Shobhan Bantwal

Shobhan Bantwal (born 1951) is an Indian American writer.

Early life and education

Bantwal was born in Belgaum, India to a large Hindu family. She studied sociology at Karnatak University in Dharwad, and earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees there.[1] Bantwal married her husband in an arranged marriage and the couple moved to New Jersey in the United States in 1974.[2] She continued her studies in the U.S., and received an M.A. in Public Administration from Rider University. After completing that degree, Bantwal began a job at the New Jersey Department of Labor, where she would work for the next 19 years.[1] She currently resides in Arizona.[3]

Career

Bantwal began writing in 2002 at the age of 50.[4] Her books include The Dowry Bride (2007), The Forbidden Daughter (2008), The Sari Shop Widow (2009), The Unexpected Son (2010), The Full Moon Bride (2011), and The Reluctant Matchmaker (2012), all published by Kensington Books.[1][5] Her books have been published in India by Fingerprint Publishing.[6] She writes stories about contemporary Indian women and romance, and has described her style as "Bollywood in a book".[5] Bantwal's plots feature women's issues like arranged marriages, cross-cultural stories from the Indian diaspora, and New Jersey settings.[7][8][9] She has received some criticism for her focus on commercial and genre fiction, but she sees her books as a useful way to introduce a consciousness of cultural issues, especially those that affect women, to large audiences.[2] Bantwal's short stories have been published in Romantic Times, India Abroad, Little India, India Currents, and New Woman.[5] She won the Golden Leaf Award for Best Debut Book in 2008.[1]

gollark: People somehow don't realize the difference between "WiFi" and "an internet connection".
gollark: > Goddamn wifido you even networking.
gollark: You should stop doing eye-damagey stuff until you get them.
gollark: They'll still probably always be more expensive than eye protection.
gollark: Not with current technology, unfortunately.

References
  1. Xu, Wenying (12 April 2012). Historical Dictionary of Asian American Literature and Theater. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810873940.
  2. "Confessions of a feisty romance fiction addict". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  3. "Broncs in Books" (PDF). www.shobhanbantwal.com.
  4. Bantwal, Shobhan, Shobhan Bantwal. "Shobhan Bantwal's Web Site - Bio page". www.shobhanbantwal.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  5. "Interview: Shobhan Bantwal, Author of The Unexpected Son". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. Rajan, Anjana (18 July 2014). "Pulse of India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  7. "Fiction Book Review: The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal, Author Kensington Publishing Corporation $14 (343p) ISBN 978-0-7582-2031-8". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  8. "Fiction Book Review: The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal, Kensington, $15 paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-7582-3203-8". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  9. "Fiction Book Review: The Reluctant Matchmaker by Shobhan Bantwal. Kensington, $15 trade paper (300p) ISBN 978-0-7582-5885-4". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
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