THE GREATEST TELUGU STORIES EVER TOLD

Expertly selected and deftly translated into English, The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told, (Aleph Book Company, March 2022), is concerned with the story of how the Telugu-speaking sub-cultural groups carved a vibrant voice for themselves in the literature of that language contributing to the cultural wealth of the country. Spanning more than a century of writing, the volume contains gripping stories of rebellion against suffocating norms, told by talented minority writers with an authenticity rooted in their lived experience. This unmatched literary translation seamlessly preserves the music of the original language.

The Greatest Teluga Stories Ever Told has received several write-ups and reviews:
Book review by Sravanthi Challapalli, March 24, 2022
Interview with Vijaya Mary, April 8, 2022
Interview in Seema magazine
Featured in story on translators, Anusua Mukherjee, May 20, 2022

To read a recap of the stories featured in The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told on Medium, click here.

THE SEASIDE BRIDE AND OTHER STORIES

Dasu’s personal tales are spun from four significant migrations that defined his life, tracing his lineage to an ancestor who was also a migrant. He takes the reader to places with different histories, geographies, and cultures. Three of these locations, once ruled by Muslim dynasties, are open-air museums of royal tombs and homes to awe-inspiring Islamic marvels of architecture: Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and New Delhi. In contrast, the setting of the first story in Dasu’s collection, “Cracking Infinity,” is an epitome of modern minimalism in the United States, the location of his last migration.

Dasu is a deft storyteller and creates a sparkling work of autofiction. Through deceptively simple prose, imbued with wit and joie de vivre, he takes us on a nostalgic reverie that is sure to enthrall and delight.

BOOK 2: THE PERFECT CANDIDATE

The Perfect Candidate, Book 2 of the Spy, Interrupted trilogy, picks up with Stephen Edward James and his wife Nina Sharma about to enter the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Stephen’s native Massachusetts. With his high-profile philanthropic endeavors, interracial marriage, and uncommonly principled stance, Stephen makes a compelling Republican candidate in the traditionally Democratic stronghold—despite his shadowy past. Stephen’s opponent—grandmother and professor Katherine Collins—hires a tracker, Dave Tyler, to sling mud as the race heats up. It’s hard to keep secrets on the campaign trail, and Tyler will go to any lengths necessary to discredit Stephen, as his tabloid curiosity turns into a personal dislike for the privileged candidate. Tyler’s efforts rock the campaign, jeopardizing Stephen’s marriage as well as pushing one of his young, closeted staffers to the breaking point. But Stephen is not one to back down from a fight. He has powerful friends in his corner—setting off an ominous chain of events. A fast-paced novel full of political intrigue, espionage, and romance, The Perfect Candidate spans multiple genres and continents, taking us inside the world of state secrets and intercultural relationships in a thrilling tale of power and ambition.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR A CLIP FROM MY EVENT AT BARNES & NOBLE LIVINGSTON.

BOOK 1: SPY INTERRUPTED

When Nina Sharma falls in love with and marries the reclusive, New England aristocrat Stephen Edward James, she expects life will change. But she could not anticipate how. After six months of seemingly serene wedded bliss, a trip to India begins to unravel the secrets of Stephen’s hidden life—and the truth will have the pair evading terrorists and narrowly escaping with their lives. As Nina grapples with the truth about the stranger she married, Stephen must do everything in his power to keep his wife alive and bring down the men he’s hunting—and who are hunting him. Then, the photographs start arriving…photos from a mysterious sender. Photos of Stephen and Nina in increasingly intimate moments. Can Nina and Stephen’s fledgling love survive? Can they survive? Filled with intriguing characters and plot twists that span multiple continents, Spy, Interrupted: The Waiting Wife is a unique and thrilling, cross-cultural novel about the strength and endurance of love.

Read The Waiting Wife in its entirety for free, now available as a 19-part serial on  Medium. Click here!

1947 SANTOSHABAD PASSENGER

1947 Santoshabad Passenger and Other Stories is a heart-warming and delightful collection of English translations of Telugu short fiction. Celebrating the centenary of the Telugu short story, this book brings together some of the best stories that reflect the wit, humour, and strong sense of culture from this region of India. This outstanding translation, with its unadorned writing style, retains the passion and freshness of the originals. These stories clearly convey that despite advances in living standards and changing social mores, today’s men and women grapple with the same core moral and emotional dilemmas that confronted people a century ago. The collection features never-before translated Telugu short stories by a wide range of authors, including what is considered to be the first Telugu short story published in 1902.