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The Cosmopolitans
Qayenaat is a drifting, solitary, sensitivefigure at the edge of the Bangalore art scene. When world-famous artist Baban Reddy, once a young man who hung on her every word, returns to the city to show his latest artwork, all her old longings rise to the surface. Baban’s arrival accompanies other momentous events and sets Qayenaat off on the most unexpected journey of her life—to the heart of rural, war-torn India, and into a relationship with the unlikeliest of men.
The Cosmopolitans is a novel of ideas and emotions—one that questions the place of art in modern life, and draws a vivid portrait of a woman at odds with the world. Tender and wry in equal measure, and rich in thought and insight, it confirms Anjum Hasan as one of our most exciting novelists today.
Review
"An engaging, uplifting read... Intense and cerebral... There’s a lightness of touch, bordering on the zany. Pick up The Cosmopolitans to read an author at the peak of her powers, long may they last" - Mint
"Fiercely intelligent... The Cosmopolitans is a must-read" - Indian Express
"Chock-full of irony... A tantalizing novel about art and artists... A joy to read" -Open
"The remarkable thing about Hasan's novel is that it forces you to have a conversation with yourself: and it has been quite some time since a novel has been so intellectually provocative" - India Today
The Cosmopolitans is a novel of ideas and emotions—one that questions the place of art in modern life, and draws a vivid portrait of a woman at odds with the world. Tender and wry in equal measure, and rich in thought and insight, it confirms Anjum Hasan as one of our most exciting novelists today.
Review
"An engaging, uplifting read... Intense and cerebral... There’s a lightness of touch, bordering on the zany. Pick up The Cosmopolitans to read an author at the peak of her powers, long may they last" - Mint
"Fiercely intelligent... The Cosmopolitans is a must-read" - Indian Express
"Chock-full of irony... A tantalizing novel about art and artists... A joy to read" -Open
"The remarkable thing about Hasan's novel is that it forces you to have a conversation with yourself: and it has been quite some time since a novel has been so intellectually provocative" - India Today
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 2015
16 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Anjum Hasan
17 books103 followersAnjum Hasan is an Indian poet and novelist. She was born in Shillong, Meghalaya and currently lives in Bangalore, India. She has also contributed poems, articles and short stories to various national and international publications.
Anjum is Books Editor, The Caravan.
Anjum is Books Editor, The Caravan.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 14, 2016
I remember reading glowing reviews of this book on Twitter, so I decided to keep an eye out for it. (I did see a signed copy at Goobe's in Bangalore, but well, I was broke at the time. Anyhow.)
This book, set in the multicultural, fast growing city of Bangalore, follows the life of Qayenaat, a sensitive, ardent enthusiast of 'that increasingly estranged thing called art' who begins to look back at her life with something between disappointment and regret as old ghosts begin to enter it, bringing with them more ghosts. The rest of the book deals with her exorcising these pesky ghosts (occasionally with the help of a dependable old friend, Sathi) while she finds occasional refuge in the solace of art, something that gives her life meaning and her ideas vitality and relevance.
The writing is very mellow yet evocative, with a certain subtlety that fleshes out Qayenaat's own resignations and sense of loss. Memories, are a huge theme, Qayenaat's musings on the passage of time and the meaning of being rooted in urban India are colored with just the right tinge of sadness and loss. The cosmopolitans, rootless and a breed of their own, can only find their place in the healing power of empathy and kindness, in the face of 'India and its ability to turn all certainties to dust.'
As someone who's been on the periphery of a 'scene' myself, (the music scene in my case), I knew all too well what the depictions of crowded venues, the huddles of cynics and idealists, and the believers in the power of the art to nurture our sensitive side represented. The various characters in the book all contribute in their own small way, adding their perspective to things, some more vehemently or confidently than the others.
Another thing that I have to note is the beautiful way Anjum Hassan describes life in Bangalore. From the money and status fueled rush of the areas the IT professionals reside and spend their money, to the laid back streets of the older residential areas, to the swanky, upmarket ones of the elite, she captures the essence of Indian big city life in its smaller details - Its persistent loneliness, its constant bustle, and its rootlessness.
This book, set in the multicultural, fast growing city of Bangalore, follows the life of Qayenaat, a sensitive, ardent enthusiast of 'that increasingly estranged thing called art' who begins to look back at her life with something between disappointment and regret as old ghosts begin to enter it, bringing with them more ghosts. The rest of the book deals with her exorcising these pesky ghosts (occasionally with the help of a dependable old friend, Sathi) while she finds occasional refuge in the solace of art, something that gives her life meaning and her ideas vitality and relevance.
The writing is very mellow yet evocative, with a certain subtlety that fleshes out Qayenaat's own resignations and sense of loss. Memories, are a huge theme, Qayenaat's musings on the passage of time and the meaning of being rooted in urban India are colored with just the right tinge of sadness and loss. The cosmopolitans, rootless and a breed of their own, can only find their place in the healing power of empathy and kindness, in the face of 'India and its ability to turn all certainties to dust.'
As someone who's been on the periphery of a 'scene' myself, (the music scene in my case), I knew all too well what the depictions of crowded venues, the huddles of cynics and idealists, and the believers in the power of the art to nurture our sensitive side represented. The various characters in the book all contribute in their own small way, adding their perspective to things, some more vehemently or confidently than the others.
Another thing that I have to note is the beautiful way Anjum Hassan describes life in Bangalore. From the money and status fueled rush of the areas the IT professionals reside and spend their money, to the laid back streets of the older residential areas, to the swanky, upmarket ones of the elite, she captures the essence of Indian big city life in its smaller details - Its persistent loneliness, its constant bustle, and its rootlessness.
February 24, 2020
Mandatory reading, I would say, for those interested in the Indian novel in English in the 21st century.
February 7, 2016
The book started ok, picked momentum nd then became mundane nd then didnt move at all. Had to drag myself till the end and then suddenly things changed in the last two chapters. One book which I took longest to complete. I think it can be avoided unless you have nothing else to read.
August 17, 2016
Much deserved 5 stars!!
It's a very difficult review for me to write as the book invokes a whole plethora of emotions and feelings in me. The best thing about the book is it presents a very contemporary and modern aspect of Indian writing, one which is devoid of same old clichés and elaborate and often inane descriptions of "mango trees and monsoons" as Jeet Thayil puts so aptly. The author tries to stay away from over fetishistic descriptions, aand provides a very balanced view of things from the eyes of the narrator.
The characters are quite well fleshed out, the story keeps you on your toes even when it slows down, and the 2 parts of the book work quite well in tandem to form a beautiful piece of narrative.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for fresh Indian writing and a well told tale.
It's a very difficult review for me to write as the book invokes a whole plethora of emotions and feelings in me. The best thing about the book is it presents a very contemporary and modern aspect of Indian writing, one which is devoid of same old clichés and elaborate and often inane descriptions of "mango trees and monsoons" as Jeet Thayil puts so aptly. The author tries to stay away from over fetishistic descriptions, aand provides a very balanced view of things from the eyes of the narrator.
The characters are quite well fleshed out, the story keeps you on your toes even when it slows down, and the 2 parts of the book work quite well in tandem to form a beautiful piece of narrative.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for fresh Indian writing and a well told tale.
October 20, 2018
This was a weird book.
It started out with an outline of a story that revolved around a group of adults mingled in their own artsy headspaces and then shifted absolutely at random to revolving around a group of people settled against a folklore setting - the jump/shift made no sense to me at all. Qayeenat felt like a poor character tugging along to other people's whimsical notions and having no strong character of her own. Even the ending felt abrupt and a forced and futile attempt to give happy endings.
Don't really know if I'd be looking out for this author anymore, any so.
It started out with an outline of a story that revolved around a group of adults mingled in their own artsy headspaces and then shifted absolutely at random to revolving around a group of people settled against a folklore setting - the jump/shift made no sense to me at all. Qayeenat felt like a poor character tugging along to other people's whimsical notions and having no strong character of her own. Even the ending felt abrupt and a forced and futile attempt to give happy endings.
Don't really know if I'd be looking out for this author anymore, any so.
November 21, 2018
Anjum Hasan redefines herself as a writer in this book.
https://www.friedeye.com/the-cosmopol...
https://www.friedeye.com/the-cosmopol...
February 2, 2016
A Cosmopolitan is defined as someone who is well-versed or at least familiar with multiple cultures. However, in most cases their connection exists only with mass-market cosmopolitan things from the other cultures. Seldom do the Cosmopolitans find themselves in a situation where they are exposed to the rituals and traditions which have been untouched by centuries of advancements in the civilization. Although, when it happens rather than immersing themselves in the cultural experience they are filled with repugnance towards those orthodox barbaric rituals.
Anjum Hasan has divided the story into two parts. The first part takes place in a usual habitat of the Cosmos, the Elite Art Circle in the City, in this case Bangalore. Qayeenat, an art organizer, arranges an exhibition of the hottest artist of the hour Baban Reddy's work 'Nostalgia'. Although, she is in this inner circle of the Art World, she is now in her fifties and without employment or enough money. She is also lonely, even with Sathi a photographer and her ex-boyfriend squatting in her home, for the time being. She plans to tackle both the problems in her life. The money through a devious plan for an insurance fraud devised by Sathi and his new gangster friend Shahrukh-Bhai. The relationship, with rekindling an old flame which she believed to have existed with Baban, before he became famous. Baban, however feels he was always open for the relationship then and it was her that wasn't. This upsets Qayeenat. To add to it, she accidentally overhears Baban and her closest friend talking about her. In an impulse she destroys 'Nostalgia' by setting it on fire. Unfortunately, its not just the art that gets destroyed. This deflates Qayeenat completely. Stalling all the criminal plans, she leaves Bangalore for a remote village called Simhal.
The Second part of the book is set in Simhal, a village that's cut off from modern civilization. People there believe in their King, rather than the Indian Government which is trying hard to modernize these people. The people retaliate with guerrilla forces which fight the Indian police and army. Qayeenat's interest is in a particular dance form, which Simhal is famous for. Here she meets the Dancers, teachers, the people and the King. She slowly realizes that its the Government that’s trying hard to get hold of the Mines and Forests which are currently occupied by the people of Simhal. She's mesmerized by the King's Manner and slowly a relationship develops between the two. She confesses to be in love with him. One fine festive day, the reality strikes hard. Qayeenat is invited by the King to a secret annual ritual. The visions that she sees are horrific and beyond her comprehension. She seeks the help of the very Government official she'd earlier scorned for trying to prevent her from falling for the King, to take her back to her home in Bangalore.
The book deals with a lot of serious themes. There is the rush of Indian Modern art to make an impression in the big art destinations like New York and Paris. However, the Modern Indian Artist is in the danger of creating with an template to succeed in such place while ignoring the needs of the local Indian Art-Consumers. A Polar opposite to that is the Government funded initiatives to keep the art and tradition alive in the villages, which lack any motivation expect that of living on the government stipend. There are other themes about the role of Religious extremism in Controlling both the urban and rural societies. The Kings Sacrificial rituals which completely binds the villagers to his will or the butchering of a Muslim woman artist for drawing nudes are fictional but these problems do exist in our societies. Anjum Hasan has done an incredible job in balancing a powerful message and the beautiful story which delivers it.
Anjum Hasan has divided the story into two parts. The first part takes place in a usual habitat of the Cosmos, the Elite Art Circle in the City, in this case Bangalore. Qayeenat, an art organizer, arranges an exhibition of the hottest artist of the hour Baban Reddy's work 'Nostalgia'. Although, she is in this inner circle of the Art World, she is now in her fifties and without employment or enough money. She is also lonely, even with Sathi a photographer and her ex-boyfriend squatting in her home, for the time being. She plans to tackle both the problems in her life. The money through a devious plan for an insurance fraud devised by Sathi and his new gangster friend Shahrukh-Bhai. The relationship, with rekindling an old flame which she believed to have existed with Baban, before he became famous. Baban, however feels he was always open for the relationship then and it was her that wasn't. This upsets Qayeenat. To add to it, she accidentally overhears Baban and her closest friend talking about her. In an impulse she destroys 'Nostalgia' by setting it on fire. Unfortunately, its not just the art that gets destroyed. This deflates Qayeenat completely. Stalling all the criminal plans, she leaves Bangalore for a remote village called Simhal.
The Second part of the book is set in Simhal, a village that's cut off from modern civilization. People there believe in their King, rather than the Indian Government which is trying hard to modernize these people. The people retaliate with guerrilla forces which fight the Indian police and army. Qayeenat's interest is in a particular dance form, which Simhal is famous for. Here she meets the Dancers, teachers, the people and the King. She slowly realizes that its the Government that’s trying hard to get hold of the Mines and Forests which are currently occupied by the people of Simhal. She's mesmerized by the King's Manner and slowly a relationship develops between the two. She confesses to be in love with him. One fine festive day, the reality strikes hard. Qayeenat is invited by the King to a secret annual ritual. The visions that she sees are horrific and beyond her comprehension. She seeks the help of the very Government official she'd earlier scorned for trying to prevent her from falling for the King, to take her back to her home in Bangalore.
The book deals with a lot of serious themes. There is the rush of Indian Modern art to make an impression in the big art destinations like New York and Paris. However, the Modern Indian Artist is in the danger of creating with an template to succeed in such place while ignoring the needs of the local Indian Art-Consumers. A Polar opposite to that is the Government funded initiatives to keep the art and tradition alive in the villages, which lack any motivation expect that of living on the government stipend. There are other themes about the role of Religious extremism in Controlling both the urban and rural societies. The Kings Sacrificial rituals which completely binds the villagers to his will or the butchering of a Muslim woman artist for drawing nudes are fictional but these problems do exist in our societies. Anjum Hasan has done an incredible job in balancing a powerful message and the beautiful story which delivers it.
July 4, 2025
The writing is exceptional, it makes you picture every scene with sufficient details, and etches out the characters with compelling dialogue and back-stories of their lives.
The first half of the book focuses on the life of Qayenaat in Bangalore, starting from the point of Baban’s return to the city as a big shot artist. The conversations about art and philosophy in the midst of the cosmopolitans are great fun to read. Following QT and her money troubles, con men and their exploits are elaborated upon, which eventually faces a dead end. She momentarily has a fallout with some friends after a misunderstanding, which prompts her to resort to vandalism and arson in the art gallery. Thereafter the emotional turmoil that ravages QT on having accidentally killed a friend plays out mostly in the second part of the book, after she flees from India to Bharat (the boondocks).
The village life is well captured. She runs into a number of colourful characters during her stay, eventually falling in love with a king (at least in namesake) who aims to exploit his knowledge of her dark secret by imprisoning her in his crumbling palace.
My favourite character is Sathi, who is the quintessential realist, a journalist who brings in scoops of the real world during conversations about art, which tend to be from a vantage point of the rich and privileged.
Favourite line by him - a man resorts to violence only when he has run out of imagination or run out of options.
Highly recommend this book.
The first half of the book focuses on the life of Qayenaat in Bangalore, starting from the point of Baban’s return to the city as a big shot artist. The conversations about art and philosophy in the midst of the cosmopolitans are great fun to read. Following QT and her money troubles, con men and their exploits are elaborated upon, which eventually faces a dead end. She momentarily has a fallout with some friends after a misunderstanding, which prompts her to resort to vandalism and arson in the art gallery. Thereafter the emotional turmoil that ravages QT on having accidentally killed a friend plays out mostly in the second part of the book, after she flees from India to Bharat (the boondocks).
The village life is well captured. She runs into a number of colourful characters during her stay, eventually falling in love with a king (at least in namesake) who aims to exploit his knowledge of her dark secret by imprisoning her in his crumbling palace.
My favourite character is Sathi, who is the quintessential realist, a journalist who brings in scoops of the real world during conversations about art, which tend to be from a vantage point of the rich and privileged.
Favourite line by him - a man resorts to violence only when he has run out of imagination or run out of options.
Highly recommend this book.
May 30, 2021
Have you ever seen a weaver at work? - The slow spinning of yarn to produce 6 yards of stunning elegance.
Anjum Hasan has ardously spun a masterpiece of a novel.
🎨The book follows the life of Qayenaat (QT) , a 50 year old art appreciator in the city of Bangalore. She is perpetually in turmoil with her emotions, career and finances. She is stoic and yet somewhat gullible.
👨👧 QT is single and ruminating in nostalgia - comforting memories of her progressive father, a mother who died young , her own failed impulsive marriage to a doctor , artistic aspirations from another time and her live -in partner Sathi who keeps drifting in and out of her life.
✨When QT's old friend , Baban Reddy comes back to Bangalore after making it as a successful artist in New York , she is hit by a maelstrom of emotions.
🎟️A series of events led her to escape from the city and to the rustic war-torn village of Simhal, where she is once again in the midst of exciting characters and Qayenaat is unaware of her ability to affect others.
The books is about art and life. Anjum Hasan's style of writing is subtle and beautiful. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves the kind of writing that will make you think beyond the book and into your soul.
Anjum Hasan has ardously spun a masterpiece of a novel.
🎨The book follows the life of Qayenaat (QT) , a 50 year old art appreciator in the city of Bangalore. She is perpetually in turmoil with her emotions, career and finances. She is stoic and yet somewhat gullible.
👨👧 QT is single and ruminating in nostalgia - comforting memories of her progressive father, a mother who died young , her own failed impulsive marriage to a doctor , artistic aspirations from another time and her live -in partner Sathi who keeps drifting in and out of her life.
✨When QT's old friend , Baban Reddy comes back to Bangalore after making it as a successful artist in New York , she is hit by a maelstrom of emotions.
🎟️A series of events led her to escape from the city and to the rustic war-torn village of Simhal, where she is once again in the midst of exciting characters and Qayenaat is unaware of her ability to affect others.
The books is about art and life. Anjum Hasan's style of writing is subtle and beautiful. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves the kind of writing that will make you think beyond the book and into your soul.
March 24, 2018
Anjum's Cosmopolitans was a refreshing read from a rising star of Indian fiction writing. The author carries a great skill for infusing a wonderful sense of life into her characters, complex and inimitable at the same time. Book 1 especially is a great work of fiction that makes you fall in love with Bangalore as much as her protagonist Qayenaat. Book 2 proved to be a bit of a let down with a lack of coherent continuation of the story with the sudden departure from Bangalore to a mythical place, that tried to stay relevant to parts of central India yet remained too alien. All the characters were written to render a sense of mystery and doubt about them which made me finish the book albeit with waning interest.
Regardless of the Cosmopolitans, the author is clearly on my reading list and can't wait to pick up her new work of short stories which feels more like an area where Anjum might leave a lasting mark on Indian literature.
Regardless of the Cosmopolitans, the author is clearly on my reading list and can't wait to pick up her new work of short stories which feels more like an area where Anjum might leave a lasting mark on Indian literature.
July 18, 2024
An art critic/freelancer based in Bangalore, Qayenaat is a thoughtful woman with a rich inner world. But her life gets stirred a bit too much when her ex-boyfriends, Baban and Sathi, return to the city. Among others, the main themes of the book are the importance and meaning of art, and the way people live their lives in a metropolitan. When Q gets involved in an accident that requires her to keep a secret, she decides to leave north to central India and research a folk dance form. Here she meets a raja, and Hasan's experimentation with the form of the novel escalates. The switch might weird out some readers, but it also shows the author's trust in the form of the novel and the creative expression it allows. Keeping a tight grip on the question of arts, now weaving in more dimensions like, tradition, civil wars, employment, role of government etc... Q becomes a person who wears her heart on the sleeves and is ok embracing ambiguities. And the reader sees, or is rewarded to find out in the end, how wonderfully freeing it is to be that way.
September 24, 2015
a brilliant read .anjum hasan has explored the art and its connections to life through some wonderful characters.
March 22, 2016
Will update review soon
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April 30, 2019A novel that deals with art.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews