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A Concise History of English Literature traces the evolution of British writing from its oral origins to its contemporary landscape. A lucid, accessible alternative to bulky reference histories, this volume helps students and teachers navigate the authors, movements and ideas that shaped the canon. Key features: Detailed overviews of the socio-historical forces and ideological shifts within each literary period.; Comprehensive discussions on the development of genres, forms and styles through the ages.;In-depth studies of major authors, including biographies, work summaries and analysis of stylistic features.

Raag Darbari, a novel in Hindi written by Shrilal Shukla in 1968, tells an important story of rural India, local politics and administration. Through the use of dark humour and irony, it provides the first critique of the developmental state, its bureaucracy, and the democratic institutions of the country. Is the novel still relevant? Does it continue to hold a mirror to everyday Indian social life? More importantly, what insights does it offer a student of public administration, development and politics? This book situates Shrilal Shukla’s masterpiece within the social sciences, relating literature to political science, administrative theory and contemporary India. The authors show that it is informal, local institutions that determine the nature of state-directed development, and study whether, five decades later, the citizens of India are visible in our understanding of administration and politics.

Is there such a thing as an ‘Indian university’? Is there an ‘idea’ of an Indian university? Were universities in India living and breathing products of the soil, or were they conceptual imports from a colonial heritage? What is the relationship between universities in India and the ‘publics’ that have inhabited or are alienated by them? More pointedly, how ‘public’ is the Indian public university? This volume explores the historical makings of the Indian university as it stands today, by sifting through archives, colonial/postcolonial policies, textual-literary records and political-economic developments. What results is a ‘critical history’ – navigating the force of myth and promise, revolutions and reforms, communities and markets.

Afsar’s deceptively simple stories negotiate complexities of urban and mofussil life in Andhra, Telangana, and Hindu–Muslim interactions amidst rising religious fanaticism, to bring out the human element in people regardless of their faith, language, culture, caste and gender. The eleven stories in this volume portray the everyday challenges confronting Indian Muslims today. The title story, ‘Sahil Will Come’, is a realistic portrayal of our uncertain times when anyone can be branded a terrorist and vanish overnight. Others tell of the loved and revered teacher who is reduced to penury by religious fanaticism.

Writer and revolutionary worker Yashpal (1903–1976) was an important member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), a radical political group involved in India’s freedom struggle. After his arrest in 1932, he famously turned—in his own words—‘from bullet to bulletin’. This was the beginning of a long and prolific career as a novelist, short story writer, journalist and political commentator. This book offers a reappraisal of Yashpal’s work and legacy, critically examining his crucial role in both the literary and the socio-political history of India and focusing on his preoccupation with questions of gender and sexuality. An international group of scholars, working in both Hindi and English, has contributed to this volume, which also features a personal essay by Yashpal’s son Anand.

Humanistic Concerns in Punjabi Literature presents a selection of Punjabi writings in English translation that explores articulations on humaneness, justice and social issues. These poems, songs, stories, essays and plays span a vast historical period, from the twelfth century to the present. The questions they raise continue to preoccupy us today. The book is part of the ‘Dakshinayan Indian Thought’ series of books curated by G N Devy, showcasing the plurality and diversity of Indian traditions. The texts cover a range of themes and concerns, from the relationship between siblings to interactions within and between communities.