Description

“Tender, terrifying, and heart-rending . . . A must read” GEETANJALI SHREE, author of International Booker Prize-winning Tomb of Sand

A Fistful of Moonlight is a collection of fourteen stories that explore love, identity, politics, fantasy and a fresh take on an age-old fairy tale, transporting readers into the heart of contemporary writing from Assam.

A man is so fascinated by shoes that he sees the world through the lens of footwear. A daughter’s forced death sparks generations of trauma until the family confront their curse. A young girl is liberated when she chops away her long tresses and along with them the pain of several identities. The oilfield disaster at Baghjan claims a life and a community struggles to make sense of their loss. Social taboos prevent a love match leaving emotional wounds that will last forever. A family’s future is at risk when they are forced to leave their home yet again.

UNTOLD is a writer development programme for marginalised writers in areas of conflict and post-conflict. These stories are the culmination of a literary project led by Untold and BEE Books in Kolkata, and include four stories by more established Assamese writers. A companion volume to My Pen is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women, it introduces new and diverse voices to audiences worldwide.

Publisher Review

Tender, terrifying, and heart-rending, these are soulful tales of loss and suffering. Of women and men overwhelmed by societal and State tyranny and the relentless fury of Nature and the Corporates. Shot through with an ominous gloom, occasionally heightened by black humour, the tales permit no looking away from the urgency of the situation. The English translation carries well the flavour and spirit of the Assamese original. A must read. -- Geetanjali Shree * author of International Booker Prize-winning TOMB OF SAND *