| Danielle, a junior TV producer, is on the hunt for the documentary idea that will make her reputation; Marina, the beautiful daughter of a renowned journalist and intellectual, is desperate to prove her worth though unsure exactly of how this is to be achieved; Julius, a freelance writer of devastating book reviews, is determined to live a fabulous Manhattan lifestyle on a budget of nothing at all. |
| Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children follows the lives of these three friends and their overlapping social and family circles, their struggles, successes and constant search for meaning and authenticity. |
| Sweeping in its scope, perceptive about the nuances of Manhattan life, with richly drawn characters, this is a textured portrait of one of the most fascinating cities in the world, and a haunting illustration of how the events of a single day can change everything, for ever. |
| As a New York novel of great accomplishment, it has already drawn favourable comparisons with the work of Edith Wharton, Truman Capote and Jay McInerney. |
| The Penguin Book of Classic Urdu Stories Edited by M Asaduddin Penguin Books/Viking 320 pages Rs 395 |
| Though barely a hundred years old, the Urdu short story, or "afsana", has established itself at the forefront of Urdu literature. Emerging as a discrete narrative genre with Munshi Premchand, it gained momentum with the Progressive Writers' Movement in the 1930s. |
| The partition of the subcontinent in 1947 introduced new dynamics into the genre as writers grappled with emerging trends of modernism and symbolism as well as with a depleted readership in India and the challenge of establishing a new literary tradition commensurate with a new nationhood in Pakistan. |
| The Penguin Book of Classic Urdu Stories brings together 16 memorable tales that have influenced generations of readers. From Saadat Hasan Manto's immortal partition narrative "Toba Tek Singh" and the harrowing realism of Premchand's "The Shroud" to the whimsical strains of Qurratulain Hyder's "Confessions of St Flora of Georgia" and the daring experimentation of Khalida Husain's "Millipede", this collection represents the best of short fiction in Urdu. |
| It provides a glimpse of the works of acclaimed masters on both sides of the border "" others featured here include Ismat Chughtai and Ashfaq Ahmad, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Intizar Husain, Krishan Chander and Hasan Manzar, Naiyer Masud and Ikramullah. |
| The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories Sudha Murty Puffin Books 145 pages Rs 150 |
| From a princess who thinks she is a bird and a coconut that cost a thousand rupees to a shepherd with a bag of words, this sparkling new collection of stories brings alive the world of kings and misers, princes and paupers, wise men and foolish boys, the funniest and oddest men and women. |
| A clever princess will only marry the man who can ask her a question she cannot answer; an orphan boy outwits his greedy uncles with a bag of ash; and an old couple in distress is saved by a magic drum. |
| Sudha Murty's grandparents told her some of these stories when she was a child; others she heard from her friends from around the world. These delightful and timeless folktales have been her favourites for years, and this recounting should appeal to readers of all ages. |
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