In Custody (novel)

infobox Book |
name = In Custody
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Anita Desai
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = Heinemann
release_date = 8 October 1984
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 208 pp (first edition, hardback)
isbn = ISBN 0-434-18635-X (first edition, hardback)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"In Custody" (1984) is a novel set in India by Indian American writer Anita Desai. It was Shortlisted, Booker Prize for Fiction in 1984.

Plot summary

Deven earns a living by teaching Hindi literature to disinterested college students. As his true interests lie in Urdu poetry, he jumps at the chance to meet the great Urdu poet, Nur.

Film

The 1993 Merchant Ivory Productions film "In Custody" (based upon her 1984 novel of the same name) was directed by Ismail Merchant, with a screenplay by Shahrukh Husain. It won the 1994 President of India Gold Medal for Best Picture and stars the noted actors Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Om Puri.

References

*Baena, Rosalía. “The Condition of Life and Art in Anita Desai's In Custody.” "Commonwealth Essays and Studies" 22.2 (2000 Spring): 59-68
*Landow, George. [http://www.postcolonialweb.org/india///desai/custodyov.html In Custody on the Postcolonial Web]
*Sen, Sharmila. “Urdu in Custody.” "South Asian Review" 22 (2001): 57-70

External links

* [http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/Books/BookDetail.asp?ID=2810 Book Review]