Book Lovers: You Haven’t Heard of This Phenomenal Indian Author
Indian Novel Review Part III
I’m an Indian writer and all of my stories are set in the Indian milieu. I figured reading more from the sub-continent will help. Last year, I decided to read Indian authors.
It’s been a bit ebb and flow. There were books where I’ve had to squeeze my eyes shut and throw them up at the ceiling. But last month, I stumbled upon a gem. I’ve already written about two fantastic Indian writers: Hansda Sowendra Shekhar and Vivek Shanbag. Both of them are brilliant and their stories original.
And then there is an Indian writer whose stories are smacking people in the soul thirty years after his death.
The name of that book is The Foreigner and the legend who wrote it is Arun Joshi.
Chances are you haven’t heard of him. Joshi was a simple man who worked a job all of his fifty-four years. He was extremely private and never entered any literary circles. So much so that he actively avoided meeting readers and critiques and he never networked with publishers. Regardless, research papers and books have been written on his writings. Joshi received the highest literary award of India — The Sahetya Akademi Award — in 1982.
