essentialhwa.blogg.se - The palace of illusions by chitra banerjee divakaruni

Mahabharata is a story that can fill a few thousand pages quickly. And know this, they perfectly summarize the chapter.

I loved the titles of the chapters – One-word syllables like cosmology, smoke, sari.

Like instead of sticking to her statements why did Kunti not take her word back on Panchaali marrying all 5 of her sons, or why did no one in Duryodhana’s court come forward to save Panchaali when she was being humiliated? If these questions puzzled you, you are at the right place.

The author raises the questions that I always had reading the Mahabharata as a child and an adult.

The mystery aspect maintained throughout the story through the use of very clever Panchaali telling us that she saw a particular character do a singular action only once again in the future and then we are taken through the story and hooked on because of the suspense built.Other books I read had always been by narrators or Sanjay (the charioteer) or some such individual who had a minuscule relation to the story.

A woman’s perspective of the story sets this book apart.In her book The Palace of Illusions, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni puts a captivating spin on this great epic by narrating it from Draupadi’s perspective – the woman who had started it all. Since time immemorial, it has successfully glorified righteous warfare, protection of family honour and an unwavering devotion to one’s elders. The Mahabharata is an awe-inspiring and timeless epic that has achieved a degree of sacrality in the Indian context. She currently lives in Houston with her husband Murthy and two sons – Anand and Abhay- and keeps in frequent contact with her readers through her social media platforms. Her work has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories and the Pushcart Prize Anthology. Known widely for her exemplary work, “ The Palace of Illusions”, she has received several awards – the Crawford Award (1998) and The American Book Award (1996), The O’Henry Prize Stories, San Francisco Chronicle’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Mahima Mukherjee reviews Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions and observes how the author puts a captivating spin on this great epic by narrating it from Draupadi’s perspective – the woman who had started it all.Ĭhitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American author, poet, and Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.