Dear Friends,

It is always a matter of pride when a fellow-Indian makes his mark internationally, particularly in the field of art and literature. It is in this context that I would like to draw your attention to BREATHLESS IN BOMBAY by Murzban F. Shroff, a collection of stories that serves to unearth the lives and aspirations of Bombay’s diverse citizens – from migrant workers who bear their burdens quietly while they adjust to the demands of the city, to middle-class persons grappling with daily issues of civic apathy and corruption, to senior citizens whose lives are under threat, and super-rich achievers who see no other way of life but their own.

Comparing it to other large fiction collections from India, Library Journal says:“Shroff does not employ gritty realism to portray his characters’ struggles, but he also refrains from romanticizing them. Instead, he achieves a welcome balance of apprehension and optimism.”

Booklist calls it “a provocative portrayal of the collision between tradition and modernity from a new voice on the Indian literary scene,” while the Kirkus Review finds the stories “as engaging and complicated as the city to which they pay homage.” Perhaps the most appropriate assurance comes from Publishers Weekly which observes that “Shroff proves adept at unraveling Bombay’s rituals, rumors and rhythms from the inside out.”

The collection has been published in the U.S. and in India. It has received great critical acclaim and has been compared to all the big Bombay books. Do arrange to get your copy from www.amazon.com or from www.barnesandnoble.com and then bring it to the attention of other members of your association. After all, good literature is a tribute not just to the writer who creates it or the place that inspires it, but to discerning readers who can savor its beauty and its scope.

Happy reading!