Heat and Dust
| File:HeatAndDust.jpg First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | John Murray (UK) Harper and Row (US) |
Publication date | 30 October 1975 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 181 |
| ISBN | 0-7195-3401-1 |
| OCLC | 1930059 |
| 823 | |
| LC Class | PR9499.3.J5 H4 |
Heat and Dust (1975) is a novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala that won the Booker Prize in 1975. The book was also ranked by The Telegraph in 2014 as one of the 10 all-time greatest Asian novels.[1]
Plot summary
The initial stages of the novel are told in the first person, from the narrative voice of a woman who travels to India, to find out more about her step-grandmother, Olivia. She has various letters written by Olivia, and through reading these, and learning from her own experiences in India, she uncovers the truth about Olivia and her life during the British Raj in the 1920s. Olivia eventually becomes pregnant with the Nawab's baby, and out of fear decides to abort the child. This causes scandal in the town of Satipur. She then resides in an unnamed town ("Town X") for her remaining years. The novel ends with the present-day narrator (whose name is not mentioned) also becoming pregnant, deciding to spend her years in Town X, just as Olivia did.
Awards
- 1975: Booker Prize
Film
The novel was made into a film of the same name in 1983 by Merchant Ivory Productions. It was an award-winning film, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based upon her novel, directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant.
References
- ↑ "10 best Asian novels of all time". The Telegraph. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
