Popati Hiranandani's autobiography and short stories poignantly capture the two worlds of pre- and post-Partition India with their attendant losses and pains, joys and triumphs. The first English translation of a Sindhi woman writer's autobiography, The Pages of My Life maps Popati Hiranandani's journey as a homeless, community-less, displaced woman. Caught in the web of nostalgia, agony, and the pain of separation, the memoir traces the life of a Sindhi woman poised between two vastly different worlds: from childhood losses and joys to triumphs of early youth in Hyderabad, Sindh to profound realizations of adulthood. The stories, on the other hand, may be read as fictional extensions of her real life. Her female protagonists bring to life critical junctures of unbecoming and becoming as they make their way in post-Partition India.
This first time translation of Hiranandani's autobiography and short stories will appeal to students and teachers of Indian literature in translation, comparative literature, and cultural and women's studies, as well as anybody interested in Partition narratives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jyoti Panjwani
Jyoti Panjwani is a Professor of English, Ph. D. in University of Illinois. Her areas of teaching and research include third world literature and feminism, post-colonial theory and literature, non-western cultural studies, and Asian mythology. Her articles on Indian post-colonial feminism have been published in such journals as Comparative Civilizations Review: Journal of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, Publications of the Illinois Philological Association, and Proceedings of the Red River Conference on World Literature.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Popati Hiranandani
Popati Hiranandani, one of the best-known Sindhi women writers, was born in 1924 in Hyderabad, Sind, in present-day Pakistan. Her works not only depict the urban milieu of Sindhi culture, but also delve deep into the life of Sindhi middle class and the plight of women in the social structure. She also depicts the inner dynamics of Sindhi families.Popati Hiranandani's name is bound to go down in Sindhi literary history as one of the finest Sindhi writers of both pre-partition and post-partition India, a forthright feminist, and an outstanding social activist. She has been the recipient of several honors and awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982 for her autobiography. The citation reads "This profound engaging autobiography of hers gives a remarkable insight into Sindhi society, the social and political upheavel following partition of India, and the great tragedy overtaking the country."
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