Short Stories International: Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Perspectives, Part 2

In this course, we continue to explore the short-story traditions of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Their works reflect a wide cross section of diverse and divided South Asian societies, their many voices resonating through urban and rural landscapes, private and public passion, and dramatic political events. We read the long-repressed 1932 short-story collection, Angare (Embers), by four authors in their mid-twenties, which caused major political and religious rioting, book-burning, and civil unrest. We also read works by Qurratulain Hyder, whom The Times (London) critics have referred to as India’s García Márquez or Kundera, as well as the instructor’s writings about her. Themes by these writers--sometimes lyrical, often dark, sometimes comic, often heart-breaking, sometimes staid, often iconoclastic—address loss, alienation, feminism, family dysfunction, betrayal, exile, sexual awakening, and others.