An essential novel about the 1947 Partition in a newly revised translation by Booker Prize-winning translator Daisy Rockwell
A Penguin ClassicBhisham Sahni’s 1973 novel is a chronicle of the sectarian violence that ultimately led to the devastation of the Partition. It drew immediate and universal critical acclaim for its poignant and striking depiction of the anatomy of a bloody conflagration that comes to engulf an entire region. In a northwestern city in pre-Independence India, Nathu, a tanner, is hired to kill a pig by a shadowy figure who haunts the novel. When the animal’s carcass is discovered on the steps of the local mosque the next morning, simmering tensions explode into riots and massacre that grip cities and villages across the region of Punjab. The incident is the linchpin in a British plot to divide and conquer the local population by planting seeds of mistrust and hatred among many who, until the day before, had been close friends and neighbors.
Tamas is a chilling reminder of the consequences of colonial rule and the consequences of religious nationalisms.
A poignant and politically charged novel about the 1947 Partition, translated by Booker Prize-winning translator Daisy Rockwell
Tamas, Bhisham Sahni's 1973 novel, is a product of the Partition's devastation. It drew immediate and universal critical acclaim for its poignant and striking retelling of Partition and its bloody aftermath. Tamas is a story about how simmering communal tensions snowball into full-fledged riots that grip villages across the subcontinent. In a city in undivided Punjab, Nathu, a tanner, is bribed to kill a pig. When the animal's carcass is discovered on the steps of the local mosque the next morning, brewing tensions explode into riots and massacre. A seemingly well planned and executed job by the British plants seeds of mistrust and hatred among those who, until the day before, had been close friends and neighbours. Tamas is a chilling reminder of the consequences of religious intolerance and communal prejudice.
