BAPSI SIDHWA

As the British eke out the final days of their rule of India, the threat of Partition gathers and sectarian violence escalates, spreading across the nation and inching ever closer to the affluent fringes of Lahore. Lahore is where eight-year-old Lenny lives. Crippled by polio but inquisitive and spirited, Lenny spends her days in the park with her beautiful Ayah, enjoying the company of the plethora of suitors drawn to her striking nanny. Theres the Sikh zoo-keeper, the Masseur, the Pathan, strong Imman Din, and Ice-Candy Man, peddling popsicles along with political unrest through the streets. But Lennys world is upended as riots break out and the once harmonious people of Lahore turn against one another. Amidst the chaos, her beloved Ayah is abducted. Lennys innocence, exuberant humour, and heart-wrenching perspicacity leads us through these momentous events, revealing the irrationality of adult behaviour as the fragile unity of a nation teeters on the cusp of historic change. Bapsi Sidhwas voice, comic, serious, subtle, always sprightly, is an important one to hear. Im delighted to see her terrific novels back in print. - Salman RushideA ground-breaking writer, whose works have lost none of their freshness, humour or heart. - Kamila ShamsieA novel in which heartbreak coexists with slapstick and jokes give way to lines of glowing beauty. Confirms Sidhwas reputation as Pakistans finest English language novelist. - New York Times Book ReviewCompulsively readable. - ObserverA fluent, fast moving narrative of wit and wisdom. - Irish Times

Seeking capitalist ventures and fortune, Faredoon Freddy Junglewalla moves his family - his pregnant wife, children and belligerent mother-in-law - from their ancestral village in rural India to the bustling metropolis of Lahore. Welcomed by the small but tight-knit Parsi community, Freddy establishes a booming business and his family soon become one of the most respected in Lahore. It seems that the only thing holding Freddy back is his sizeable and burdensome mother-in-law. As his family grows, and events - funny, tragic and life-changing - occur, Freddys reach permeates the wider country and an intricate portrait of colonial India is revealed. But when tragedy forces Freddy to rethink his legacy, intimations of historic change loom on the countrys horizon. Wickedly funny and searingly honest, The Crow Eaters is a vibrant portrait of a Parsi family taking its place in colonial India on the brink of the 20th Century, from one of Pakistans best-loved and finest novelists. One of the great comic novels of the 20th Century. - Hanif Kureishi A novel of immense charm and exuberance . . . Sidhwa consistently imparts the magic and colour of India even in its most down-to-earth aspects. - The Times Bapsi Sidhwas voice - comic, serious, subtle, always sprightly - is an important one to hear. Im delighted to see her terrific novels back in print. - Salman Rushide The Crow Eaters is an excellent novel . . . The author is a born storyteller. - New Statesman Sidhwa writes with an exuberance and geniality which make The Crow Eaters illuminating and memorable. - Jim Crace

Conmovedora historia de una niña viuda , condenada de por vida en los tiempos de la India colonial. En la India de 1938, en medio de una sociedad fuertemente estratificada y tradicionalista, una niña de seis años es obligada a casarse con un hombre mucho mayor que ella . A los ocho años, la pequeña Chuyia ya es viuda y, siguiendo la estricta tradición brahmánica, es recluida de por vida en un hospicio para viudas. Allí conoce a la hermosa Kalyami, obligada a prostituirse por la regenta del hospicio , y al joven e idealista Narayan , que intentará liberar a Chuyia de su cruel destino . Una evocadora y dramática perspectiva de la vida que estaban obligadas a llevar las viudas de la India colonial, a la vez que una historia cautivadora acerca del amor, la fe y la religión.