English, August

English, August: An Indian Story is a novel by Indian author Upamanyu Chatterjee written in English, first published in 1988. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1994. The novel portrays the struggle of a civil servant who is posted in a rural area and is considered to be a very authentic portrayal of the state of Indian youth in the 1980s.

This article is about the novel. For the film adaptation, see English, August (film).
English, August
First edition
AuthorUpamanyu Chatterjee
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
PublisherFaber & Faber
Publication date
January 1988
Pages296 pp
ISBN0571151019
OCLC630591196
Followed byThe Last Burden 

Plot summary

The posting starts off as a tremendous culture shock for Agatsya, a city boy. However, it eventually becomes one long philosophical journey and a process of self discovery. Written by a civil servant, the novel manages to capture the essence of an entire generation of Indians, whose urban realities jar in sharp contrast to that of rural India.

Agatsya Sen's sense of dislocation is only compounded by his extreme lack of interest in the bizarre ways of government and administration. While his mind is dominated by marijuana, masturbation and the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, images from his previous urban life. His work in Madna would ideally require him to be a devoted servant of the people.

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See also

References
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