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{{Orphan|date=February 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}

{{Short description|1999 debut novel by Pankaj Mishra}}
{{Infobox book
{{Infobox book
| name = The Romantics
| name = The Romantics
| image =
| image = The Romantics (novel).jpg
| caption = First edition (UK)
| image_caption =
| author = [[Pankaj Mishra]]
| author = [[Pankaj Mishra]]
| cover_artist = Raghubir Singh
| cover_artist = Raghubir Singh
| country = [[India]], [[UK]]
| country = India, UK
| language = [[English language|English]]
| language = English
| genre = [[Literary fiction]]
| genre = Literary fiction
| publisher = Picador
| publisher = Picador
| pub_date = [[1999]]
| pub_date = 1999
| pages = 277
| pages = 277
| isbn = 0-330-39277-8
| isbn = 0-330-39277-8
| oclc= 59510102
| oclc= 59510102
}}
}}
'''''The Romantics''''' (1999) is the [[debut novel]] of [[Pankaj Mishra]], the author of ''Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India'' (1995), ''An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World'' (2004) and ''Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond'' (2006). ''The Romantics'' is an ironic tale of people longing for fulfillment in cultures other than their own. It was published in eleven [[Europe]]an languages and won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum award for first fiction.<ref>* [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00litlinks/pankajmishra/ Website devoted to author]</ref>
'''''The Romantics''''' (1999) is the [[debut novel]] of [[Pankaj Mishra]], the author of ''Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India'' (1995), ''An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World'' (2004) and ''Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond'' (2006). ''The Romantics'' is an ironic tale of people longing for fulfillment in cultures other than their own. It was published in eleven European languages and won the Los Angeles Times [[Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Times Book Prizes |url=https://www.writerswrite.com/rr/awards/latimes/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Writers Write}}</ref>


==Plot introduction==
==Plot introduction==


Samar, the young narrator of ''The Romantics'', arrives at a boarding house in the holy city of [[Benaras]], an ancient city trying to cope with modern India. There he hopes to lose himself in books and solitude, but, far from offering him an undistracted existence, the city forces all his silent desires into the light.
Samar, the young narrator of ''The Romantics'', arrives at a boarding house in the holy city of [[Benaras]], an ancient city trying to cope with modern India. There he hopes to lose himself in books and solitude, but, far from offering him an undistracted existence, the city forces all his silent desires into the light. Although this novels depicts the interaction of two culture such as east and west. the protagonist is highly attracted towards the glamour of western that comes to novel as being in contact with Catherine.

==Quotes on the blurb==

The following quotes are given on the blurb of the novel:<ref>[[Pankaj Mishra]] (1999)''The Romantics'', Picador ISBN 0-330-39277-8</ref>

'Pankaj Mishra writes the most perfect prose of any Indian novelist of his generation' - [[William Dalrymple]]

'Read it and find yourself at the source of something great' - [[Candia McWilliam]]


==Literary significance and reception==
==Literary significance and reception==


'Though slightly over-long and crowded with minor players, ''The Romantics'' is an intriguing combination of casual grace and emotional intensity, peppered with discreet social comment on caste, class, sectarian strife, the state of the nation. (...) Hearteningly different from the tricksiness and posturing of much recent Indian writing, this is a charming début, which makes a virtue of its studied simplicity' - [[Aamer Hussein]], [[The Independent]] <ref>[http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/reviews/story.jsp?story=46039 Review of ''The Romantics''] ''The Independent''</ref>
'Though slightly over-long and crowded with minor players, ''The Romantics'' is an intriguing combination of casual grace and emotional intensity, peppered with discreet social comment on caste, class, sectarian strife, the state of the nation. (...) Hearteningly different from the tricksiness and posturing of much recent Indian writing, this is a charming début, which makes a virtue of its studied simplicity' – [[Aamer Hussein]], [[The Independent]]<ref>[http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/reviews/story.jsp?story=46039 Review of ''The Romantics''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050405092319/http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/reviews/story.jsp?story=46039 |date=5 April 2005 }} ''The Independent''</ref>


'If much of cosmopolitan Indian writing has valorized the immigrant and the foreign land, then ''The Romantics'' is a celebration of the home and its forgotten world' - [[Amitava Kumar]], [[The Nation]]<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20000424&c=2&s=kumar Review of ''The Romantics''] ''The Nation''</ref>
'If much of cosmopolitan Indian writing has valorized the immigrant and the foreign land, then ''The Romantics'' is a celebration of the home and its forgotten world' – [[Amitava Kumar]], [[The Nation]]<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20000424&c=2&s=kumar Review of ''The Romantics''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050426220824/http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20000424&c=2&s=kumar |date=26 April 2005 }} ''The Nation''</ref>


'...this extraordinary [[debut novel]], ''The Romantics'', a supernova in the wan firmament of recent fiction' - [[Marie Arana]], [[The Washington Post]] <ref>Marie Arana [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/books/reviews/romantics0307.htm Review of ''The Romantics''] ''[[The Washington Post]]'' 2000-03-05</ref>
'...this extraordinary [[debut novel]], ''The Romantics'', a supernova in the wan firmament of recent fiction' – [[Marie Arana]], [[The Washington Post]]<ref>Arana, Marie (2000-03-05). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/books/reviews/romantics0307.htm Review of ''The Romantics'']. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved 2018-11-18.</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 42: Line 36:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.outlookindia.com/author.asp?name=Pankaj+Mishra Magazine contains articles written by Pankaj Mishra]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080212231907/http://www.outlookindia.com/author.asp?name=Pankaj+Mishra Magazine contains articles written by Pankaj Mishra]
* [http://www.nybooks.com/authors/196 Articles on New York Review of Books]
* [http://www.nybooks.com/authors/196 Articles on New York Review of Books]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/books/review/06GOODHEA.html Philosopher King by Adam Goodheart—book review in New York Times]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/books/review/06GOODHEA.html Philosopher King by Adam Goodheart—book review in New York Times]
* [http://www.loggernaut.org/interviews/pankajmishra "Pankaj Mishra, Intellectual and Spiritual Vagrant"]. An interview by Wendy Cheng at ''[[Loggernaut]]''.
* [http://www.loggernaut.org/interviews/pankajmishra "Pankaj Mishra, Intellectual and Spiritual Vagrant"]. An interview by Wendy Cheng at ''[[Loggernaut]]''.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Romantics, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romantics, The}}
[[Category:Indian novels]]
[[Category:Novels set in Varanasi]]
[[Category:1999 novels]]
[[Category:1999 Indian novels]]
[[Category:1999 debut novels]]


{{1990s-novel-stub}}

Latest revision as of 23:20, 10 March 2024

The Romantics
First edition (UK)
AuthorPankaj Mishra
Cover artistRaghubir Singh
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction
PublisherPicador
Publication date
1999
Publication placeIndia, UK
Pages277
ISBN0-330-39277-8
OCLC59510102

The Romantics (1999) is the debut novel of Pankaj Mishra, the author of Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India (1995), An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World (2004) and Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond (2006). The Romantics is an ironic tale of people longing for fulfillment in cultures other than their own. It was published in eleven European languages and won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction.[1]

Plot introduction

[edit]

Samar, the young narrator of The Romantics, arrives at a boarding house in the holy city of Benaras, an ancient city trying to cope with modern India. There he hopes to lose himself in books and solitude, but, far from offering him an undistracted existence, the city forces all his silent desires into the light. Although this novels depicts the interaction of two culture such as east and west. the protagonist is highly attracted towards the glamour of western that comes to novel as being in contact with Catherine.

Literary significance and reception

[edit]

'Though slightly over-long and crowded with minor players, The Romantics is an intriguing combination of casual grace and emotional intensity, peppered with discreet social comment on caste, class, sectarian strife, the state of the nation. (...) Hearteningly different from the tricksiness and posturing of much recent Indian writing, this is a charming début, which makes a virtue of its studied simplicity' – Aamer Hussein, The Independent[2]

'If much of cosmopolitan Indian writing has valorized the immigrant and the foreign land, then The Romantics is a celebration of the home and its forgotten world' – Amitava Kumar, The Nation[3]

'...this extraordinary debut novel, The Romantics, a supernova in the wan firmament of recent fiction' – Marie Arana, The Washington Post[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Los Angeles Times Book Prizes". Writers Write. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  2. ^ Review of The Romantics Archived 5 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine The Independent
  3. ^ Review of The Romantics Archived 26 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine The Nation
  4. ^ Arana, Marie (2000-03-05). Review of The Romantics. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
[edit]
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