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October 18, 2006
I Wish Indian Writing in English Were Less Triumphant
Ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair, DW-WORLD.DE spoke with Indian author Amit Chaudhuri about the West's love affair with Indian writing and the roles of English and literature in a multilingual, globalizing country.
We have long entertained ambitions of being a regional superpower, once that was achieved, a world superpower economic or otherwise. Now we have our Security Council aspirations as well, and our diaspora doesn't look particularly like people lost in exile but are contributing economically and to the idea of this growing prestige of India. And Indian writing in English reflects that and traverses that thin line between postcolonial pride and imperialist ambition. I would be happy with a writing that is more ambiguous about its own position and wish it would be less triumphant. I feel alienated from that personally as a writer.
Posted by Mary Anne Mohanraj at October 18, 2006 12:52 PM
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Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 12:52 PM
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