Kunal Basu Books

Set in the court of the Emperor Akbar in 16th-century India, this is a richly detailed and sensuous tale of art, sex, and political intrigue. Bihzad is the son of the emperor's chief artist and as such, he is groomed to follow in his father's footsteps. A child prodigy, Bihzad is shielded from life as he grows up in the stunning fortress town of Agra. But soon word of his his wild, imaginative drawings free from the normal restrictions of court painting spreads. In his spare time he paints a series of richly erotic scenes, but as his fame increases, he begins to make enemies who are jealous of his success and will use his hidden drawings to destroy him. Kunal Basu’s first novel, The Opium Clerk, was published to critical acclaim. Born in Calcutta, Basu now lives in Oxford, England.

An Indian man writes to a Japanese woman. She writes back. Romance blossoms between the two, the pen-friends exchange vows over letters, then spend the next fifteen years as a married couple without ever setting eyes on each other, until the intimacy of words is tested finally by the intimacy of life. Like The Japanese Wife, the other stories in this collection are also about residents and non-residents. In Grateful Ganga, an American rock queen shares her love tunes with a Punjabi businessman even as she mourns her dead husband; in Snakecharmer, a retired Israeli American professor arrives in India with the intention of committing suicide, only to be saved by a snakecharmers daughter. Father Tito, the emigre Yugoslav of Father Titos Onion Rings, is haunted by the Holocaust as he intercedes between Hindu and Muslim rioters. The stories here are about unexpected love and accidental gifts; about finding oneself among strangers; about living elsewhere and living in ones dreams. They parade a full cast of priests, whores, rebels, dead emperors, bush soldiers, poachers, conmen and connoisseurs-angels and demons rubbing shoulders with those whose lives are never quite as ordinary as they seem.

A thrilling pursuit of a terrorist unfolds as operatives devise a risky strategy to draw their target out of hiding. The plan involves using a human bait, escalating the tension and danger in this high-stakes game. As the chase intensifies, the moral implications and risks of such tactics come into play, highlighting the complexities of counter-terrorism efforts.