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Behind the Shadows: Contemporary Stories from Africa and Asia
An anthology of African and Asian short stories, born out of a meeting between Indian and South African writers, Rohini Chowdhury and Zukiswa Wanner.
In March 2011, Chowdhury and Wanner, with the objective of bringing together the two continents of Africa and Asia, sent out a call for short stories with the theme outcast, to be interpreted by the writers as they pleased. The writers could be from Africa or Asia, or in the Diaspora, but it was necessary that their stories deal with the theme as experienced by Africans and/or Asians. Chowdhury and Wanner, who worked on this project as co-editors, went through hundreds of short stories to select the twenty-one that make up this anthology. The title, Behind the Shadows, is from one of the short stories in the collection by writer Tasneem Basha. The collection also includes Penguin-shortlisted author Isabella Morris; Caine Prize-shortlisted writer Lauri Kubuitsile; renowned Singaporean Young Artist Award recipient, author and poet, Felix Cheong; and emerging Indian writers Rumjhum Biswas, Monideepa Sahu, and Sucharita Dutta-Asane.
In March 2011, Chowdhury and Wanner, with the objective of bringing together the two continents of Africa and Asia, sent out a call for short stories with the theme outcast, to be interpreted by the writers as they pleased. The writers could be from Africa or Asia, or in the Diaspora, but it was necessary that their stories deal with the theme as experienced by Africans and/or Asians. Chowdhury and Wanner, who worked on this project as co-editors, went through hundreds of short stories to select the twenty-one that make up this anthology. The title, Behind the Shadows, is from one of the short stories in the collection by writer Tasneem Basha. The collection also includes Penguin-shortlisted author Isabella Morris; Caine Prize-shortlisted writer Lauri Kubuitsile; renowned Singaporean Young Artist Award recipient, author and poet, Felix Cheong; and emerging Indian writers Rumjhum Biswas, Monideepa Sahu, and Sucharita Dutta-Asane.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2012
3 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Rohini Chowdhury
29 books9 followersRohini Chowdhury is a widely published children’s writer, and an established literary translator.
As a children’s writer, she has more than twenty books and several short stories to her credit. Her published writing is in Hindi and English, and covers a wide spectrum of literary genres including translations, novels, short fiction, comics, and non-fiction. Her most recent publications for children include The Garden of the Djinn, a fantasy adventure novel. Her literary interests include mythology, folklore, mathematics and history.
Rohini’s primary languages as a literary translator are pre-modern (Braj Bhasha and Avadhi) and modern (Khari Boli) Hindi, and English. Her translations include the seventeenth century Braj Bhasha text Ardhakathanak, widely regarded as the first autobiography in an Indian language, into modern Hindi and into English, and the Hindi novel Tyagpatra [The Resignation] by Jainendra, one of the leading Hindi novelists of the modern period, into English. Her most recent translation is Devaki Nandan Khatri's mystery-adventure novel, 'Chandrakanta', amongst the earliest and most popular works in its genre in Hindi.
As a children’s writer, she has more than twenty books and several short stories to her credit. Her published writing is in Hindi and English, and covers a wide spectrum of literary genres including translations, novels, short fiction, comics, and non-fiction. Her most recent publications for children include The Garden of the Djinn, a fantasy adventure novel. Her literary interests include mythology, folklore, mathematics and history.
Rohini’s primary languages as a literary translator are pre-modern (Braj Bhasha and Avadhi) and modern (Khari Boli) Hindi, and English. Her translations include the seventeenth century Braj Bhasha text Ardhakathanak, widely regarded as the first autobiography in an Indian language, into modern Hindi and into English, and the Hindi novel Tyagpatra [The Resignation] by Jainendra, one of the leading Hindi novelists of the modern period, into English. Her most recent translation is Devaki Nandan Khatri's mystery-adventure novel, 'Chandrakanta', amongst the earliest and most popular works in its genre in Hindi.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 25, 2019
Disclaimer: I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. However, all my opinions are honest and in no way influenced by the author or publisher.
This is an anthology of short stories written by African and Indian authors, and based on how much I've read, quite an interesting read. However, as it is difficult task to comment on the book without taking into consideration the merits of the individual stories, I'll list my impressions on all of them.
Call Centre: **
The story started well, but ended a little abruptly. It felt more like a short scene, than a proper story. I wish the author had developed it a bit more, because it did have the potential.
Maroko Outcast: ****
A magnificently moving tale. I loved the beautiful prose, as well as the message that it had to convey. Moreover, the characters were very maturely handled, each having many different layers. In my opinion, this is my favourite story of the anthology.
The Black River:***
This short story chronicles the life of a poor Indian woman who is forced into prostitution. It is touching, but a little sad. I wish it had a happier ending.
Left in the Dark:**
I somehow did not enjoy this story much, and found it a bit disjointed with an awful lot of characters to remember. It is about a man who must make a stand in life by either choosing his dominating mother, or his attention seeking wife.
Granny’s Parapsychological Services:***1/2
A funny little ghost story, with very colourful characters. It was an enjoyable read.
Pishi’s Room:****
A young city girl bonds with her grandmother on a visit to her ancestral home. Reading it I felt this warm fuzzy feeling inside, which was quite beautiful. Maybe it touched me personally because I have never shared the company of a grand-parent and thus could realize how lucky people are who have enjoyed that special bond.
... Back to reading...
This is an anthology of short stories written by African and Indian authors, and based on how much I've read, quite an interesting read. However, as it is difficult task to comment on the book without taking into consideration the merits of the individual stories, I'll list my impressions on all of them.
Call Centre: **
The story started well, but ended a little abruptly. It felt more like a short scene, than a proper story. I wish the author had developed it a bit more, because it did have the potential.
Maroko Outcast: ****
A magnificently moving tale. I loved the beautiful prose, as well as the message that it had to convey. Moreover, the characters were very maturely handled, each having many different layers. In my opinion, this is my favourite story of the anthology.
The Black River:***
This short story chronicles the life of a poor Indian woman who is forced into prostitution. It is touching, but a little sad. I wish it had a happier ending.
Left in the Dark:**
I somehow did not enjoy this story much, and found it a bit disjointed with an awful lot of characters to remember. It is about a man who must make a stand in life by either choosing his dominating mother, or his attention seeking wife.
Granny’s Parapsychological Services:***1/2
A funny little ghost story, with very colourful characters. It was an enjoyable read.
Pishi’s Room:****
A young city girl bonds with her grandmother on a visit to her ancestral home. Reading it I felt this warm fuzzy feeling inside, which was quite beautiful. Maybe it touched me personally because I have never shared the company of a grand-parent and thus could realize how lucky people are who have enjoyed that special bond.
... Back to reading...
Displaying 1 of 1 review