The Indian Graphic Novel: Nation, History and Critique

This book is a detailed study of the Indian graphic novel as a significant category of South Asian literature. It focuses on the genre's engagement with history, memory and cultural identity and its critique of the nation in the form of dissident histories and satire.

Publisher Marketing: Preface . Acknowledgements . Introduction: The Graphic Turn in Indian Writing in English 1. Graphic History 2. Urban Graphic 3. Cultural Graphics 4. Drawing (On) Other Histories 5. Graphic Satire Conclusion: The Graphic Narrative and Critical Literacy Bibliography. Index. Biographical Note : Pramod K. Nayar teaches at the Department of English, University of Hyderabad, India. His most recent books include Citizenship and Identity in the Age of Surveillance (2015); Posthumanism (2014); Frantz Fanon (2013); the edited collection, Women in Colonial India: Historical Documents and Sources (Routledge, 2014) and Writing Wrongs: The Cultural Constructions of Human Rights in India (Routledge, 2012). Review Quotes : 'Pramod Nayar's analysis of nationalism and Indian graphic narratives is an insightful and valuable contribution to the growing field of comics scholarship. The rigor of his approach and engagement with a range of theories facilitates an important understanding of the medium.' Jeffrey Brown , Associate Professor, Department of Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University, USA, author of Black Superheroes: Milestone Comics and Their Fans ' The Indian Graphic Novel comes to its subject from a rich grounding in the historical and literary specifics . . . analytical concepts informed by a broadly conceived Cultural Studies and important recent work . . . Nayar has produced a fine grained reading of the Indian graphic novel.' Ian Lewis Gordon , Associate Professor, Department of History, National University of Singapore, Singapore, author of Comic Strips and Consumer Culture, 1890-1945 and co-editor of Film and Comic Books 'In a highly engaging mode the study artfully moves back and forth between the theme and form, drawing the possibilities that the Indian graphic novel offers. Written in a lucid and accessible style, The Indian Graphic Novel allows its readers easy grasp of the grammar of the subject. The pleasure of reading this text is further enhanced by the illustrations, which are truly eye-catching. The book is a significant research document, interesting and absorbing, and I believe, it will enable the Indian Graphic Novel to hold a firm footing in Indian Writing in English and also help it in making its way to Indian university classrooms in the near future.' Rajni Singh, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, India. Rupktha Journal Publisher Marketing : This book is a detailed study of the Indian graphic novel as a significant category of South Asian literature. It focuses on the genre's engagement with history, memory and cultural identity and its critique of the nation in the form of dissident histories and satire. Deploying a nuanced theoretical framework, the volume closely examines major texts such as The Harappa Files , Delhi Calm , Kari , Bhimayana , Gardener in the Wasteland , Pao Anthology, and authors and illustrators including Sarnath Banerjee, Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Durgabai Vyam, Amrutha Patil, Srividya Natarajan and others. It also explores -- using key illustrations from the texts -- critical themes like contested and alternate histories, urban realities, social exclusion, contemporary politics, and identity politics. A major intervention in Indian writing in English, this volume will be of great importance to scholars and researchers of South Asian literature, cultural studies, art and visual culture, and sociology.

Format: Hardcover | Pages: 228 | Publication Date: 2016-02-17