Surveying the past century-and-a-half of writing throughout the subcontinent, it includes a number of translations as well as works composed in English. And it is delightful. This is a rare kind of scholarly anthology that can be returned to again and again.
In addition to short stories, excerpts from autobiographies, bits of novels, poetry and children’s literature, Chaudhuri has included snatches of literary criticism, acknowledging that the genre is part of what can be called “literature” rather than something separate from it.
Readers new to Indian literature will appreciate the autobiographical and critical notes that Chaudhuri has provided with each author’s contribution. The one thing missing, however, is a glossary.
That weakness aside, the anthology is an enchanting journey through the literature that has arguably come to form the backbone of the colonial and post-colonial canon.