DESAI, ANITA

born June 24, 1937, Mussoorie, India ne Mazumdar English-language Indian novelist and author of children's books, considered India's premier imagist writer. She excelled in evoking character and mood through visual images ranging from the meteorologic to the botanical. Born to a German mother and Bengali father, Desai grew up speaking German, Hindi, and English. She received a B.A. in English from the University of Delhi in 1957. The suppression and oppression of Indian women were the subjects of her first novel, Cry, the Peacock (1963), and a later novel, Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975). Fire on the Mountain (1977) was criticized as relying too heavily on imagery at the expense of plot and characterization, but it was praised for its poetic symbolism and use of sounds. Clear Light of Day (1980), considered the author's most successful work, is praised for its highly evocative portrait of two sisters caught in the lassitude of Indian life. Its characters are revealed not only through imagery but through gesture, dialogue, and reflection. As do most of her works, the novel reflects Desai's essentially tragic view of life. Baumgartner's Bombay (1988) explores German and Jewish identity in the context of a chaotic contemporary India. Other novels by Desai include In Custody (1984; filmed 1993) and Journey to Ithaca (1995). Desai also wrote short fiction for magazines and several children's books, including the popular The Village by the Sea (1982; filmed 1992).