First Proof: The Penguin Book of New Writing from India

First Proof #1

by Manmohan Malhoutra, Saba Naqvi Bhaumik, Ajai Shukla

The Penguin Book of New Writing from India 2005 An anthology of new writing and new writers, and established writers writing in a new genre-First Proof showcases original and brilliant non-fiction and fiction.

The collection includes works in progress, essays, short stories, and a graphic short. Among the nonfiction in this volume is an account of a childhood in boarding school, a portrait of Naipaul on his first visit to India in the 60s, reportage on Sri Lanka, the RSS, a don in Bihar, an essay on the Bollywood vamp, and glimpses of Kashmir. Fiction includes themes of incest, suicide, love, lust, familial bonds, human relationships, loneliness, dysfunctional people, and a graphic vignette with London as a backdrop.

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Manu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a few years late in reading this, so it's no longer 'new' writing. But that doesn't take away much from a decent collection of fiction and non-fiction. A book which can be read from both ends (Fiction and Non fiction start from opposite ends) and consists of 17 works of fiction (including a trippy graphic one) and 13 works of non fiction. I liked the former, and not just because of my reading preferences.
A few of the non fiction works are particularly relevant now - Nirupama Subramanian's piece on the LTTE supremo Prabhakaran, and Saba Naqvi Bhaumik's, Edna Fernandes' and Smita Gupta's works on the nature of contemporary Indian politics. Also worth mentioning is 'Boarding School' by Andre Beteille.
My favourite fiction work would easily be 'Kopjes at Serengeti' by Arun John, and his awesome description in the 'Notes on Contributors'. Indrajit Hazra's Post-mortem is an interesting tale, so are the stories by Rana Dasgupta and Mita Ghose.
I do believe that an anthology with more 'breadth'' (kinds of themes and writings) is possible, perhaps Penguin is doing it in the following volumes. (this is an annual project)

[Suvidutt Sundaram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read...!!