Uma Vasudeva (18 June 1931 – 27 March 2019) was an Indian writer and columnist.[1] She was one of the early editors of India Today.[2]
Works edit
Her book Indira Gandhi: Revolution in Restraint covers Indira Gandhi's life from 1917 to 1971.[3]
Novels edit
Her novels Song of Anusuya and Shreya of Sonagarh deal with the inner struggles of their woman protagonists.[4] The main characters are portrayed as liberated women with their own surreptitious affairs.[5] Song of Anusuya was noted to "probe deeply" into man–woman relationship.[4] However, it was criticised by India Today as an unsuccessful foray into an alternative literary field by a writer who had presumably lost credibility in political writing following her publication of The Two Faces of Indira Gandhi.[6] Shreya of Sonagarh, being of similar genre, invokes the theme of sex in relation to a woman's relationship with her husband and another lover.[7] It describes the rise to political power of the protagonist, Shreya, a middle-class girl married into a princely family.[8] It also deals with the connection between feudal lords and politics.[9]
Vasudeva's depiction of feminism has been described as being Western-biased, rather than rooted in Indian soil.[10]
Bibliography edit
Fiction edit
- Song of Anusuya (1978)
- Shreya of Sonagarh (1993)
Non-fiction edit
- Indira Gandhi: Revolution in Restraint (1974)
- Two Faces of Indira Gandhi (1977)
- Courage Under Fire (2003)
References edit
- ^ "Uma Vasudev was a writer of rare immensity and sensitivity (Tribute)". Indo-Asian News Service. Business Standard. 30 March 2019.
- ^ "Uma Vasudev: Versatile writer, trusted friend and a sounding board for young artists". The Indian Express. 31 March 2019.
- ^ "Book on Indira Gandhi back in print - Bhandare relaunches Uma Vasudev's biography on India's first woman Prime Minister". The Telegraph.
- ^ a b Ray, Mohit Kumar, ed. (2003). Indian Writing in English. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 170. ISBN 978-81-269-0279-8.
- ^ Nitonde, Rohidas (2014). In Search of a Feminist Writer. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4828-3390-4.
- ^ Bobb, Dilip (March 10, 2014). "Book review: The Song of Anasuya by Uma Vasudev". India Today. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Swain, S. P. (1999). "8". In Bhatnagar, Manmohan Krishna (ed.). Feminist English Literature. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 75. ISBN 978-81-7156-824-6.
- ^ Kundu, Rama (2005). Studies in Women Writers in English. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 225. ISBN 978-81-269-0435-8.
- ^ Bhatnagar, O. P. (2007). Indian Political Novel in English. Sarup & Sons. p. 138. ISBN 978-81-7625-799-2.
- ^ Patil, Mallikarjun (1999). "9". In Bhatnagar, Manmohan Krishna (ed.). Feminist English Literature. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 83. ISBN 978-81-7156-824-6.