PRESS RELEASE
Jnanpith-winner Krishna Sobti is a living legend, and it is with immense pride that Penguin Random House India acquires her magnificent new novel, Gujarat Pakistan Se Gujarat Hindustan, to be translated by the enormously talented Daisy Rockwell.
Regarded as the crowning achievement in a hugely accomplished literary career, Gujarat Pakistan Se Gujarat Hindustan is also Sobti’s most intensely personal novel to date. Set in the years following the Partition of 1947, and moving between Delhi and the princely state of Sirohi, it tells the story of Manjhli, the feisty and fearless heroine who must struggle to navigate her way amidst myriad challenges in a newly independent India. This is not only a tale of Partition loss and dislocation, but also a snapshot of a particularly fluid moment in Indian history. It’s the story of Indian Independence but also of the independence, fierce spirit, and coming of age of a young woman who does not see her gender or her refugee status as a reason to compromise or bow down before small-mindedness and petty shows of authority.
An intricate fusion of memoir, novel and feminist anthem, this book is a marvel. PRHI will publish this in early 2019 under the Hamish Hamilton imprint.
‘I am very happy about my work coming to Penguin India, and I hope for the best.’ Krishna Sobti
‘I am honoured to take on the challenge of translating Krishna Sobti’s latest novel, Gujarat Pakistan Se Gujarat Hindustan. At the age of ninety-two, Sobti has published an astounding work that defies classification and is unlike any I have read: it is part novel, part memoir, part poetry, part history–all told with humour and honesty in Sobti’s unique and inimitable voice.’ Daisy Rockwell
‘This is a coup for Penguin India, especially as it brings together Krishna Sobti’s towering literary legacy and Daisy Rockwell’s impeccable gifts as a translator. The coming together of these two remarkable writers is a publishing event in itself.’ Ambar Sahil Chatterjee, Commissioning Editor, Penguin Random House India
‘Krishna Sobti is a treasure: a writer who is not only an icon for an entire generation of readers but who continues to inspire us all. It’s an absolute honour to welcome a writer of such magnificence to the PRHI family.’ Meru Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief, Literary Publishing, Penguin Random House India
