Kamala Markandaya Author of Nectar in a Sieve A Biographical Sketch by Ms. Lynda Goodwin This presentation follows "fair use" rules of the U.S. Copyright law.

Meet the Author Assisi, Francis C. “Homage to Kamala Markandaya.” INDOlink. 25 Sept

Background  Birth name: Kamala Purnaiya  Religion: Hindu-Brahmin  Birth place: Mysore, India (see map)  B d  Father’s occupation: “Rail transport officer” (Ganesan xiii)  Major: History at the University of Madras in 1940  Her occupations: Journalist & social worker from & author  New residence: England in 1948  Husband: Bertrand Taylor from Great Britain (Assisi)  Daughter: Kim Taylor Oliver

India in 1937 “India in 1937.” Map. The British Library. The British Library Board. 26 Sep

Inspiration  Traveling in India often by train (Ganesan xiii)  Observing the rural landscape and local villagers  Freelance journalism in Madras and Bombay  India’s independence from Great Britain in the 1940’s  Mixture of Eastern and Western values  Her husband and daughter

First Published Book Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya. Product Details. 25 Sep

Nectar in a Sieve  Published in 1954 (Ganesan xiii)  Setting: Early to mid-20 th century  Main character: Rukmani – the first person narrator & wife of a tenant farmer  Plot: An Indian family facing harsh weather conditions, starvation, culture shock, children moving away, poverty, & homelessness  Major themes: Endurance to what life throws at a person & charity for the less fortunate

Nectar in a Sieve cont. Awards:  The Dual Selection of the Book of the Month Club in 1954 (Ganesan xiii)  Notable Book of 1955 by the American Library Association (qtd. in Markandaya back cover)

Other Novels  Some Inner Fury (1955) - a “young woman” falling “in love with an Englishman” at the same that “India was fighting for independence” (Parameswaran)  A Silence of Desire (1960) – an “office clerk” struggling between Eastern vs. Western ideologies (Parameswaran)  The Nowhere Man (1972) – a sense of social displacement  The Golden Honeycomb (1977) – “the princely India” (Parameswaran)  The Coffer Dams (1969) and Pleasure City (1982) [American ed. Shalamar (1983)] – opposing sides of British and Indian relations

Works Cited Ganesan, Indira. “Introduction.” In Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar In a Sieve. New York: Signet Classic, vii-xiii. Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar in a Sieve London: John Day Company. New York: Signet Classic, Parameswaran, Uma. “Bookshelf: Kamala Markandaya: ” Sawnet Sawnet: The South Asian Women’s NETwork. 9 Sept