‘In the 1940s, Agyeya’s biographical novel, the two-part Shekhar: Ek Jeevani, took the Hindi literary world by storm. It challenged the moral universe of the Hindi world, and attracted approbation and severe criticism in equal measure. It is a travesty that Shekhar, among the most iconic Hindi novels of the twentieth century, has been unknown to the non-Hindi–reading public. Justice has been done by two remarkable scholars, veteran Vasudha Dalmia and young Snehal Shingavi, in a masterful translation that recreates Shekhar’s magic—its passion and restraint, its conflicts, currents, undercurrents and emotions. A must-read for everyone. A publishing landmark.’
AKSHAYA MUKUL