Out of India [Paperback]

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2003

'To live in India and be at peace, one must to a very considerable extent become Indian, and adopt Indian attitudes, habits, beliefs!' 'But how is this possible?' Ruth Prawer Jhabvala asks in a brilliant and candid introduction. 'Should one want to try to become something other than what one is?' Both the European and the Indian characters search for answers to these questions in fifteen acclaimed stories from the author's four previous collections.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In plain, unassuming prose that doesn't altogether conceal the tears and laughter that give it urgency, the story of many different Indias unfolds in these 15 tales. There is Durga, "The Widow," who likes her husband better now that he is dead and has left her his fortune, which she vows, abortedly, never to let fall into the hands of his importuning relatives. There is the cabinet minister's wife, who, in "Rose Petals," keeps failing to conform to the demands of officialdom in the face of the far more exciting companionship of Biju, the elegant elderly gentleman, never married, who visits her every day. "Bombay" tells of "the Uncle," whose beloved niece marries a rich merchant, moves to his opulent home and, when the Uncle is so ill that he hasn't the strength to resist, packs his few rags and takes him to live with her in surroundings alien and abhorrent to him. All the stories, unrelated but focusing on the search for a quiet center that justifies disjointed and woebegone lives, are woven together in a glowing tapestry enriched by profound knowledge, humor and compassion. 25,000 first printing; $20,000 ad/promo. (May
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Born in Germany, educated in England, and married to an Indian, Jhabvala has spent most of her adult life in India: "a country for which I was not born." She describes her relationship with India, "this great animal of poverty and backwardness," in an introduction that contrasts the country's oppressiveness with its high culture and reveals Jhabvala's own ambivalence as a Westerner. Her fictionnine novels and four story collectionsdepicts Indian life, and often its effect on non-Indians, with sensitivity and wit. The 15 stories in Out of India were chosen by the author from her previous collections, published between 1964 and 1976. Jhabvala's introduction is the only new piece here; but the stories ("How I Became a Holy Mother," "An Experience of India," etc.) represent the best of her short fiction. Janet Wiehe, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: John Murray (October 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719561787
• ISBN-13: 978-0719561788
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,464,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great ethnographic content, November 13, 2000

By 

Jennifer L. Lahaie "sondikudi" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of India: Selected Stories (Paperback)

This book contains several short stories that represent an entirely unique persepective on Indian life. Jhabvala successfully removes her writing from the idealist realm, and shatters the popular "everything East is magical and wonderful" misconception. The stories are very realistic, and are rich with cultural content.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now that I've experienced Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's India....., February 17, 2002

By 

Phyllis Beckman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of India: Selected Stories (Paperback)

Now that I've experienced Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's India, I'm keen to read more of her remarkable fiction. In some of these short stories, woman's conflict is the result of making poor choices, while others portray females either being defeated by, or transcending the limitations imposed by the patriarchal society. Considering the complexity of the country and the circumstances the author so vividly describes, it isn't surprising that the male job seeker in the story, The Interview, concludes,"I was very sad when I thought of her being unhappy; because it is not only she who is unhappy but I also and many others. Everywhere there is unhappiness." Despite the melancholy affecting both sexes, Out of India's characters also make me smile. Perhaps in similar circumstances might I be tempted to make those wrong choices and behave equally unwisely? Owning this book will assure my giving Jhabvala's satirical social statements a second read. How I Became A Holy Mother is where I'll begin.

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderfully written stories, October 22, 2010

By 

Doris E. Wright "Doris" (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Out of India: Selected Stories (Paperback)

I'm surprised at the mediocre reviews. I think she writes wonderfully. I've read many other writers of and from India and she is one of the best.