Phoenix Fled

BY ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INDIAN WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

''There is so much to love and admire in these stories - their understanding of heartbreak, their attention to affection and love across many divides'' KAMILA SHAMSIE

''Hosain''s greatest strength lies in her ability to draw a rich, full portrait of her society'' ANITA DESAI

''Listen to me, child. You will be a woman soon and must behave well and with modesty. The Kazi will ask you three times whether you will marry Kalloo Mian. Now don''t you be shameless, like these modern girls, and shout gleefully "Yes". Be modest and cry softly and say "Hoon".''

A marriage is arranged between a little servant girl and a middle-aged cook with an opium habit; an idealistic political worker faces disillusionment; a man returns from years studying in England to a wife he scarcely knows; a conventional bride has her first encounter with her husband''s ''emancipated'' friend