Emerging South Asian Women Writers: Essays and Interviews (From Antiquity to Modernity)

236 Pages·2015·6.146 MB·English

by  Feroza Jussawalla (editor), Deborah Fillerup Weagel (editor)

1 FROM ANTIQUITY
TO MODERNITY
E
m
Th is volume was conceived as a space to provide visi- STUDIES ON MIDDLE EASTERN
bility for South Asian women writers whose work has e
r AND ASIAN SOCIETIES
not had much exposure in the West. It contributes to g Emerging
i
the knowledge of South Asian women writers by in- n
FEROZA JUSSAWALLA (left ) is Pro-
g
fessor of English at the University cluding scholarship not only on little-known writers

of New Mexico. She is the author of S
but also by scholars from India—in particular, those
Family Quarrels: Towards a Crit- o
South Asian
icism of Indian Writing in English whose voices do not necessarily fi nd themselves in u
t
(Peter Lang, 1985) and of a collection western academic publications. h
of poems, Chiff on Saris (2003); edi-
A
tor of Conversations with V. S. Naipaul
and co-editor with Reed Way Dasen- Many South Asian women writers engage with the s
i Women Writers
brock of Interviews with Writers of a
overall quest for survival, which can be affi liated with
the Post-Colonial World; and editor n
of Border Crossing, the special online all the themes expressed in this volume: trauma, dias- W
issue of the Rocky Mountain Modern pora, injustice, resistance, place, space, language, and
Language Association Review (2012). o
identity. Th e texts discussed herein contribute to the m
She is the author of numerous articles in
Indian, European, and U.S. literary crit- ongoing discourse related to such themes in postco- e
ical journals. n
lonial studies and transnational literature, and could

W
be used in courses on South Asian literature, women’s
DEBORAH FILLERUP WEAGEL
(right) holds a Ph.D. in English with an writing, postcolonial studies and literature, and world r
i
emphasis in postcolonial literature and t
or transnational literature. e
is term teaching faculty at the Univer-
r
sity of New Mexico. She is the author of s
Interconnections: Essays on Music, Art, “Th ese engaging essays and interviews off er valuable

Literature, and Gender (2004), Women J
u
insights into the work of South Asian women writers,
and Contemporary World Literature: s
s
Power, Fragmentation, and Metaphor playwrights, and academics. Th ey underscore the cul- a
w
(2009), and Words and Music: Camus, a
turally enforced and oft en unique challenges women l
Beckett, Cage, Gould (2010). Her arti- l
a
cles have appeared in the South Asian from South Asia face to create literary production.” &
Review, the Journal of Comparative Bapsi Sidhwa, Author of Cracking India, Water, W
Literature and Aesthetics, an anthology e
An American Brat, Th e Crow Eaters, and other novels a
on Rohinton Mistry, and a variety of g
e
other scholarly journals. l
,
E
d
s
.
Essays and Interviews
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
EDITED BY
Feroza Jussawalla and Deborah Fillerup Weagel
www.peterlang.com
1 FROM ANTIQUITY
TO MODERNITY
E
m
Th is volume was conceived as a space to provide visi- STUDIES ON MIDDLE EASTERN
bility for South Asian women writers whose work has e
r AND ASIAN SOCIETIES
not had much exposure in the West. It contributes to g Emerging
i
the knowledge of South Asian women writers by in- n
FEROZA JUSSAWALLA (left ) is Pro-
g
fessor of English at the University cluding scholarship not only on little-known writers

of New Mexico. She is the author of S
but also by scholars from India—in particular, those
Family Quarrels: Towards a Crit- o
South Asian
icism of Indian Writing in English whose voices do not necessarily fi nd themselves in u
t
(Peter Lang, 1985) and of a collection western academic publications. h
of poems, Chiff on Saris (2003); edi-
A
tor of Conversations with V. S. Naipaul
and co-editor with Reed Way Dasen- Many South Asian women writers engage with the s
i Women Writers
brock of Interviews with Writers of a
overall quest for survival, which can be affi liated with
the Post-Colonial World; and editor n
of Border Crossing, the special online all the themes expressed in this volume: trauma, dias- W
issue of the Rocky Mountain Modern pora, injustice, resistance, place, space, language, and
Language Association Review (2012). o
identity. Th e texts discussed herein contribute to the m
She is the author of numerous articles in
Indian, European, and U.S. literary crit- ongoing discourse related to such themes in postco- e
ical journals. n
lonial studies and transnational literature, and could

W
be used in courses on South Asian literature, women’s
DEBORAH FILLERUP WEAGEL
(right) holds a Ph.D. in English with an writing, postcolonial studies and literature, and world r
i
emphasis in postcolonial literature and t
or transnational literature. e
is term teaching faculty at the Univer-
r
sity of New Mexico. She is the author of s
Interconnections: Essays on Music, Art, “Th ese engaging essays and interviews off er valuable

Literature, and Gender (2004), Women J
u
insights into the work of South Asian women writers,
and Contemporary World Literature: s
s
Power, Fragmentation, and Metaphor playwrights, and academics. Th ey underscore the cul- a
w
(2009), and Words and Music: Camus, a
turally enforced and oft en unique challenges women l
Beckett, Cage, Gould (2010). Her arti- l
a
cles have appeared in the South Asian from South Asia face to create literary production.” &
Review, the Journal of Comparative Bapsi Sidhwa, Author of Cracking India, Water, W
Literature and Aesthetics, an anthology e
An American Brat, Th e Crow Eaters, and other novels a
on Rohinton Mistry, and a variety of g
e
other scholarly journals. l
,
E
d
s
.
Essays and Interviews
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
EDITED BY
Feroza Jussawalla and Deborah Fillerup Weagel
www.peterlang.com
Praise for
Emerging South Asian Women Writers
“Arguably, one of the pressing obligations for literary academics in the West is to provide
opportunities for colleagues in the emerging world, and particularly women, to be seen
and heard, authors who otherwise might have little access to publishing houses focused
on profit. This intelligently conceived collection of analytical essays does just that,
introducing readers to women who often write of local and personal concerns that may
surprise postcolonial theorists. Emphasis on scholars in India is welcome as well. The
book’s interviews are fascinating windows into the worlds of writers seeking larger
audiences, and clearly deserving them. The editors’ introduction is an eye-opener,
demonstrating the extent to which this ‘emerging’ world is more than ready to be
heard—and one result may be an enlarged comprehension of globalization.”
John C. Hawley, Professor of English at Santa Clara University and
Editor of the Encyclopedia of Postcolonial Studies

Emerging South Asian
Women Writers
FROM ANTIQUITY TO MODERNITY
STUDIES ON MIDDLE EASTERN AND ASIAN SOCIETIES

Jamsheed K. Choksy
General Editor

Vol. 1

This book is a volume in a Peter Lang monograph series.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Emerging South Asian
Women Writers

Essays and Interviews

EDITED BY
Feroza Jussawalla and Deborah Fillerup Weagel

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Emerging South Asian women writers: essays and interviews /
edited by Feroza Jussawalla, Deborah Fillerup Weagel.
pages cm. — (From antiquity to modernity: studies on
Middle Eastern and Asian societies; Vol. 1)
Includes bibliographical references.
1. South Asian literature—Women authors—History and criticism.
2. South Asian literature—Women authors—Interviews.
3. Women and literature—South Asia. 4. Postcolonialism in literature.
I. Jussawalla, Feroza F., editor. II. Weagel, Deborah Fillerup, editor.
PK5410.W65E44 891.4—dc23 2015005815
ISBN 978-1-4331-2890-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-1577-6 (e-book)
ISSN 2328-9236 (print)
ISSN 2328-9244 (online)

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

Front cover image: Indian art, Jahangir period, painted image, Rajasthan, India
(© 2015 iStockphoto.com/scotto72)

Back cover image: Photo of Feroza Jussawalla and Deborah Fillerup Weagel
by Terry Ann Gugliotta (Used with permission of photographer)

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