The prolific Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, one of the best-known South Asians writing in America today, has another book out. Her new novel, The Palace of Illusions, was published by Doubleday in February 2008.
Listen to a SAJA Q&A with Divakaruni (she was joined by for part of the interview by author V.V. Ganeshananthan):
UPDATE: Also see a written SAJAforum Q&A by Arthur Dudney with Divakaruni.
Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to the time of the Indian epic The Mahabharat—a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Through her narrator Panchaali, the wife of the legendary five Pandava brothers, Divakaruni gives us a rare feminist interpretation of an epic story.
“A
rich tale of passion and love, power and weakness, honor and
humiliation. Whether or not readers are familiar with the Mahabharat
epic, they will enjoy this entertaining, insightful and suspenseful
story.” (Library Journal, starred review)
More reviews and publicist contact below.
Post your comments - or questions for her below.
If you are interested in scheduling an interview with Divakaruni or receiving a journalist's review
copy of the novel, please contact jmarshall [at] randomhouse.com - please note that she will only be able to respond to members of the working
press. Tell her SAJA sent you.
Some more reviews:
“The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is as sprawling and bright a gem as the Hope Diamond – a mythic tale brimming with warriors, magic and trachery (and its brother, deceit)…. Who better to attempt the feat of transforming a centuries-old cultural icon into a personal, modern story than Divakaruni, a professor of English at the University of Houston and author of numerous award-winning works, including the luscious novel The Mistress of Spices and the bestselling Sister of my Heart. Divakaruni’s sentences dazzle; the images she creates are masterful….” -- Los Angeles Times
“Panchaali’s narrative provides a radient entrée into an ancient mythology virtually unknown to the Western world. Divakaruni’s impulse to flesh out the women of the Mahabharat results in a charming and remarkable book." -- The Houston Chronicle
"Your truly epic narrative myth calls for bitter experience descending, avalanche-like, down dynasties, incorporating dramatic turning points of ineradicable impact; curses; looming fates; tricky and meddlesome gods; feuds; sages, sorcerers and wars. These elements and many more are found in abundance in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s new novel, The Palace of Illusions, which ambitiously encapsulates the Indian epic “Mahabharat” within a 360-page novel." -- San Francisco Chronicle
“The Palace of Illusions…is as grand and tragic as the epic poems by Homer. The story is complex, as political relationships grow and develop, and friends and enemies are created, leading to battles and wars that will eventually destroy them all…I was captivated by the tragic storyline and the fate into which Panchaali was born. This admirable attempt to recreate the epic Mahabharat from the viewpoint of a strong woman is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s best work yet.” -- Bookreporter.com
“For more than 20 years now, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has been telling stories of Indian women from her home in California. Her women are desperate, wonderful, complicated, lyrical, memorable, even magical…. Chitra’s women experience love, loss and longing through tangled marriages, bitter divorces, childbirth, abortion, abuse, violence, racism, poverty and riches. Now, in a daring novel out this month, Banerjee Divakaruni returns to a fantastic world, inhabited by kings, queens, villains and sorcerers.” -- Vogue India
"Novelists who set out to breathe some life into overlooked women from history often come up with fabulous stories -- Anita Diament's The Red Tent, Isabel Allende's Ines of My Soul and Phillipa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl are among the books that come to mind. Now we can add Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's enchanting The Palace of Illusions to the list. With The Palace of Illusions, along with her other bestselling novels, Divakaruni has proven that her storytelling talents put her right up there with the best." -- Miami Herald
For more reviews and an excerpt, check out www.chitradivakaruni.com
