Synopses & Reviews
In
Eating Women, Telling Tales, acclaimed feminist writer and artist Bulbul Sharma explores the many roles—some perennial, some unexpected—that food can play in women’s lives. One of the stories in this rich collection features a young woman who, neglected by her rakish husband, decides to kill him by overfeeding him. Other tales narrate the adventures of a woman who cooks manically; a woman who tries and fails to share her culinary masterpieces with a son newly returned from the United Sates; and a woman who takes money and knickknacks from her husband’s pockets, where she finds the different scents of each woman he has been with.
These protagonists, all gloriously flawed, inspire sympathy, laughter, and sometimes awe. By turns poignant and macabre, their stories make up a delicious spread, showcasing Sharma’s immense talent for depicting the drama and complexity of women’s everyday lives. Devoured by readers the world over after their original publication in 2009, these stories are now available in a handsomely designed reissue celebrating Zubaan’s tenth anniversary.
Review
“This slim collection of stories is quite like a methodical cooks masala tray, each ingredient and spice in its proper slot. The book is best devoured in bite-sized pieces, to catch and savour the finer flavours. Each story retains its unique flavour while contributing to the main dish and the main dish, need we say, is a veritable feast for the senses.”
Synopsis
Devi, Mother and Protector of the World, is one of the most loved figures of Hindu iconography. In her various incarnations, Devi is warrior, mother, faithful wife, and the fount of knowledge, delivering all that her devotees ask of her. Bulbul Sharma tells the fascinating story of Devi in this book, drawing upon the many strands of myth and legend contained in ancient scriptures and also in folklore. She looks at how these stories were created, how they changed down the ages, and the vision of the world they uphold. Rich in drama and symbolism, these stories live today with the same intensity as they did when they were first told.
About the Author
Bulbul Sharma is the author the story collections My Sainted Aunts, The Perfect Woman and The Anger of Aubergines, and the novel Banana-Flower Dreams. Her work has been translated into several languages, including Italian, French, and Finnish.
Table of Contents
Colophon Eating women, telling tales