{"product_id":"at-the-end-of-the-century-the-stories-of-ruth-prawer-jhabvala-9781640093249","title":"At the End of the Century: The Stories of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"To read Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is to regard the human heart through a magnifying glass.\" --Claire Luchette, \u003ci\u003eO\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Oprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Multilayered, subtle, insightful short stories from the inimitable Booker Prize-winning author, with an introduction by Anita Desai \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Nobody has written so powerfully of the relationship between and within India and the Western middle classes than Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. In this selection of stories, chosen by her surviving family, her ability to tenderly and humorously view the situations faced by three (sometimes interacting) cultures--European, post-Independence Indian, and American--is never more acute. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \"A Course of English Studies,\" a young woman arrives at Oxford from India and struggles to adapt, not only to the sad, stoic object of her infatuation, but also to a country that seems so resistant to passion and color. In the wrenching \"Expiation,\" the blind, unconditional love of a cloth shop owner for his wastrel younger brother exposes the tragic beauty and foolishness of human compassion and faith. The wry and triumphant \"Pagans\" brings us middle-aged sisters Brigitte and Frankie in Los Angeles, who discover a youthful sexuality in the company of the languid and handsome young Indian, Shoki. This collection also includes Jhabvala's last story, \"The Judge's Will,\" which appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e just before her death in 2013. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The profound inner experience of both men and women is at the center of Jhabvala's writing: she rivals Jane Austen with her impeccable powers of observation. With an introduction by her friend, the writer Anita Desai, \u003ci\u003eAt the End of the Century\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates a writer's astonishing lifetime gift for language, and leaves us with no doubt of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's unique place in modern literature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Counterpoint LLC\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/11\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781640093249\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.50w x 1.40d","brand":"Ruth Prawer Jhabvala","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36663894704284,"sku":"9781640093249","price":16.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_f6ab0b31-2762-4e55-bf1b-af1684fba9ba.jpg?v=1603905312","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/at-the-end-of-the-century-the-stories-of-ruth-prawer-jhabvala-9781640093249","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}