscovered. And readers will fall in
love with Laila' MONICA ALI 'My life changed. It had been
restricted by invisible barriers almost as effectively as the
physically restricted lives of my aunts in the zenana. A window had
opened here, a door there, a curtain had been drawn aside; but
outside lay a world narrowed by one's field of vision' Laila,
orphaned daughter of a distinguished Muslim family, is brought up
in her grandfather's traditional household by her aunts, who keep
purdah. At fifteen she moves to the home of her 'liberal' but
autocratic uncle in Lucknow. As the struggle for Independence
sharpens, Laila is surrounded by relatives and university friends
caught up in politics, but she is unable to commit herself to any
cause: her own fight for independence is a struggle against
tradition. With its stunning evocation of India, its political
insight and unsentimental understanding of the human heart,
Sunlight on a Broken Column is a classic of Muslim life. Attia
Hosain published only two books, but her writing has influenced
generations of writers. Discover Phoenix Fled, Hosain's acclaimed
short-story collection, also published in Virago Modern Classics.
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Phoenix Fled (Paperback)
Attia Hosain; Introduction by Kamila Shamsie
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R309
R251
Discovery Miles 2 510
Save R58 (19%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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'There is so much to love and admire in these stories - their
understanding of heartbreak, their attention to affection and love
across many divides' KAMILA SHAMSIE 'Listen to me, child. You will
be a woman soon and must behave well and with modesty. The Kazi
will ask you three times whether you will marry Kalloo Mian. Now
don't you be shameless, like these modern girls, and shout
gleefully "Yes". Be modest and cry softly and say "Hoon".' A
marriage is arranged between a little servant girl and a
middle-aged cook with an opium habit; an idealistic political
worker faces disillusionment; a man returns from years studying in
England to a wife he scarcely knows; a conventional bride has her
first encounter with her husband's 'emancipated' friends. Telling
of the lives of servants and children, of conflict between the old
traditions and new ways, and exploring the human repercussions of
the Muslim/Hindu divide, these twelve stories present a moving and
vivid picture of life in India in the mid-twentieth century. To
each episode Attia Hosain brings a superb imaginative understanding
and a sense of the poignancy of the smallest of human dramas. Attia
Hosain published only two books, but her writing has influenced
generations of writers. Discover Sunlight on a Broken Column,
Hosain's acclaimed only novel - a coming-of-age story set against
the turbulent background of Partition, also published in Virago
Modern Classics.
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