Remembering Kiran Nagarkar: 5 Books by the Sahitya Akademi awardee we all should read

Sahitya Akademi awardee, playwright and author Kiran Nagarkar died on 5 September. He was 77. Born in a middle-class Maharashtrian family, Nagarkar was one of the most prominent voices of post-independence Indian literature. He wrote in both English and Marathi, and all his books have been translated into German. His first Marathi novel 'Saat Sakkam Treychalis' was released in 1974, followed by 'Cuckold' in 1997 for which he won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2001. His latest work was 'The Arsonist' which released in 2019.

Remembering Kiran Nagarkar, we list down some of his best works here. Read on!

(Photo: HarperCollins; Wikipedia; Fourth Estate)

Nagarkar's first Marathi novel 'Saat Sakkam Trechalis' was published in 1974 and it was later translated into English as 'Seven Sixes Are Forty-three'. The novel is about a struggling writer Kushank Purandare who is living off the generosity of his lovers and friends, and the different kinds of people who live around him. The dark humour and charged prose made this novel a landmark in post-Independence Indian literature.

(Photo: HarperPerennial)

Published in 1997, 'Cuckold' won Nagarkar the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2001 and catapulted him to fame. The book is named after Meerabai's husband Bhoj Raj. Set in the 16th century, the story is written from the point of view of Rana Sanga's son, Bhoj Raj who later married Meerabai. It blends politics and personal life and gives a human perspective about being married to someone who is considered God-like.

(Photo: HarperCollins)

'Bedtime Story' is Nagarkar's 1978 play wherein a grandmother narrates the stories of Mahabharata and in turn highlights the gender, class injustice and violence in the epic tale. It also makes the readers question how fewer things have changed from the ancient times of the Kurushetra War and the Second World War.

(Photo: Fourth Estate)

Nagarkar's 2004 humorous novel 'Ravan and Eddie' is about two reckless characters, Ravan and Eddie, who embark on adventures. Set in post-Independence Mumbai, the story brings alive the city and highlights the class differences in society. 'Ravan and Eddie' is followed by two sequels-- 'The Extras' in 2012 and 'Rest in Peace' in 2015. 'The Extras' follows Ravan and Eddie's lives while they work as extras in Bollywood movies; while, 'Rest in Peace' shows the two protagonists in Bollywood as established music directors and how they are determined to make a name for themselves.

(Photo: Harper India; Fourth Estate; Fourth Estate India)

This 2006 novel is the story of a good man gone bad. Zia Khan is a mathematician who comes from a cultured Muslim family in Bombay. The story follows Zia on a spiritual journey while he is torn between the orthodox religious views of his aunt and the liberal views of his parents. But at Cambridge, he gets into wrong company and accepts religious orthodoxy which lands him in Afghanistan's terrorist training camp. But his quest for peace makes him question his choices. 'God's Little Soldier' will take the readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride and make them question what's truly good and evil in this world.

(Photo: Harpercollins)