Women in Translation Month: Works of fiction by women authors from ten Indian languages

The Loneliness of Hira Barua: Stories, Arupa Patangia Kalita, translated from the Assamese by Ranjita Biswas

Hira Barua, an ageing widow living in a conflict-ridden region of Assam with her beloved Tibetan spaniel fears she is beginning to resemble a lonely Englishwoman from her past. A vicious sexual assault by the invading military drives a group of women into a shelter home. On a fateful night, a group of prostitutes make an extraordinary sacrifice for the safety of their companions.

In these, and thirteen other piercing, intimate portraits, women navigate family, violence, trauma, ambition and domesticity with caution, grace and quiet resilience. Written in a variety of styles, from gritty social realism, and folklore to magical realism, The Loneliness of Hira Barua is a modern classic of Indian literature.

A Gujarat Here, A Gujarat There, Krishna Sobti, translated from the Hindi by Daisy Rockwell

Delhi, 1947. The city surges with Partition refugees. Eager to escape the welter of pain and confusion that surrounds her, young Krishna applies on a whim to a position at a preschool in the princely state of Sirohi, itself on the cusp of transitioning into the republic of India. She is greeted on arrival with condescension for her refugee status, and treated with sexist disdain by Zutshi...

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