The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian
- The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian
Infobox Book
name = The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian
author = Nirad C. Chaudhuri
country = India
language = English
subject = comparative - historical, cultural and sociological analysis of early 20th century India and the British colonial encounter in India
genre = autobiographical, non fiction
publisher = McMillan,Jaico
release_date = 1951
english_release_date = 1951
media_type = book
pages = 535
isbn = 094032282X
preceded_by =
followed_by = A Passage to England (1959)
"The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian" is an autobiographical work of one of the most controversial writers of India -- Nirad C. Chaudhuri, the last imperialist. He wrote this when he was around fifty and records his life from his birth at 1897 in Kishorganj, a small town in present Bangladesh. The book relates his mental and intellectual development, his life and growth at Calcutta, his observations of Vanishing Landmarks, the connotation of this is dual -- changing Indian situation and historical forces that was making exit of British from India an imminent affair.
Nirad, a self-professed Anglophile, is in any situation an explosive proposition and in the book he is at his best in observing as well as observing-at-a-distance and this dual perspective makes it a wonderful reading. His treatment of his childhood, his enchantment, disillusionment and gratitude to the colonial capital Calcutta is highly factual as well as artistic to the extent highly readable.
Arguably, his magnum opus considering his literary output that he could generate as late age as ninety years, Autobiography is not a single book, it is many. Consciously or unconsciously he has left traces of all his erudition, his spirit and learning. Declaring himself a cartographer of learning, the book is also a cartographic evidence of the author's mind and its varied geographies, of the map as well as of the mind.
The dedication of the book runs thus: cquote|To the memory of the British Empire in India,
Which conferred subjecthood upon us,
But withheld citizenship.
To which yet every one of us threw out the challenge:
"Civis Britannicus sum"
Because all that was good and living within us
Was made, shaped and quickened
By the same British rule.
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Indian English literature — (IEL) refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. It is also associated with the works of members of the Indian diaspora … Wikipedia
The Great Indian Novel — Infobox Book | name = The Great Indian Novel title orig = translator = image caption = author = Shashi Tharoor illustrator = cover artist = country = India language = English series = genre = Roman à clef, Satirical, Historical novel publisher =… … Wikipedia
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen timeline — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is an ongoing graphic novel series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O Neill. The primary commentator on the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series (hereto after in this article referred to as… … Wikipedia
The Party (film) — The Party original film poster by Jack Davis Directed by Blake Edwards Pr … Wikipedia
Autobiography of a Yogi — infobox Book name = Autobiography of a Yogi orig title = translator = author = Paramahansa Yogananda cover artist = country = India language = English series = subject = Autobiography, Memoir genre = Non fiction publisher = Free Press release… … Wikipedia
The Gong Show — This article is about the show which aired in the 1970s and 1980s. For the current version of the show, see The Gong Show with Dave Attell .Infobox Television show name = The Gong Show caption = The Gong Show titlecard format = Game show num… … Wikipedia
The Last of the Mohicans — This article is about the novel. For the film starring Daniel Day Lewis, see The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film). For other uses, see The Last of the Mohicans (disambiguation). The Last of the Mohicans &# … Wikipedia
The Mysterious Mr. Quin — … Wikipedia
The Daily Punctilio — is a fictional sensationalist newspaper from A Series of Unfortunate Events , a series of novels by Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket.BackgroundThe Daily Punctilio was first mentioned in The Vile Village . From the end of that book … Wikipedia
The Idler (1758–1760) — This article is about the 18th century series of essays. For other publications called The Idler, see The Idler (disambiguation). The Idler was a series of 103 essays, all but twelve of them by Samuel Johnson, published in the London weekly the… … Wikipedia
