Cuckold (novel)

Cuckold

First edition
Author	Kiran Nagarkar
Language	English
Published	1997 (HarperCollins India)
Publication place	India
Media type	Print, ebook
Pages	609
ISBN	9788172232573

Cuckold is a 1997 book by Indian author Kiran Nagarkar and his third novel.^[1] It is a historical novel set in the Rajput kingdom of Mewar, India during the 16th century that follows the life of Maharaj Kumar, a fictional character based upon the Mewar prince Bhoj Raj whose wife Mirabai thinks of Krishna as her husband and refuses to accept Bhoj Raj.^[2]

Synopsis

The book follows the life of Maharaj Kumar and his attempts to win the affections of his wife Mira while war ravages the land around them.

Critical reception

Cuckold is considered to be one of Nagarkar's most well known novels, and in 2000 he won India's National Academy of Letters Award (Sahitya Akademi Award) for the work.^[3][4] The book has been praised for its "blending of traditional narrative against a historical backdrop presented with relentless detail".^[5] Makarand R. Paranjape considered it to be part of a canon of Indian English novels.^[6] Gore Vidal called it, "a fascinating book, a sort of fantastic marriage between the Thomas Mann of Royal Highness and the Lady Murasaki."^[7]

References

1. Deshpande, Anirudh (11–17 May 2002). "Interpretative Possibilities of Historical Fiction: Study of Kiran Nagarkar's Cuckold". Economic and Political Weekly. 37 (19): 1824–1830. JSTOR 4412103.
2. Nagarkar, Kiran (20 October 2015). Cuckold. HarperCollins. ISBN 9789351770107.
3. Sharma, Kalpana (2006). "The artful storyteller". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 March 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
4. Wiemann, Dirk (2008). Genres of Modernity: Contemporary Indian Novels in English. Rodopi. pp. 131–156. ISBN 978-9042024939.
5. Sanga, Jaina C. (2003). South Asian Novelists in English. Greenwood. p. 179. ISBN 978-0313318856.
6. Paranjape, Makarand R. Paranjape (2009). Another Canon: Indian Texts and Traditions in English. Anthem Press. pp. 130–147. ISBN 9781843318040.
7. "Kiran Nagarkar". New York Review Books. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.