books by Indian authors August 2018
The books by Indian authors releasing in August touch upon a wide array of subjects. Mahesh Rao, Gurcharan Das, and Keki N. Daruwalla talk about the dark side of elite south Delhi, the importance of desire in one’s life, and Emergency, respectively, in their books. We are particularly excited to get our hands on the translated collection of Ashapurna Debi‘s cherry-picked short stories. If you like reading Indian authors, August is going to be a great month for you.

01

Polite Society

Mahesh Rao

In Polite Society, Mahesh Rao reimagines Jane Austen’s Emma, setting it in south Delhi. Ania Khurana is rich, beautiful, clever, but bored. She performs her tasks with utter zeal, whether it is setting up her aunt and her best friend with ideal men who will forward their social cause, or working on her novel. With her, we visit glittering parties, art fairs, literary residencies, lavish weekend retreats, and, along the way, we get a chance to see the dark reality behind Delhi’s super-rich. Polite Society is the exceptional portrayal of a society whose secrets are hidden behind an ornate façade.

Releasing on August 1. Buy it here.

02

Shake The Bottle And Other Stories

Ashapurna Debi, Arunava Sinha (Tr.)

In this collection of 21 short stories, handpicked from over 3000 stories written by Ashapurna Debi, we finally get a chance to read this prolific author’s works in English. Debi was known for her portrayal of the domestic lives of Indian women in a way no other writer had done. Her stories showcase the imprisonment of these women in their own houses and point out the hypocrisies of middle class urban Indian families. In her stories, submissive wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters transform into strong and rebellious women due to the cruelty and violence inflicted upon them. Shake The Bottle And Other Stories is not an easy read but an important one to understand the society we live in.

Releasing on August 2. Buy it here.

03

Not Quite Not White

Sharmila Sen

Not Quite Not White is Sharmila Sen’s memoir of her experience as a ‘not quite white’ immigrant living in the United States. She moved to the U.S. when she was 12 and spent her teen years trying to become ‘whiteAfter years of attempting to adapt to American culture, she is confronted with hard questions, such as what it means to be ‘white’; how does one become ‘white’; and how do white people become invisible even as other races are made hypervisible? Sen eventually realises that accepting her identity as ‘not white’ is what makes her American the in true sense. This book is a wonderful account of the exploration of one’s identity while dealing with racism.

Releasing on August 17. Buy it here.

04

Feminist Rani

Meghna Pant & Shaili Chopra

In Feminist Rani, India’s top actors, comedians, role models, leaders and activists talk about feminism in today’s context. The authors interviewed many famous personalities like Kalki Koechlin, Aditi Mittal, Gul Panag, and Tanmay Bhatt, and compiled their voices in this path-breaking work. These conversations provide an understanding of a world where women can take charge and be successful. Feminist Rani serves as a testimony on women’s issues and, at the same time, is capable of initiating new conversations around feminism.

Releasing on August 17. Buy it here.

05

Reconciliation: Karwan-e-Mohabbat’s Journey Of Solidarity Through A Wounded India

Harsh Mander, John Dayal & Natasha Badhwar

Reconciliation is an account of the journey of Karwan-e-Mohabbat, the Caravan of Love, undertaken by a group of volunteers led by Harsh Mander. Mander and his team visited eight states of India in order to meet families and individuals who were the victims of hate crimes. They talked to the families of people who were killed as well as individuals who were attacked by cow vigilantes in states such as Assam and Rajasthan, and others. While they were welcomed by many, they also faced resistance from those who did not want them to highlight the oppression and violence faced by minorities. Reconciliation makes an argument that hate and fear are tearing up the idea of India itself and attempts to replace hate and fear with love and empathy.

Releasing on August 18. Buy it here.

06

Kama: The Riddle Of Desire

Gurcharan Das

Kama: The Riddle Of Desire, the third book in Das’ trilogy on life’s goals, is a remarkable account of love and desire. While the first book, India Unbound was on ‘artha’ (material well-being), the second book, The Difficulty Of Being Good was on ‘dharma’ (moral well-being), Kama examines how one can cherish the desire to live a rich, happy, and flourishing life. He argues that if ‘dharma’ is the duty to others, ‘kama’ is the duty to one’s self. The book sheds a new light on love, relationships, marriage, family, jealousy and adultery.

Releasing on August 21. Buy it here.

07

Swerving To Solitude: Letters To Mama

Keki N. Daruwalla

Swerving To Solitude is a fascinating account of history, intertwined with fiction. During Emergency in India, Seema discovers a series of letters and papers that belonged to her mother. These letters reveal her mother’s feelings for M, a communist leader in British India. They also provide a glimpse into her commitment not only to M, but also to his cause, and her struggle to keep her feelings alive for him even after she became cynical of the Communist cause. The letters give Seema the courage to become a rebel and voice her dissent during Emergency. The two connected tales of love, politics, and rebellion through letters show why Daruwalla is considered one of India’s greatest writers.

Releasing on August 21. Buy it here.

08

The Kipling File

Sudhir Kakar

In The Kipling File, Sudhir Kakar tells the story of the doomed friendship between Rudyard Kipling and, his boss, Kay Robinson in 1880s Lahore, against the backdrop of Anglo-Indian life in Punjab. Robinson had taken over as the editor of the Civil and Military Gazette, and Kipling, an impulsive aspiring writer, was assisting him. Unlike Kiping’s previous boss, Robinson allowed him more creative freedom and even became his friend. As the friendship deepened and Robinson got closer to Kipling’s family, he was attracted to the latter’s sister, Trix. Narrated by Robinson, The Kipling File goes beyond his relationship with Kipling and also paints a riveting portrait of Kipling as a talented man in constant battle with his inner demons and the events that led to the creation of The Jungle Book and Kim.

Releasing on August 24. Buy it here.

Disclaimer: Some of these books were previously available on Kindle or as international editions which were available for import. This list features Indian editions of these books, which tend to be more affordable. The information featured here is accurate as of July 27, 2018.