INDIA: In Word & Image
Photographs by Eric Meola
Contents
19 Eric Meola
My Private India
24 Bharati Mukherjee
Introduction
29 Salman Rushdie
Midnight’s Children
34 I. Allan Sealy
The Trotter-Nama
47 R. K. Narayan
Ganga’s Story
52 R. K. Narayan
The Ramayana
63 William Buck
Mahabharata
67 R. K. Narayan
Mr. Sampath—The Printer of Malgudi
71 Gita Mehta
A River Sutra
83 Kiran Desai
The Inheritance of Loss
86 Manil Suri
The Death of Vishnu
94 R. K. Narayan
The Guide
100 Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
The Housewife
110 Jhumpa Lahiri
Interpreter of Maladies
119 Thomas Byrom
Dhammapada
120 Anita Desai
Fasting, Feasting
129 Amit Chaudhuri
A Strange and Sublime Address
132 Nirad C. Chaudhuri
My Birthplace
136 R. K. Narayan
The Dark Room
147 Nirad C. Chaudhuri
My Birthplace
150 Kiran Desai
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
163 Salman Rushdie
Midnight’s Children
169 Clark Blaise and Bharati Mukherjee
Days and Nights in Calcutta
178 Rabindranath Tagore
Subha
182 Upamanyu Chatterjee
English, August
185 Vikram Seth
A Suitable Boy
190 Amit Chaudhuri
A Strange and Sublime Address
194 Arundhati
Roy
The God of Small Things
198 Anita Desai
Fasting, Feasting
203 O. V. Vijayan
The River
211 Kamala Markandaya
Nectar in a Sieve
214 Amit Chaudhuri
Sandeep’s Visit
222 Gita Mehta
A River Sutra
232 V. S. Naipaul
An Area of Darkness
239 Manil Suri
The Death of Vishnu
243 Ismat Chughtai
The Wedding Shroud
246 Nirad C. Chaudhuri
The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian
250 Nirad C. Chaudhuri
My Birthplace
254 Anita Desai
A Devoted Son
260 Kamala Markandaya
Nectar in a Sieve
---
Eric Meola’s graphic use of color has informed his
photographs for more than four decades. In 2004, Graphis Editions
published his first book The Last Places on Earth. An exhibition in
England of his photographs of Bruce Springsteen, which coincided
with the publication of his second book Born to Run: The Unseen
Photos (Insight Editions, 2006), was followed in 2008 by the first
edition of INDIA: In Word & Image (Welcome Books, NY), and an
exhibit in 2009 at the Art Directors Club of New York. In 2011,
Ormond Yard Press of London published his most unusual book, an
oversize (18"x24", 14 lbs.) edition of photographs of Bruce
Springsteen—Born to Run Revisted—that was limited to 500 copies.
Streets of Fire, his fifth book, was published by HarperCollins in
September of 2012. Winner of numerous awards, with prints in
several private collections and museums, including the National
Portrait Gallery, he is a Canon “Explorer of Light”.
Introduction Author
Bharati Mukherjee, award-winning author and professor of
English at the University of California, Berkeley, is well known
both as a writer of fiction and as a social commentator. Her most
recent novel is The Tree Bride, the second novel in a trilogy that
bridges modern America and historical India. Her other novels
include Jasmine, Leave It to Me, Desirable Daughters, and The
Holder of the World. Her short stories are found in The Middleman
and Other Stories, and Darkness.
PRAISE FOR THE ORIGINAL EDITION:
"[An] exotic five-star vacation in itself. The portraits,
landscapes, and photographic studies of flora and architecture are
more art than documentary, and are accompanied not by history
lessons, but by masterly prose...Such words can hold their own with
any pictures, even Meola's glorious photographs."
-- New York Times Book Review
"It’s not cheap, but if you’re looking for an immersive armchair
travel experience in the company of a master photographer, this
ticket to India is a bargain." – Murali Kamma, Khabar Magazine,
December 2013
"It is clear Meola adores India. His photos capture not only images
of common daily living in cities and countryside, but also
fantastic religious festivals and rituals, gorgeous animals, the
unintended beauty of pedestrian life, and also the ancient and
irreplaceable monuments, temples, and fortresses around the nation.
While it is well known India harbors more than her share of human
pain and sorrow, Meola’s images capture the side of life we all
appreciate, which is sweet, simple, and uplifting, with grainy
depth. If you can’t visit India personally, this book will open the
doors to your soul in that very special way." —Allyson Gracie,
Wellness Specialist, Pilates & Yoga Instructor for – Retailing
Insight Magazine
"Like the first edition of India, the book benefits from a
confluence of things that lift it into the stratosphere of fine
publishing: remarkable photography by a master of color, elegant
design, superb production quality, and the inclusion of writings by
some of the most eloquent literary voices of India, past and
present...a remarkable achievement. Somewhere, Lord Krishna is
smiling." – Rob Atkins, photographer and author, Neon Mesa:
Wonders of the Southwest, September 29, 2013
"If you want to dream almost hallucinatingly about visiting
India. Or remember the best of the India you did visit.
Or find the perfect Indian book gift. Then at long last you
can. Big, luscious, delicious, exuberant – and of course
saturated in colour –, Eric Meola’s photographs roam around this
astoundingly rich and varied land with a fresh eye. Dropped
in among his pictures are short passages from some of India’s
best-loved writers. Nirad Chaudhuri’s memory of a monsoon
shower (page 147) is perfection; you can hear it, see it, smell
it. Befitting such luxurious content, ‘India’ has its own
saffron-yellow box to keep those dreams wrapped up safe, just as
India’s maharajas kept their precious miniature paintings wrapped
and protected. There are thousands of books about
India, but none quite like this."
--Louise Nicholson, an art historian, writer and journalist
whose special fields are India and London.
"[An] ambitious and distinctive pairing of pictures and prose...The
images are seductively beautiful; the texts are well-chosen and
adroitly placed...What the book aims to convey by this weave of
image and word is something essential about the cultural experience
of India...the result is exhilarating and highly engaging."
--Color Magazine
"Absolutely exquisite...unbelieveable color jumps off each page. I
would highly recommend for anyone who has ever been to, planning to
go to or is simply fascinated by India." -- Mel, Amazon.com
customer review
"Undeniably exciting...the color images are gorgeous, also, there
is text by such writers as Salman Rushdie and Jhumpa Lahiri. This
is more than just a book of pictures."
--The Wall Street Journal
"Meola has a fine eye for detail and devotes equal attention to the
grand and the humble...Suffused with light and color, his images
sidestep cliche to achieve an intimacy and spontaneity that readers
will relish. Excerpts from such writers as Arundhati Roy, Salman
Rushdie, and V.S. Naipaul round out this breathtaking book."
--Publishers Weekly
"Eric Meola, the photographer who shot the cover photo of Bruce
Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album, has been traveling to India for
more than 10 years, recording its people, landscapes, culture, and
art. He sifted through 25,000 pictures from his journeys to select
more than 200 images for this dazzling book."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"Eric Meola is one of those particularly inventive and imaginative
artists."
--Rangefinder Magazine
"From temples to color-washed images of people, India: In Word and
Image presents an outstanding splash of cultural insights and color
combinations...very highly recommended."
--Midwest Book Review
"[Meola] is truly a grand master of color photography...He has the
true eye of an artist. I feel he painted the festivals, the
humanity, and the landscapes of India with a most compassionate
eye...This book should be on everyone's coffee tables."
--Frank Stefanko, author of Patti Smith: American Artist
"India...is a lavishly illustrated and captivating coffee table
book, its colorful and compelling photographs by Eric Meola
interspersed with text from a variety of India-themed writings
through the ages. We see people, landscapes, decorations,
celebrations, poverty and excess, joy and sorrow, and all of it
combines to tell the story of a nation that equally embraces its
past and its present. 'India' would be a nice addition to a holiday
wish list for travelers who have been or long to go."
--The Denver Post
"Eric Meola has gone to India and photographed every inch of it. He
has brought back a vision of color unmatched anywhere on earth.
When a master of color photography meets India's festival of
colors, we have the ultimate magical mystery tour!"
--Pete Turner, photographer
"A strong sense of graphic design and brilliant saturated colors
have always identified Meola's photographs...and now it comes as no
surprise he's added his tender sense of humanity to the pictures in
this breathtaking book, India."
--Anthony Edgeworth, photographer
"As the years have gone by Eric Meola has deepened his vision.
India is altogether a stunning book with indelible images."
--Jay Maisel, photographer
"Eric Meola's India is a stellar collection of images and a
must-have for the coffee table. It offers the reader a rare view of
Indian culture filled with emotion, vibrant color and history. With
this book, Eric has outdone himself. He has once again produced a
book with images that are truly memorable. Eric brings back a
collection of images that most photographers would have missed even
if they were standing next to him. The composition, color, and
graphic appeal are a testament to one of America's best
photographers. This is a must-have book."
--Seth Resnick, photographer
"INDIA: In Word and Image is a breathtaking visual celebration of
this incredibly diverse country. With an introduction written by
award-winning, Indian-born author Bharati Mukerhjee, and
photographs by Eric Meola, this book showcases the beauty of India
from the Himalayas and monasteries in the north to the temples of
Tamil Nadu in the south, from the color and pageantry of Rajasthan
in the west to the tea plantations of Darjeeling in the east."
--Mona Sharma, SiliconIndia.com
"Filled to the brim with sumptuous color photographs from all over
India. No matter the subject, Meola's photos are an invitation to
share in Meola's skill with the camera and his love of India."
--lotusreads.blogspot.com
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