≫ [PDF] Sunlight on a Broken Column Attia Hosain 9780140123500 Books

Sunlight on a Broken Column Attia Hosain 9780140123500 Books

Download As PDF : Sunlight on a Broken Column Attia Hosain 9780140123500 Books

Sunlight on a Broken Column Attia Hosain 9780140123500 Books

Attia Hosain was a part of the long tradition of progressive Muslim women writers of India, and she was quite a rebel in her time. This book was published in 1962 and describes a time before India's independence and the partition of India. Her ideas for the time are incendiary and progressive to the point to be considered un-Islamic - I guess in some parts of the world they still are. BUT considering the time and her upbringing she was an independent thinker beyond compare. I especially like the book for her ideas BUT also for the past she paints so beautifully; and while her protagonist rebels under the weight of the chains that women are bound in, and questions what she's told by her elders despite her lack of exposure, Hosain also evokes a real nostalgia and affection for an age of grace, beauty and civility gone by. She also paints honestly the poignant struggle of a young woman who loves her family dearly and yet must disagree with their assumptions and ways.


Tags : Sunlight on a Broken Column [Attia Hosain] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Laila, orphaned daughter of a distinguished Muslim family, is brought up by her orthodox aunts who keep purdah. At 15,Attia Hosain,Sunlight on a Broken Column,Penguin India,0140123504,Fiction & related items,Fiction

Sunlight on a Broken Column Attia Hosain 9780140123500 Books Reviews

This is a semi-autobiographical story set in the last days of British rule in India and centres around the life of a young aristocratic Muslim girl just entering into womanhood. The author portrays the lifestyle of the rich Nawabs of India at that time in a delicious manner, which raised in me a wish that I had been born at that time! However, the story is in no way an idealistic approach rather it is very realistic indeed and the hopes, fears and doubts of this former ruling class are eloquently described as the British rule nears its end and Independence beckons. Who will go to Pakistan and who will remain in India? The changing fortunes of this powerful Nawab family makes absorbing, and for me, wistful and poignant, reading. The beauty is that all these events are related from the viewpoint of the leading character, interspersed with her burgeoning love-life as well and her confrontation with the traditional lifestyle of girls in her position.
A female friend of mine recommended this to me and now I heartily recommend it to you all! Very good indeed!
Attia Hosain was a part of the long tradition of progressive Muslim women writers of India, and she was quite a rebel in her time. This book was published in 1962 and describes a time before India's independence and the partition of India. Her ideas for the time are incendiary and progressive to the point to be considered un-Islamic - I guess in some parts of the world they still are. BUT considering the time and her upbringing she was an independent thinker beyond compare. I especially like the book for her ideas BUT also for the past she paints so beautifully; and while her protagonist rebels under the weight of the chains that women are bound in, and questions what she's told by her elders despite her lack of exposure, Hosain also evokes a real nostalgia and affection for an age of grace, beauty and civility gone by. She also paints honestly the poignant struggle of a young woman who loves her family dearly and yet must disagree with their assumptions and ways.