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A Bend in the Ganges by eminent post-independence writer, Manohar Malgonkar, now available in a stunning new edition

sagiri.dixit@harpercollins.co.in | 19 September 2022

‘Though A Bend in the Ganges is often read as a Partition novel, it should be mentioned that it sweeps across a much wider swathe of history—embracing Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience movement of the 1930s, the fate of prisoners exiled across the Kala Pani to the meticulous brutality of the Cellular Jail in the Andamans, the long march that killed thousands in the exodus from Burma in 1942, before culminating in Partition.’—From the Introduction by Nilanjana S. Roy

Praise for A Bend in the Ganges

A Bend in the Ganges is one of the three best novels of 1964.’ — E.M. Forster

‘A classic of our times … ageless, tragic, relevant and a reminder of the lessons history holds for us.’ — Urvashi Butali, author and historian

 

‘Manohar Malgonkar is a master of details. Never once, in the sprawling plot of A Bend in the Ganges does he lose sight of the individuality or agency of each character. In fact, he creates a delicate web of personal lives entrenched within the political framework of a nation at the brink of independence, against the backdrop of the Second World War. Having witnessed Partition, he brings its visceral reality on to the page ..It is the kind of book one returns to again and again, making it that quintessential thing—a classic.’—Aanchal Malhotra, author and oral historian

‘A novel of epic proportions about the historic yet tragic years in the life of India as it once was and never was to be again. Malgonkar paints, on a big canvas, a picture of India during the Quit India years and the Partition. He has a miniaturist’s eye and an architect’s grand vision. As it swings from Punjab to the Andamans to Bombay and Delhi on to the two sides of the border, you are captured into a fascinating net of the author’s working. A great novel, and an even greater thriller.’ —Lord Meghnad Desai, author and economist

‘A novel could not convincingly contain more violence than this tale of the subcontinent during the past quarter of a century. It is not likely that we shall be given a more revealing, a more sanely balanced, or a more terrifying account of those years. The paradox of life is there, and out of it the author has made a work of art.’—The Bookman

‘His novels are conceived on a large scale, they are full of action, they are exciting stories. They are also valuable documents.’—The Times Literary Supplement, London

‘All is done vividly and the author has grafted the political and social background with a surgeon’s skill on to moving emotional situations.’—The Sunday Times

About the Book
India, 1939. Gian, a Gandhian pacifist, commits a murder; Debi-dayal, an ardent revolutionary, is caught while setting fire to a British plane. Both men are sent to the Andamans penal colony. In the beehive life of the prison, they work in opposite camps—pro-British and anti-British. During World War II, when the Japanese take over the islands, all the convicts suddenly find themselves free. Gian and Debi manage to return to India only to get sucked into the violence of Partition.

An epic saga of a nation in transition, A Bend in the Ganges, now available in a stunning new edition, depicts the cataclysmic events leading up to Partition and the conflict that arises between ideologies of violence and non-violence.

Poulomi Chatterjee, Publisher at HarperCollins Publishers India, says ‘Manohar Malgonkar was an absolute legend – a versatile, inventive master-storyteller, who used his craft brilliantly to bring to life historical periods, events and personalities. HarperCollins is delighted to be bringing back his work in sparkling new editions for generations of new readers to rediscover him.’

Ridhima Kumar, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins Publishers India, says, ‘It’s hard to believe that an entire generation never got a chance to read essential classics by Manohar Malgonkar.  We feel so thrilled to be making these books available for everyone to read again. These must-read classics have never looked so good before!’

About the Author
Manohar Malgonkar (1913-2010) was an eminent post-Independence writer whom R.K. Narayan once referred to as his ‘favourite Indian novelist in English’. He was hailed as ‘one of India’s most exuberant storytellers’ in an article published by The New York Times in 1965. Born near Belgaum, Malgonkar was the grandson of the prime minister of a former princely state of Dewas. He served in the army during World War II, was a big-game hunter, a farmer, a mine owner and an adventurer. Later, he started working as a journalist and thereafter took to book writing. His works are as diverse as his personal life and have a blend of history, romance and military life. Some of his major works include The Princes, The Devil’s Wind: Nana Saheb’s Story and The Sea Hawk: Life and Battles of Kanhoji Angrey.

For further information please write to sagiri.dixit@harpercollins-india.com
Rs 599 | Fiction

A Bend in the Ganges
About the Book - A Bend in the Ganges

'A Bend in the Ganges is one of the three best novels of 1964.' - E.M. ForsterIndia, 1939. Gian, a Gandhian pacifist, commits a murder; Debi-dayal, an ardent revolutionary, is caught while setting fire to a British plane. Both men…

About the Author - Manohar Malgonkar

To read more, order your copy of A Bend in the Ganges, by Manohar Malgonkar today!

₹ 599.0000
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