Upamanyu Chatterjee is an Indian author noted for his works set within the Indian Administrative Service. His writing often delves into the ironic and satirical aspects of bureaucracy and everyday life in India. Chatterjee's style is characterized by its keen insight into human psychology and his ability to capture the nuances of social interactions.
Jamun is a young man, adrift. His father, Shymanand, is old and his mother, Ursula, on her deathbed. As the novel opens, the family are gathering together for the inevitable parting. Tracking backwards and forwards in time and space, the book unfolds a picture of Jamun and his family.
À travers les tribulations d'Agastya, un jeune Bengali lettré, parachuté dans l'administration d'une province rurale, Upamanyu Chatterjee évoque avec une cocasserie irrésistible les difficultés de l'Inde d'aujourd'hui: son identité, mais aussi les tabous sexuels, les contradictions entre tradition et modernité, le choc entre Orient et Occident... Un livre dont l'ironie fantasque nous offre la meilleure des satires.