Invitation
The Song of Kahunsha
Anosh Irani
Press Release
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Reviews |
| Anosh Irani's The Song of Kahunsha - June 25, 2007 |
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BOOK NEWS
MILKWEED EDITIONS |
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The Song of Kahunsha
A novel by
Anosh Irani
"Irani is a gifted storyteller, and this book, Dickensian in its plot and its vivid prose, is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking." - Booklist
"With understated skill, Anosh Irani tells such a darkly enchanting story of the abandoned children of Bombay that I felt swept away . . . . Irani's shocking tale unfolds with a macabre and terrifying beauty that is both heartbreaking and compelling."-Wayson Choy, author of All That Matters and The Jade Peony
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A startling, moving novel about abandonment, poverty, and violence, as well as loyalty, love, and hope, as seen through the eyes of a young homeless boy.
It is 1993 and Bombay is threatened by terrorism and sectarian strife. Ten-year-old Chamdi has rarely ventured outside his orphanage, and entertains an idyllic fantasy of what the city is like beyond its garden walls-a paradise he calls Kahunsha, "the city of no sadness." But when he runs away to search for his long-lost father, he finds himself thrust into the chaos of the streets, alone, possessing only the cloth he was left in as a baby. There Chamdi meets Sumdi and Guddi, brother and sister who beg in order to provide for their sick mother, and the three become fast friends.
Fueled by desire to find his father and the dream of his Kahunsha, Chamdi struggles for survival on Bombay's brutal streets. But when he is caught up in the beginnings of the savage violence that will soon engulf the city, his dreams confront reality.
Wonderfully rich in the sights and sounds of Bombay, The Song of Kahunsha is a poignant story of hopes and dreams, and of the fragility of childhood innocence. |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anosh Irani was born and brought up in Bombay, India. He moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1998. His first play, The Matka King, premiered at the Arts Club Theatre Company, Vancouver, in October 2003. His first novel, The Cripple and His Talismans, was published in 2005. The Song of Kahunsha, is his second novel. His new play, Bombay Black, was produced in January 2006 by Cahoots Theatre Projects and was the winner of 4 Dora Mavor Moore Awards including for Outstanding New Play. Irani divides his time between Bombay and Vancouver. |
AUTHOR TOUR
New York City, NY: April 29, 7:00-9:00 pm, KGB Bar with Sheila Kohler and Richard Burgins
Decatur, GA: May 2, 7:15 pm, Georgia Center for the Book, Decatur Library
Minneapolis, MN: May 3, 7 pm, Magers & Quinn Booksellers
Seattle, WA: June 21, 7:00 pm, Elliott Bay Bookstore/South Asian Writers Series
Seattle Central Public Library, Microsoft Auditorium
Washington, DC: June 23, 5 pm, Chapters: A Literary Bookstore
TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW
contact Emily Cook, emily_cook@milkweed.org, 612.215.2556 |
THE SONG OF KAHUNSHA • Anosh Irani • Milkweed Editions • Publication date: May 3, 2007 •
ISBN 13: 978-1-57131-062-0 / 10: 1-57131-062-2 • $22.00 • Hardcover
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Canadian praise for The Song of Kahunsha |
A 2007 CBC Radio CANADA READS selection nominee
"[Irani's] melodies in The Song of Kahunsha are at once bright and melancholic, his characters and senses as sharp as tusks and his plot as lithe as children running." - The National Post
"[Irani] rewrites Dickens' Oliver Twist with his native Bombay replacing nineteenth-century London. . . Pure storytelling." - The Toronto Star
"Evocative and colorful." - The London Free Press
"[Chamdi's] relentless struggle to survive makes him one of this year's most unforgettable heroes." -Edmonton Journal
"A gripping and compassionate novel that will resonate long after readers have completed it . . . calls to mind Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance."- Winnipeg Free Press
"Beautiful . . . [It] vindicates the fragile but triumphant scope of childhood imagination with touching grace." - The Globe and Mail |
Praise for The Cripple and His Talismans |
"A highly imaginative novel, full of humour, poetry, and insights, written in a beautiful, spare style. Throughout the narrative looms a great city, Bombay, crazily reflected in the life of one of its inhabitants who, by means baffling, heinous, desperate, and often very funny, seeks to embrace the divine with both arms."-Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi
"[Irani's] brilliant debut novel, The Cripple and His Talismans, radiates with the energy of Bombay, albeit a dark energy.... Irani commands attention from the first sentence."-The Globe and Mail
"[The Cripple and His Talismans] makes demands on the reader, but our effort is triply rewarded-first, by the lush imagery of the writing; second, because of its surprises and, finally, because of its deep moral gravity . . .. This debut novel marks a step in the evolution of Canadian literature." - The Vancouver Sun
"Darkly comic and brave, this novel has no fear when it comes to facing the lepers, beggars, and prostitutes of the city. Irani seeks out territory that would frighten away other writers . . .. The book's sheer audacity and humour elevate it well above the level of most first novels." - Quill & Quire |
THE SONG OF KAHUNSHA • Anosh Irani • Milkweed Editions • Publication date: May 3, 2007 •
ISBN 13: 978-1-57131-062-0 / 10: 1-57131-062-2 • $22.00 • Hardcover
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