Joya Chatterji

With clarity, wit and charm, Joya Chatterji tells the story of the subcontinent's recent history in a fluent sweeping arc ... Wide-angled and hugely ambitious, but also highly personal and pleasingly discursive, [it] is a book she has clearly enjoyed writing and, as a result, it is wonderfully enjoyable to read ... A wonderfully original, genre-defying work that is sure to be a classic

Chatterji writes with infectious relish ... It's refreshing to read a history of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that rises above the usual national and chronological divisions, and that ends on a surprisingly upbeat note

Supremely readable ... Chatterji's scholarship and enthusiasm shine through. This account of South Asia surprises, moves and illuminates

Definitive new 20th-century thematic history of the Indian subcontinent

A provocative, pioneering work of political and social history… [an] invigorating book…nuanced and complex

Original and revealing ... this is a book which both scholars and the wider public can dip into, enjoy and learn from

A cheerful history of the subcontinent, by turns erudite, eclectic, analytical, gossipy and prolix

A truly magnificent book about the history, politics and culture of 20th century South Asia ... A must read

The story of South Asia told with verve, wit, and brilliance. This is a book that invents a genre: navigating effortlessly between the archives, conversations, memoir, newspapers, swooping out to make magisterial observations and zooming in to unearth nuggets of gossip. It is like riding a rollercoaster with a mesmerizing guide who can touch down on any part of South Asia that she chooses, before taking off again

Anuradha Roy, author of All The Lives We Never Lived

A wonderful book concentrating for once on what the peoples of different South Asian countries have in common. That's something South Asians and all the rest of us should now concentrate on

This book is a pleasure to read. I love its sheer bulk; its heft seems like a symbol of the inexhaustible richness of the modern history of what are now the countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. One of South Asia's very best historians, Chatterji weaves engaging vignettes of her own experiences into a masterful account anchored in a chronological narrative and illuminated by four brilliantly chosen thematic focuses

Professor Barbara D. Metcalf, co-author of A Concise History of Modern India

Displaying narrative sweep and analytical depth, Shadows at Noon is an incredible achievement by a historian writing at her best

This is history as it should be written, but rarely is. Chatterji maps the journey of South Asia from the high noon of empire to today, and in so doing a rich tapestry unfolds that is unlikely to be equalled for some time

History at its best; blending compelling evidence with deep insight, this is an invitation to enter worlds within worlds in the company of a master storyteller. ... [South Asia], as never before, is alive to me

A brilliant, magisterial, and wonderfully nuanced work that makes a huge contribution to our understanding of the last century ... Every line holds some gem, triggers some memory, or gives new insight. This work sparkles

One of the best books I've read in years. Chatterji's magnum opus

A charismatic, dazzling piece of work that has the feel of a future classic. Shadows at Noon is remarkably rich and full of life, packed with insights conveyed through beautifully moving storytelling. A unique and vital book, it is at once incredibly informative, profound and very readable - a genuine page-turner

Both erudite and intimate, Chatterji narrates how South Asia in the twentieth century produced democracy and authoritarianism, inclusion and violent exclusion, all at the same time, explaining our present as well as giving us an account of the past

A tour de force of contemporary history of the Indian subcontinent. Its masterly analysis of the big picture - nationalisms, citizenship and the State - sets the stage for its innovative focus on ordinary people and their lives. A brilliant, wonderful read

This book's promise to deliver a 'people-centred history' of South Asia over the twentieth century is no small task. Chatterji's epic work meanders across this huge terrain, taking a series of imaginative angles such as the histories of the household, music, film and food, as well as many others. Combining scholarly rigour with a spontaneous tone and autobiographical style, this is a courageous and captivating work

A historical epic in prose - masterly, original, provocative - and, yes, compellingly readable

[A] bold, innovative and personal work rallies against standard narratives of ‘inherent’ differences between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and reveals the many things its people have in common

A brilliant analysis of political and social change, Joya Chatterji’s history of South Asia is one of the most enjoyable reads around

The South Asian Twentieth Century

This book tells the story of South's Asia's twentieth century in eight chapters. Unlike standard narrative histories of the subcontinent that concentrate exclusively on politics, here nature, objects, technologies, cultures, and people's changing relationships to them and to each other, are central preoccupations. 
 
The structure of the book is unorthodox. Unusually for a work of this kind, it is thematic rather than chronological. Chapters address specific questions that might arise in the minds of a 'lay', but thoughtful, reader; but each chapter is chronological within itself, analysing change over a century in one particular sphere. This format allows the reader to explore particular issues - say, the changing character of nationalism, migration or consumption - over time and in depth. 
 
Shadows at Noon is a bold and innovative work that pushes back against standard narratives of 'inherent' differences between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The purpose of the book is to make contemporary South Asia intelligible, while sharing with the reader its infinite colour and excitement. The book does not 'talk down' to the reader or attempt, in facile ways, to simplify the history of a vast, and almost mythically intricate, society.

Joya Chatterji

Praise for Shadows At Noon

With clarity, wit and charm, Joya Chatterji tells the story of the subcontinent's recent history in a fluent sweeping arc ... Wide-angled and hugely ambitious, but also highly personal and pleasingl ...

Chatterji writes with infectious relish ... It's refreshing to read a history of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that rises above the usual national and chronological divisions, and that ends on ...

Supremely readable ... Chatterji's scholarship and enthusiasm shine through. This account of South Asia surprises, moves and illuminates

With clarity, wit and charm, Joya Chatterji tells the story of the subcontinent's recent history in a fluent sweeping arc ... Wide-angled and hugely ambitious, but also highly personal and pleasingl ...

Chatterji writes with infectious relish ... It's refreshing to read a history of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that rises above the usual national and chronological divisions, and that ends on ...

Supremely readable ... Chatterji's scholarship and enthusiasm shine through. This account of South Asia surprises, moves and illuminates

With clarity, wit and charm, Joya Chatterji tells the story of the subcontinent's recent history in a fluent sweeping arc ... Wide-angled and hugely ambitious, but also highly personal and pleasingl ...

Chatterji writes with infectious relish ... It's refreshing to read a history of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that rises above the usual national and chronological divisions, and that ends on ...

Supremely readable ... Chatterji's scholarship and enthusiasm shine through. This account of South Asia surprises, moves and illuminates

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