The Writer As Critic: Essays in Literature, History and Culture

The Writer as Critic travels over the space of a century and a half in India, tracing the development of indigenous theoretical concerns and the intellectual engagement of writers with the major issues of their times. These writers address issues of language, social reform, narrotology, reality, and realistic presentation, as they seek to define their positions. Both time and space come in for philosophical reflection, as does the concept of the self. Many of the essays have been translated from Indian languages. Manifestos, prefaces, autobiographical extracts, and fictional representations of history form a part of this collection in order to capture the intensity of experience. The felt anguish of dislocation, as well as the political and philosophical aspects of belonging, connect with theories of exile, the refugee, and the immigrant, producing a counter discourse as cultural theories of time and space are explored. Ranging from Derozio to Garg, these essays enable the tracing of Indian literary and theoretical history and the relocation and interpretation of literary movements. Read more