In ten stories that read like parables, Meera Nair depicts contemporary Indian life with fierce precision and an irresistible blend of humor, wit, and pathos, firmly establishing herself as a striking new voice in Indian fiction.
An American porn flick wreaks havoc on the life of an Indian man, much to the dismay of his wife. A young man’s uncanny gift for sculpting statues out of sand makes the women of his village swoon–until the men plot to put a stop to it. A small town of “utter inconsequence” prepares excitedly for a visit from President Clinton. This stunning debut collection offers brilliant snapshots of life’s small reversals and a broad-stroke portrait of our times.
Meera Nair was born in India and grew up in five different states before moving to the US in 1997. Her first collection, Video (NY: Pantheon 2003) won the Sixth Annual Asian-American Literary Award for Fiction and was named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post and a Notable Book by the Kiriyama Prize. She wrote her middle-grade children's book, "Maya Saves the Day" because when she was growing up, children's books in India didn't feature any children from India.
A recipient of fellowships from the NY Times, the New York Foundation for the Arts, Queens Council for the Arts and MacDowell Colony, her work has appeared on National Public Radio's Selected Shorts, the Washington Post, the New York Times magazine and The Hindu among other places.
