Kiran Desai

”Joka luumulla on alkunsa.””Ei pidä niellä mitä tahansa jos tahtoo säästyä mahanpuruilta.” Näin lausuu intialainen nuorimies Sampath, joka on kiivennyt guavapuuhun jäädäkseen. Ja siitä paikasta Sampathista tulee Shahkotin pikkukaupungin oma pyhimys, jonka syvällinen viisaus alkaa vetää puoleensa seudun omalaatuisia ihmisiä – eläimistä puhumattakaan.

Säkenöivä rakkausromaani tarkastelee ihmistä suurten voimien armoilla. Sonia ja Sunny kohtaavat yöjunassa ja ihastuvat. Tilanteessa on jotain kiusallistakin: isovanhemmat ovat aiemmin viritelleet heille epäonnista naimakauppaa. Sonia on kirjailijanalku, joka yhdysvaltalaisesta yliopistosta valmistuttuaan palaa perheensä luo Intiaan. Hän pelkää entisen taiteilijaheilan langettaneen kirouksen hänen ylleen. Sunny yrittää luoda uraa toimittajana New Yorkissa, jonne hän on paennut riitaisaa sukuaan. Yhdessä he alkavat etsiä onnea maailmassa, joka ei anna sitä helpolla. Taiturimaisessa romaanissa kaksikko luovii perhetaustan, sukupolvien erojen, luokan ja rodun ristiaallokossa.

Ganadora del Man Booker Prize y del National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Una extraordinaria novela sobre el amor, la p rdida y el desarraigo. Nueva edici n con un pr logo in dito de la autora. Galardonada con los dos premios m s prestigiosos de la literatura en lengua inglesa, el Man Booker Prize y el National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, El legado de la p rdida es una novela de extraordinaria amplitud y sensibilidad. Ambientada a mediados de los a os ochenta, entre el norte de la India y las calles de Nueva York, explora los deseos, conflictos y desarraigos que definen nuestro mundo contempor neo. En una casa aislada y en ruinas, al pie del Himalaya, vive un viejo juez que anhela retirarse en paz cuando su nieta hu rfana, Sai, llega a su puerta. El cocinero del juez, un hombre bondadoso a quien le fascina contar historias, la cuida con afecto, aunque sus pensamientos viajan lejos, hacia su hijo Biju, que encadena trabajos precarios en los restaurantes de Nueva York mientras intenta mantenerse un paso por delante del Servicio de Inmigraci n y hallar su lugar en el mundo. En las monta as, una insurgencia nepal sacude la regi n y altera el incipiente amor de Sai por su joven tutor, Gyan, atra do por la rebeli n y las promesas de cambio. Las vidas de todos -el juez, el cocinero, la nieta y el hijo ausente- se ven arrastradas por la misma corriente de incertidumbre y deseo, mientras la naci n entera se debate entre la esperanza y la traici n. Con una mirada l cida y compasiva, Kiran Desai explora las fracturas del amor y del exilio, las huellas del colonialismo y las ilusiones de la globalizaci n. Luminosa y profunda, El legado de la p rdida es una novela conmovedora sobre la condici n humana, sobre los sue os y las derrotas que conforman la vida moderna, y sobre c mo, a veces, lo que se pierde revela con m s fuerza qui nes somos. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Winner of the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award, Kiran Desai's extraordinary novel of love and loss, now reissued with a new introduction by the author. Published to astonishing acclaim, The Inheritance of Loss heralds Kiran Desai as one of our most insightful novelists. Desai takes us to the northeastern Himalayas where a rising insurgency challenges the old way of life. In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga lives an embittered old judge who wants to retire in peace when his orphaned granddaughter Sai arrives on his doorstep. The judge's chatty cook watches over her, but his thoughts are mostly with his son, Biju, hopscotching from one New York restaurant job to another, trying to stay a step ahead of the INS, forced to consider his country's place in the world. When a Nepalese insurgency in the mountains threatens Sai's new-sprung romance with her handsome Nepali tutor and causes their lives to descend into chaos, they, too, are forced to confront their colliding interests. The nation fights itself. The cook witnesses the hierarchy being overturned and discarded. The judge must revisit his past, his own role in this grasping world of conflicting desires-every moment holding out the possibility for hope or betrayal. A novel of depth and emotion, Desai's second, long-awaited novel fulfills the grand promise established by her first.

A BEAUTIFUL TWENTIETH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE BOOKER PRIZE WINNING MASTERPIECE ‘A magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom, comic tenderness and political acuteness’ Hermione Lee, chair of the Booker Prize judges High in the Himalayas sits a dilapidated mansion, home to three people, each dreaming of another time. The judge, broken by a world too messy for justice, is haunted by his past. His orphaned granddaughter has fallen in love with her handsome tutor, despite their different backgrounds and ideals. The cook’s heart is with his son, who is working in a New York restaurant, mingling with an underclass from all over the globe as he seeks somewhere to call home. Around the house swirl the forces of revolution and change. Civil unrest is making itself felt, stirring up inner conflicts as powerful as those dividing the community, pitting the past against the present, nationalism against love, a small place against the troubles of a big world. ‘Poised, elegant and assured . . . breaks out into extraordinary beauty’ The Times ‘Affecting and endearing, full of laughter and tears’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent ‘Briskly paced and sumptuously written . . . ponders questions of nationhood, modernity, and class, in ways both moving and revelatory’ New Yorker

A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years—an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss'A novel so wonderful, when I got to the last page, I turned to the first and began again' Sandra Cisneros'A grand and stirring love story, written in exquisite prose . . . [a] sheer delight!' Namwali SerpellWhen Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated, yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that only served to drive Sonia and Sunny apart. Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India, fearing she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists.

A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years--an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss "A spectacular literary achievement. I wanted to pack a little suitcase and stay inside this book forever."--Ann Patchett "A novel so wonderful, when I got to the last page, I turned to the first and began again."--Sandra Cisneros "Devastating, lyrical, and deeply romantic . . . an unmitigated joy to read."--Khaled Hosseini "A grand and stirring love story, written in exquisite prose."--Namwali Serpell "Magnificent . . . A masterpiece."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that served only to drive Sonia and Sunny apart. Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India. She fears that she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists.

Winner of the Betty Trask Award, Kiran Desai's dazzling debut novel is a hilarious story of life, love, and family that tells the surprising and delightful story of a young man's unusual path to fame in a small Northern Indian cityPraised by Salman Rushdie and Junot Diaz, among others, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was published to great acclaim in 1998, and established Kiran Desai as a vivid literary voice eight years before The Inheritance of Loss won the Man Booker Prize. Sampath Chawla was born in a time of drought into a family not quite like other families, in a town not quite like other towns. After years of failure and spending his days dreaming in tea stalls, it does not seem as if Sampath is going to amount to much--until one day he climbs a guava tree in search of peaceful contemplation and becomes unexpectedly famous as a holy man, sending his tiny town into turmoil. A syndicate of larcenous, alcoholic monkeys terrorizes the pilgrims who cluster around Sampath's tree, spies and profiteers descend on the town, and none of Desai's outrageous characters goes unaffected as events spin increasingly out of control.

Winner of the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award, Kiran Desai's extraordinary novel of love and loss, now reissued with a new introduction by the authorPublished to astonishing acclaim, The Inheritance of Loss heralds Kiran Desai as one of our most insightful novelists. In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, an embittered judge wants only to retire in peace when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge's cook watches over her distractedly, but his thoughts are usually on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. As her characters' lives overlap and intertwine, Kiran Desai's brilliant novel illuminates a story of joy and despair, as well as the pain of exile and the ambiguities of postcolonialism.

Vuonna 2006 Booker-palkinnon voittanut, viiltävän kaunis romaani kolonialismin jälkeisen Intian unelmista ja tragikoomisesta todellisuudesta. Himalajalla, Kanchenjungavuoren juurella, katkeroitunut tuomari viettää eläkepäiviään ainoana seuranaan kokki ja irlanninsetteri Mutt. Hänen yksinäinen elämänsä järkkyy, kun ovelle saapuu nuori Sai, orvoksi jäänyt tyttärentytär, jota hän ei ole koskaan nähnyt. Kokin poika Biju taas etsii onneaan New Yorkissa. Hän kulkee kurjasta ravintolapestistä toiseen, mutta isän haaveissa elää loistava tulevaisuus. Sitten Nepalin kansallismieliset nousevat kapinaan, ja elämä Himalajalla syöksyy kaaokseen.

Sampath Chawla was born in a time of drought that ended with a vengeance the night of his birth. All signs being auspicious, the villagers triumphantly assured Sampath's proud parents that their son was destined for greatness. Twenty years of failure later, that unfortunately does not appear to be the case. A sullen government worker, Sampath is inspired only when in search of a quiet place to take his nap. "But the world is round," his grandmother says. "Wait and see! Even if it appears he is going downhill, he will come up the other side. Yes, on top of the world. He is just taking a longer route." No one believes her until, one day, Sampath climbs into a guava tree and becomes unintentionally famous as a holy man, setting off a series of events that spin increasingly out of control. A delightfully sweet comic novel that ends in a raucous bang, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard is as surprising and entertaining as it is beautifully wrought.

The Inheritance of Loss is Kiran Desai's extraordinary Man Booker Prize winning novel. High in the Himalayas sits a dilapidated mansion, home to three people, each dreaming of another time. The judge, broken by a world too messy for justice, is haunted by his past. His orphan granddaughter has fallen in love with her handsome tutor, despite their different backgrounds and ideals. The cook's heart is with his son, who is working in a New York restaurant, mingling with an underclass from all over the globe as he seeks somewhere to call home. Around the house swirl the forces of revolution and change. Civil unrest is making itself felt, stirring up inner conflicts as powerful as those dividing the community, pitting the past against the present, nationalism against love, a small place against the troubles of a big world. 'A Magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom, comic tenderness and political acuteness' Hermione Lee, chair of the Man Booker Prize judges'Poised, elegant and assured . . . breaks out into extraordinary beauty' The Times'Desai's bold, original voice, and her ability to deal in a grand narratives with a deft comic touch that affectionately recalls some of the masters of Indian fiction, makes hers a novel to reread and remembered' Independent