A Portrait of Love Six Stories; One Novella

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was among the maverick writers who shaped modern Hindi literature. In his prose writings--fearless, provocative and startlingly original, much like his poetry--Nirala regards the world with the eyes of a compulsive satirist, committed to laying bare its hypocrisies. A Portrait of Love is an ode to Nirala's genius, drawing attention to his long-ignored legacy in prose. From his poignant yet humorous sketch of rural India in Billesur Bakriha to the sophisticated urbanity of Lucknow in 'Portrait of a Lady-Love'; from questioning the ideals of marriage and love in 'Sukul's Wife' to celebrating the nexus between writers and courtesans in colonial Calcutta in 'What I Saw'; from hailing agency among the oppressed castes in 'Chaturi Chamar' to shining a light on an uneasy relationship between education and progress in 'Jyotirmayee'--this collection sparkles with wit, atmosphere and an unmistakable autobiographical streak, taking readers to the heart of India and introducing them to the colourful cosmos of Hindi literature.