Fire On The Mountain

DETAILS : 

• Author : Anita Desai 
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd.
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ 27 December 2021
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 818400057X
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8184000573
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 200 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fire on the Mountain, published in 1977, is one of Anita Desai’s most haunting and psychologically complex novels. It tells the story of Nanda Kaul, an elderly woman who has retreated to a secluded house called Carignano in the ridge-top town of Kasauli. After a lifetime of fulfilling the demanding roles of a vice-chancellor's wife and a mother to many, she seeks only "stillness and emptiness."

Her sanctuary of silence is shattered by the arrival of her great-granddaughter, Raka—a shy, withdrawn child who mirrors Nanda's own desire for solitude, but for far more tragic reasons. As the two interact, the novel explores themes of alienation, the burden of family expectations, and the nature of trauma. The barren, wind-swept landscape of the Himalayas acts as a mirror to the characters' inner states, culminating in a shocking, visceral ending that suggests the "fire" of suppressed emotions cannot be escaped forever.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anita Desai (born 1937) is a towering figure in modern Indian English literature. A three-time Booker Prize finalist, she is renowned for her "interior" style of writing—focusing less on external plot and more on the psychological depths and emotional nuances of her characters, particularly women. Born to a German mother and a Bengali father, her cross-cultural perspective often informs her exploration of identity and isolation. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has taught at several prestigious institutions, including MIT. Her work, including Clear Light of Day and In Custody, has been instrumental in bringing the "Indian psychological novel" to the global stage.