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Gulab, Rupa
Ein Querkopf kommt selten allein
A novel from India

Translated from Indian English by Cornelia Krutz-Arnold
© 2008 Baobab Books
208 pages, hardcover
CHF 24.80 / € 15,90
ISBN 978-3-905804-28-7
Ages 12 and up

Thirteen-year-old Priya is always self-confident. Since she can remember, she has lived with her mother in the middle of Delhi and has never really lacked anything, except perhaps a second serving of chocolate ice cream. She has also never thought about her father — life with Mum has simply been too perfect for that. The news that she has a father, and that he would like to see her, hits Priya like an earthquake. She imagines everything possible to get rid of this trouble-maker. But soon everything turns out to be a bit more complicated than expected … he's not so bad really, and in any case, what is the story behind Mum and this suddenly reappeared father?


An entertaining, unusual and saucy novel right out of modern India. The emotions fly high, there are quarrels and arguments, but then again reconciliations – and what, please, is one to do with the first stirrings of love?

The Author

Rupa Gulab was born in India in 1962 and studied English literature in Calcutta. Although she then wanted to become a journalist, she ended up in an advertising agency. But since, for all the advert's appeal, a woman will not look like a super model after eating low-fat butter, she finally realized she had had enough of serving up such lies. So she turned to writing books instead. Today Rupa Gulab lives in Neu-Delhi.

 

Rupa Gulab visited Switzerland for a reading tour in November 2012. She visited schools throughout Switzerland, with each class she got into a dialogue and had to answer many questions about India. It was mainly the gap between traditional and urban lifestyle that interested most and led into discussions. For many of the the pupils it was the first time they met a real person from India, for Rupa it was her first visit in Switzerland and her first reading tour ever.

 

Original edition: »Chip of the Old Blockhead« © 2006 by Rupa & Co, New Delhi

Note: This book is only available at Baobab Books.

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