The Table is Laid
The Oxford Anthology of South Asian Food Writing
Published on 2. July 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
440 pages
978-0-19-806219-6 (ISBN)
Description
This anthology of writings on food brings together a wide range of literary and non-literary texts from South Asia. It draws on writing in English from the subcontinent, as well as the diaspora and includes extracts from works by V.S. Naipaul, Romesh Gunesekera, Salman Rushdie, Sara Suleri, Kamila Shamsie, Githa Hariharan, and Kiran Desai, among others, alongside translations from regional Indian languages. The volume covers a broad range of areas of interest: scholarly, narrative, philosophical, literary, anthropological, and cultural. The recent interest in literary representations of food dwells on the idea that not only is eating the most basic of human activities, but also a major marker of social, cultural, and psychic identity. Food is an integral way in which individuals perceive themselves, and are perceived by others, resulting in stereotyping, as well as providing a means of self-determination. This volume will appeal to general readers, as well as students and scholars of literature and cultural studies.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 206 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
437 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-806219-6 (9780198062196)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
John Thieme, Visiting Professor of Literature at the University of East Anglia, has held Chairs at the University of Hull (1990-97) and London South Bank University (1997-2001). He has published extensively on post-colonial/ Commonwealth writing. He has been Editor of The Journal of Commonwealth Literature since 1992 and General Editor of the Manchester University Press Contemporary World Writers Series since 1994. Ira Raja is Assistant Professor in the Department of English, University of Delhi and Postdoctoral Fellow, La Trobe University, Australia.
Content
INTRODUCTION O BIBLIOGRAPHY O I. PROLEGEMENON: A.K. RAMANUJAN, 'FOOD FOR THOUGHT: TOWARDS AN ANTHOLOGY OF HINDU FOOD IMAGES' O II. FASTING, FEASTING, AND FAMINE: M.K. GANDHI, 'FASTING' FROM AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY: THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH. O FAKIR MUHAMMED KATPADI, 'NOMBU' O JAYANTA MAHAPATRA, 'GRANDFATHER'O EXTRACT FROM BIJAN BHATTACARYA NABANNA O JEAN ARASANAYAGAM, 'THE HUNGER OF DEATH' O SARA SULERI, FROM MEATLESS DAYS. HUNGER AND APPETITE O BIBHUTI BHUSHAN BANDYOPADHYAY, 'THE TRELLIS' O VAIKOM MUHAMMAD BASHEER, 'POOVAN BANANA' O ISMAT CHUGHTAI, 'THE ROCK' O ANAMIKA, 'DECEIT' O SUDHA KAUL, 'EGG BANDITS' FROM THE TIGER LADIES: A MEMOIR OF KASHMI. ; O III. RITES, CEREMONIES, AND CUSTOMS: V.S. NAIPAUL, FROM THE MYSTIC MASSEUR O SWAMI, 'THE FUNERAL FEAST' O NANAK SINGH, 'BHUA' O THUMMETI RAGHOTHAMA REDDI, FROM 'ELEVENTH DAY' O AGHA SHAHID ALI, 'A BUTCHER' O ANITA DESAI, 'A DEVOTED SON' O IV. MEALS AND RESTAURANTS: KISHORI CHARAN DAS, 'FISH MAYONNAISE'O PREETISH ACHARYA, 'ORDER CANCEL' O NISSIM EZEKIEL, 'IRANI RESTAURANT INSTRUCTIONS' O DOM MORAES, 'FAMILY DINNER' O JUSSAWALLA, ADIL, 'THE WAITERS'. KITCHENS AND COOKS O ROMESH GUNESKERA, FROM REEF O GEETANJALI SHREE, 'MAI' O SHASHI DESHPANDE, 'OF KITCHENS AND GODDESSES' O VAIDEHI, 'THE GIRL IN THE KITCHEN' O PRABAL KUMAR BASU, 'LIVING SCAPE' O V. HERBS AND SPICES: SUJATA BHATT, THREE POEMS FROM THE STINKING ROSE O OPENING SECTION OF CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI'S FROM THE MISTRESS OF SPICES O CHITRITA BANERJI, ESSAY FROM THE HOUR OF THE GODDESS, 'PATOLER MA'. ; FRUITS AND DESSERTS O JEAN ARASANAYAGAM, 'MANGO FEVER' O KIRAN DESAI, FROM HULLABALOO IN THE GUAVA ORCHARD O ALAMGIR HASHMI, 'FRUIT'O K. SATCHIDANANADAN, 'ORANGE' O R.K. NARAYAN, FROM THE VENDOR OF SWEETS O GITHA HARIHARAN, 'GAJAR HALWA' O VI. DISCOURSES OF DESIRE: BAMA CHARAN MITRA, 'SWEETMEAT' O NARENDRANATH MITRA, 'A DROP OF MILK'O ASGHAR WAJAHAT, 'CAKE' O PRATIBHA RAY, 'THE CURSE'O KAISER HAQ, 'DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES'O SANJUKTA BANDOPADHYAY, 'THE SHE-CAT'. NOSTALGIA, MEMORY, AND DIASPORA O ATTIA HOSAIN, 'OF MEMORIES AND MEALS' O ZULFIKAR GHOSE, 'THE PICNIC IN JAMMU'O AMITAV GHOSH, FROM THE HUNGRY TIDE O ADRIAN CARTON, 'REMEMBERING KEDGEREE' O KAMILA SHAMSIE, THREE SHORT EXTRACTS FROM SALT AND SAFFRON ; O VII. FEEDING IDENTITY: CASTE, COMMUNITY, AND CULTURE: SWAMI WAHID KAZMI, 'THE SCOURGE' O ROHINTON MISTRY, FROM SUCH A LONG JOURNEY O DAYA PAWAR, 'SON, EAT YOUR FILL, AN EXTRACT FROM BALUTA O KAUSALYA BAISANTRI, EXTRACTS FROM 'TWICE CURSED' O SHORT SECTIONS ON PICKLING AND HALAL FROM SALMAN RUSHDIE, MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN O THREE PASSAGES ON PICKLING AND BANANA JAM FROM ARUNDHATI ROY, THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS O TABISH KHAIR, FROM THE BUS STOPPED O HIRA BANSUDE, 'BOSOM FRIEND'