Virago Modern Classics- Phoenix Fled

Attia Hosain is one of the most influential Indian writers of the twentieth century. In these beautifully wrought stories, she depicts characters who are caught between worlds and cultures. INTRODUCED BY KAMILA SHAMSIE 'Listen to me, child. You will be a woman soon and must behave well and with modesty. The Kazi will ask you three times whether you will marry Kalloo Mian. Now don't you be shameless, like these modern girls, and shout gleefully "Yes". Be modest and cry softly and say "Hoon".' A marriage is arranged between a young servant girl and a middle-aged cook with an opium habit; an idealistic political worker faces disillusionment; a man returns from studying in England to a wife he scarcely knows; a bride has her first encounter with her husband's 'emancipated' friends. Telling of the lives of servants and children, of conflict between revered traditions and new ways, and exploring the human repercussions of the Muslim/Hindu divide, these stories present a moving and vivid picture of life in India in the mid-twentieth century. To each episode Attia Hosain brings a superb imaginative understanding and a sense of the poignancy of the smallest of human dramas. 'Hosain's books stir with life and the play of sunlight and rain ... her greatest strength lies in her ability to draw a rich, full portrait of her society - ignoring none of its many faults and cruelties' Anita Desai BY ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INDIAN WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 'There is so much to love and admire in these stories - their understanding of heartbreak, their attention to affection and love across many divides' KAMILA SHAMSIE 'Hosain's greatest strength lies in her ability to draw a rich, full portrait of her society' ANITA DESAI 'Listen to me, child. You will be a woman soon and…