A masterful and entirely fresh portrait of great hopes and dashed dreams in a mythical city from a major new literary voice
Everything that could possibly be wrong with a city was wrong with Calcutta.
When Kushanava Choudhury arrived in New Jersey at the age of twelve, he had already migrated halfway around the world four times. After graduating from Princeton, he moved back to the world which his immigrant parents had abandoned, to a city built between a river and a swamp, where the moisture-drenched air swarms with mosquitos after sundown.
Once the capital of the British Raj, and then India's industrial and cultural hub, by 2001 Calcutta was clearly past its prime. Why, his relatives beseeched him, had he returned? Surely, he could have moved to Delhi, Bombay or Bangalore, where a new Golden Age of consumption was being born.
Yet fifteen million people still lived in Calcutta. Working for the Statesman, its leading English newspaper, Kushanava Choudhury found the streets of his childhood unchanged by time. Shouting hawkers still overran the footpaths, fish-sellers squatted on bazaar floors; politics still meant barricades and bus burnings, while Communist ministers travelled in motorcades.
Sifting through the chaos for the stories that never make the papers, Kushanava Choudhury paints a soulful, compelling portrait of the everyday lives that make Calcutta. Written with humanity, wit and insight, The Epic City is an unforgettable portrait of an era, and a city which is a world unto itself.
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Book Description hardback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9781408888889
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9781408888889_new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Brand New. 320 pages. 8.50x5.31 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __1408888882
Book Description Hardback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Seller Inventory # B9781408888889
Book Description Condition: New. Num Pages: 320 pages. BIC Classification: 1FKA; DN; WTL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 216 x 135. . . 2017. 1st Edition. Hardcover. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9781408888889
Book Description Condition: New. Num Pages: 320 pages. BIC Classification: 1FKA; DN; WTL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 216 x 135. . . 2017. 1st Edition. Hardcover. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9781408888889
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 28581674-n
Book Description Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware - A masterful and entirely fresh portrait of great hopes and dashed dreams in a mythical city from a major new literary voiceEverything that could possibly be wrong with a city was wrong with Calcutta.When Kushanava Choudhury arrived in New Jersey at the age of twelve, he had already migrated halfway around the world four times. After graduating from Princeton, he moved back to the world which his immigrant parents had abandoned, to a city built between a river and a swamp, where the moisture-drenched air swarms with mosquitos after sundown.Once the capital of the British Raj, and then India's industrial and cultural hub, by 2001 Calcutta was clearly past its prime. Why, his relatives beseeched him, had he returned Surely, he could have moved to Delhi, Bombay or Bangalore, where a new Golden Age of consumption was being born.Yet fifteen million people still lived in Calcutta. Working for the Statesman, its leading English newspaper, Kushanava Choudhury found the streets of his childhood unchanged by time. Shouting hawkers still overran the footpaths, fish-sellers squatted on bazaar floors; politics still meant barricades and bus burnings, while Communist ministers travelled in motorcades.Sifting through the chaos for the stories that never make the papers, Kushanava Choudhury paints a soulful, compelling portrait of the everyday lives that make Calcutta. Written with humanity, wit and insight, The Epic City is an unforgettable portrait of an era, and a city which is a world unto itself. Seller Inventory # 9781408888889
Book Description Condition: New. A masterful and entirely fresh portrait of great hopes and dashed dreams in a mythical city from a major new literary voiceA masterful and entirely fresh portrait of great hopes and dashed dreams in a mythical city from a major new literary voice. Seller Inventory # 155910995