Author: Eunice de Souza
Lindsay Pereira/
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 451
ISBN/UPC (if available): 019 5659155
Description
This anthology brings together the writings of some Indian women who made pioneering social and literary contributions during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. It draws attention to the range and quality of this writing, some of which has slipped from public memory.
The anthology comprises excerpts from letters, tracts, diaries, magazines, articles, autobiographies, biographies, short stories, and even speeches. The women writers included her address a wide range of issues, some particularly important in the context of the nineteenth century-a time when the demand for social reforms for women began to acquire a political dimension and was perceived as part of a larger national problem.
Animate with conviction, most of the writing is observant and sharp, and has an urgency that addresses the reader directly. Traversing a wide canvas, some of the excerpts discuss theatre, dance, travel, and personal experiences, while others dwell on social issues, doctrinal problems, orthodox practices, and the position of women in society.
An Introduction by Eunice de Souza captures the spirit of this anthology and calls for a re-assessment of the place of these women writers in India’s literary canon. The biographical notes by Lindsay Pereira complete the picture by providing essential details of the lives and works of these women.
This book is a must for anyone interested in women’s literature of modern India.
Contents
Introduction
1.Dosebai Cowasjee Jessawalla
2.Toru Dutt
3.Pandita Ramabai
4.Anapurna Turkhad
5.Krupabai Satthianadhan
6.Shevantibai M Nikambe
7.Maharanee Sunity Devee CI of Cooch Behar
8.Cornelia Sorabji
9.Susie Sorabji
10.Dr Rukhmabai
11.Maharani Chimnabai Gaekwad II of Baroda
12.F K Patuck
13.Herabai Tata
14.Lady Mehri Dorab Tata
15.Kitty Shiva Rao
16.Sakinatul Fatima Wazir Hasan
17.Sarojini Naidu
18.Rokeya Sakhawat hossain
19.Nalini turkhud
20.Dr S Muthulakshmi Reddy
21.Hansa Mehta
22.Ruttie Jinnah
23.Mithan Choksi
24.Ela Sen
25.Vijayalakshmi Pandit
26.Kamaldevi Chattopadhyay
27.Zeenuth Futehally
28.Krishna Nehru Hutheesing
29.Sucheta Kripalani
30.Aruna Asaf Ali
31.Venu Chitale (Leelabai Ganesh Khare)
32.Amrita Sher-Gil
33.Ramabai, C T (Ramabai Trikannad)
34.Noor-Un-Nisa Inayat khan
35.Snehalata Sen
36.Shovona Devi
37.Iqbalunnisa Houssain
38.Santha Rama Rau
39.Ishvani
40.Brinda Maharani of Kapurthala
References