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The English problem : a novel / Beena Kamlani.
"The English Patient meets EM Foster, The English Problem is a stunning debut that looks at the insidiousness of colonialism and one young man's sexual awakening. In 1931 a young man from India arrives in London. Ten years later he will be on a ship bound for India, in a coma, accompanied by a nurse. But that is a decade away For now, in 1931 he is not dressed for the British rain, and shivering, rings the doorbell of the people who have agreed to host him during his stay in this strange land. He finds that his hosts are having a party and warmly welcome him in. He is the only Brown person in the room. It is the first time for what will become an everyday experience"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593798461 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 472 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Crown, [2025]
- Copyright: ©2025
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948 > Influence > Fiction. East Indians > England > Fiction. Imperialism > Fiction. Nineteen thirties > Fiction. Young men > Fiction. England > Fiction. India > Fiction. London (England) > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Kamla | 31681010404192 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Shiv Advani, an eighteen-year-old chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to study British law in 1930s London, arrives determined to fight colonialism but soon finds himself torn between his duty to Indiaâs independence movement and his growing desire to belong within British society. - Random House, Inc.
In this stunning debut novel, a young Indian man comes to England in 1931, determined to overthrow British rule back homeâbut the insidiousness of colonialism as well as a sexual awakening get in his way.
âGrand, sweeping, mesmerizing . . . a richly detailed, politically profound story of love, of migration, of individuals caught up in the great convulsions of history.ââJoseph OâNeill, PEN/Faulkner Awardâwinning author of Godwin
Shiv Advani is an eighteen-year-old growing up in India. But he is no ordinary young man. Shiv has been personally chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to come to England, learn their laws, and then return home and help drive the British out of India. Before he leaves, his family insists he fulfill his arranged marriage, and he is hastily betrothed to a young woman he hardly knows.
He arrives in London and soon discovers a world he is both repelled by and drawn to. Shiv knows his duty: get in, learn the letter of the law, get out. But as anyone who has ever lived in a British colony can tell you, âthe English Problemâ is multifaceted. The racist colonialism of âthe empire on which the sun never setsâ seeps into everythingânot just landed territories, but territories of the mind: literature, language, religion, sexuality, self-identity. Soon the people Shiv sought to be liberated from will be the people he desperately wants to be a part of. In the end, Shiv must fight not only for his countryâs liberation but also his own.
Set against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement, with appearances by historical figures such as Virginia and Leonard Woolf and Mahatma Gandhi, The English Problem is so self-assured and ambitious, it is hard to believe it is a debut.
