Amit Chaudhuri: Odysseus Abroad

The latest addition to my website is Amit Chaudhuri‘s Odysseus Abroad. It is a day (19 July 1985) in the life of Ananda Sen, an Indian studying English literature at the University of London. During the day, he visits his tutor (to whom he has sent some of his poetry) and goes out with his only friend, his uncle, who lives in nearby Belsize Park and whom he sees regularly. Apart from his poetry, Ananda has a dull life, complaining about the noisy neighbours, bemused by the strange customs of the English, finding sexual relief only in masturbation, and sure that he is misunderstood. Chaudhuri really gets into what makes Ananda (and, to a certain, degree, his uncle) tick but there are no fireworks, only begrudging acceptance of life as it is.

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