The Picador Book of Modern Indian Literature
Amit Chaudhuri (ed)
Picador India
638 pages/Rs 395
In the homes of bookish, English-speaking Indians, it is rare to come across bookshelves devoted austerely to just one tongue. Most encourage a mingling of languages, an eclectic mixing of translations and original works from Indian languages other than English alongside writings in English by Indian, Argentine, Japanese and yes, even British writers.
Previous anthologists have tended to separate writings in English by Indians from writings in other Indian languages for reasons ranging from the practical