A Passage to India

Description

Among the greatest novels of the twentieth century, A Passage to India is set in pre-Independence India. A compelling portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, this classic depicts the fate of individuals caught in the great political and cultural conflicts of their age. It begins when Adela and her elderly companion Mrs. Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, and feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced British community. Determined to explore the 'real India,' they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr. Aziz. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal. The introduction by Harish Trivedi provides the required scholarly context for the English literature course.

E.M. Forster was an English author and essayist. He studied at King's College, Cambridge and volunteered with the International Red Cross during the First World War. He became the secretary of the Maharajah of Dewas, India in the 1920s. He then returned to London and established himself as a BBC Radio broadcaster. He was selected as an honorary fellow of King's College and became a Companion of Honour and a member of the Order of Merit. Forster has written novels like A Room with a View, Maurice, The Longest Journey, Where Angels Fear to Tread, and Howards End. Harish Trivedi is professor of English, University of Delhi. He is author of Colonial Transactions: English Literature and India (1993), and has co-edited The Nation across the World: Postcolonial Literary Representations (2007) and Literature and Nation: Britain and India 1800-1990 (2000).