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Home Literature Novel The First Sacrifice
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The First Sacrifice
by Susham Bedi
4.6
4.6 out of 5
Creators
AuthorSusham Bedi
PublisherNational Publishing House
SynopsisSusham Bedi's first novel,The Fire Sacrifice,is in the tradition of social realism in Hindi fiction that began with Premchand about the time of the First World War. Premchand and his contempor-aries in other regional languages devoted most of their attention to the problems of the underprivileged, but in the period following Indian Independence in 1947 novelists have been more preoccupied with the middle classes, their alienation, and the tension between modernisation and conservative religious values. Susham Bedi brings her own originality to bear on the tradition, both by treating the particular problems and cultural conflicts of Indians who have migrated to the West 'Everything that was tender, fragrant, fresh and pure...All turned to ashes...Had she herself been saved or burned to nothing, like the offerings in the fire?
As Guddo's family gathers in her New York apartment to welcome the new year, she re-lives the ten years that have passed since she left her native India. Drawn to the USA by the promise of a glamorous life, Guddo's whole family became ensnared in a struggle between Indian and American way of life. She watches as the next generation is drawn inevitably to rootless Westerm ways, with tragic results.
A fast-moving novel which encapsulates the conflicts of the immigrant to the West, through the eyes of a woman coming to terms with loss and challenge. Beyond giving us a dramatic and compassionate account of the problems of Indians trying to make a new life abroad, The Fire Sacrifice, like all good fiction, reminds us of the universality of human nature and the common experience of people no matter how divergent their origins and cultures.
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Binding: Paperback
About the author
Dr. Susham Bedi is a professor in Discipline of Hindi language and literature at Columbia University and the Hindi-Urdu Language Program Coordinator. Her interests are as varied as her background. Being a native of India, Dr. Bedi understands the culture and politics of India on a personal level.
She is a leading Indian author of novels and short stories, writing in Hindi and living in the United States. Her novel Haven (1989) was translated into English and published under the title The Fire Sacrifice in 1993 and re-printed in 2006. Her another novel Lautna is also translated into English and published under the title Portrait of Mira in 2006.
Dr. Bedi's research concentrates on Indian theatre but she has also been involved in pedagogical research and has developed authentic reading and listening comprehension materials in Hindi.