Arun Joshi’s Novels; Search for Values

Pages:104-106
Valaria Sethi (Department of English, Dayanand College, Hisar, Haryana)

As one of the serious and significant second-generation Indian writers in English, Arun Joshi ( 1939-1993) has made a name for himself even with a small output of five novels. His range and output may have been small, like Jane Austen’s, but working like her on a small canvas he has etched memorable and convincing pieces of narratives against a native background not ignorant, however, of his non- Indian western education. It will be interesting to note how this Harvard educated engineer fuses his occidental training with his native Sanskaras to search the beliefs man needs to position himself in life harmoniously and organically. While, as we shall see, his characters, all well-rooted in western education, are afflicted by the kind of angst we associate with the European masters, like Kafka, Camus, and Malraux, they are able to find their way home by following the paths prescribed by Hindu scriptures and teachings.