The ten exquisitely crafted stories in Video introduce a gifted new writer whose straight-forward, elegant prose and bewitching storytelling talent combine in brilliant miniatures of contemporary Indian life. In the title story, an Indian man’s chance exposure to a Western-style porn film affects not only his marriage—his wife hides for hours, then days, then weeks at a time from his renewed desire—but also his neighborhood, as traditional notions of marriage, intimacy, and propriety confront the unspeakable, and the tacitly alluring. In “The Sculptor of Sands,” a superbly imagined mystical tale with the depth and resonance of legend, a slight young man’s sensuous sand sculptures transfix a seaside community and, despite their evanescence, leave an indelible impression on the women of the town. In “My Grandfather Dreams of Fences,” an aging landlord, convinced that his worker is stealing his land, desperately clings to the vestiges of a rigid class system, erecting fences with fervor while his dignity falls into disrepair. And in “The Lodger in Room 726,” a boy who daily brings breakfast to the new tenant in a rooming house unleashes a cascade of emotions previously unknown to him when he pursues his fantasy that the man is a well-known murderer on the lam. An astonishing debut, written with a wry intelligence and an irresistible blend of humor, wit, and pathos, Video masterfully evokes traditional Indian culture as it confronts the onrush of change. In subtle gestures and keenly ob-served details, Meera Nair reveals an entire world of gleaming particularity and transcendent emotional power.

Video: Stories

Literature & Fiction

Nair, Meera

United States

Pantheon

In ten stories that read like parables, Meera Nair depicts contemporary Indian life with fierce precision and an irresistible blend of humor, wit, and pathos, firmly establishing herself as a striking new voice in Indian fiction. An American porn flick wreaks havoc on the life of an Indian man, much to the dismay of his wife. A young man’s uncanny gift for sculpting statues out of sand makes the women of his village swoon–until the men plot to put a stop to it. A small town of “utter inconsequence” prepares excitedly for a visit from President Clinton. This stunning debut collection offers brilliant snapshots of life’s small reversals and a broad-stroke portrait of our times.

Dramas & Plays

Anchor

Introducing "Fierce", thirteen powerful, entwined biographies and memoirs that describe a staunchly Feminist approach: “To thine own self be true.” Historical documentation of human affairs informs the past, but what of the understated and overlooked herstories of half of the world’s population? Fierce explores the lives of “masterless women” in education, entrepreneurship, religion, the armed forces, the arts, adventuring, and activism, celebrating their strengths and achievements while questioning the systems that erased the significance of their influence and importance. The writers range in age from their 20s to their 60s, and they hail from diverse heritages and orientations. By sharing the rich context of their unique life experiences, the authors emphasize their connection to each of their herstorical subjects, whose various provenances span continents and centuries. These essays shine a light on the shadowy, lesser-known impact that women have had on global history through the importance of each of these herstories: • A writer questioning the pervasive sway of caste systems in her own life considers a humble 19th-century Indian woman who made a terrible sacrifice to change an unfair law.• One writer’s antiwar sensibility is challenged and transforms into that of sympathetic recognition as she regards the roles of murderous aviatrixes in World War II. • The blacklisted Armenian intellectual who disappeared without a trace mirrors the loss of information about the essayist’s own family in the diaspora and similarly reflects the ongoing decline of her elderly mother’s cognitive abilities.• A legendary spirit entity in Native American tradition is inspiring a new generation of young women to create thoughtful and dynamic change inside and outside of their community. Along with striking frontispiece illustrations, additional bonus material encompasses an extensive Reader’s Guide including book group materials and substantial writing and conversation prompts, creating a noteworthy compendium to aid contemplation and better understanding of these herstories that analyzes their links to contemporary and future female narratives. Armed with this knowledge and these truths, each reader can become, “A queen because she ruled over herself, and because she ruled over herself, a queen.”— From "Radiant Identity: Chicaba Herstories"

Fierce: Essays by and about Dauntless Women

Biographies & Memoirs

Corthron, Kara Lee

McDonnell, Caitlin Grace

Agabian, Nancy

Andrews, Betsy

Walker, Taté

Brehmer, Debra

HoneyChild, Chicava

Nicolás-Huntsman, Edissa

Community & Culture

Nauset Press

An escaped tiger. Lost parents. Puppies who need a home. What's a little girl to do?

Maya Saves the Day (1) (hOle Books)

Children's Books

Action & Adventure

Duckbill Books

Maya has finally become a monitor But oh no She's lost the key to the class cupboard It's not at home, it's not in the playground and it's definitely not hanging on her wrist. Can Maya get out of this mess?

Maya in a Mess (2) (hOle Books)

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Books by Nair, Meera