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Mumbai Fables by Gyan Prakash (2011, Trade Paperback)

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Product Identifiers

PublisherPrinceton University Press

ISBN-100691153175

ISBN-139780691153179

eBay Product ID (ePID)108996694

Product Key Features

Number of Pages408 Pages

Publication NameMumbai Fables

LanguageEnglish

SubjectAsia / India & South Asia

Publication Year2011

TypeTextbook

AuthorGyan Prakash

Subject AreaHistory

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight20 Oz

Item Length9.1 in

Item Width6.3 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceCollege Audience

Dewey Edition22

Reviews[Prakash] has been able to pull together an impressive amount of facts, figures, and fables by devoting himself to sources such as novels, poems, films, interviews, tabloid accounts and even comic-book illustrations., Princeton history professor Prakash weaves thrilling story lines about Bombay life depicted in movies, novels, and comic books with gripping true stories about the legendary Indian metropolis. . . . With an inviting style and inability to resist drama, Prakash creates lively portrayals of the major figures in the opium and cotton trades, the sensational reporting of the Blitz tabloid, and the horrific monsoons of the past decade., [T]he most masterful history yet written about this celebrated, struggling city, a riveting narrative that reaches back to 1498 to explore the stories the metropolis has conspired to tell itself--and spun out for the world. . . . Prakash's Mumbai Fables sets a new standard in writing about cities, not just as a history of Mumbai but as an accessible history of any metropolis. -- Naresh Fernandes, Time Out Mumbai, "Utilizing popular literature, movies, comics, and art as metaphors for Mumbai's (Bombay's) history, historian Prakash interprets the history and allure of Mumbai from its early days as a collection of small islands containing an equally small population to its contemporary attempts to become a 'world class city.'" -- Choice, "I recommend you read Mumbai Fables . And then, crack a beer and watch a Hindi film." --Amitava Kumar, Bookslut.com, The best test of a city's biography, like [ Mumbai Fables ], is whether it makes the reader want to visit of not. Those who do, having read this book, will have a perceptive, if quirky, insight as their guide. -- Times Literary Supplement, "Princeton history professor Prakash weaves thrilling story lines about Bombay life depicted in movies, novels, and comic books with gripping true stories about the legendary Indian metropolis. . . . With an inviting style and inability to resist drama, Prakash creates lively portrayals of the major figures in the opium and cotton trades, the sensational reporting of the Blitz tabloid, and the horrific monsoons of the past decade." -- Publishers Weekly, "The strength of Mumbai Fables is its treasury of cultural references about the city, and in this, it excels. Novels, short stories, newspapers, films, poems, paintings; the unique flavor of the place comes through powerfully."-- Roderick Matthews, Literary Review, "The real and rapid development currently taking place in India offers new hope, but it will take dreamers as well as business leaders to fashion a new modernity for the masses rather than just the elites. Mumbai Fables points to one good place to start."-- Dolan Cummings, CultureWars.org, The real and rapid development currently taking place in India offers new hope, but it will take dreamers as well as business leaders to fashion a new modernity for the masses rather than just the elites. Mumbai Fables points to one good place to start., "This is an immensely readable book. In a highly informative and innovative style Prakash presents both a popular urban history and a sophisticated interpretation of that history, without compromising content, style or concept." ---Arnab Roy Chowdhury, Contemporary South Asia, "Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as fl'neur and walking the city's past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge." --Rohit Chopra, Sunday Guardian, "The real and rapid development currently taking place in India offers new hope, but it will take dreamers as well as business leaders to fashion a new modernity for the masses rather than just the elites. Mumbai Fables points to one good place to start." --Dolan Cummings, CultureWars.org, "A delight. . . . Mumbai's history is almost as full of crime, corruption, terror, and chauvinism as of fabulous creativity. In Prakash's account, rightly, it is the latter which predominates." --Stephen Howe, Independent (UK), "Gyan Prakashs Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as flneur and walking the citys past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge."-- Rohit Chopra, Sunday Guardian, "[T]he most masterful history yet written about this celebrated, struggling city, a riveting narrative that reaches back to 1498 to explore the stories the metropolis has conspired to tell itself--and spun out for the world. . . . Prakash's Mumbai Fables sets a new standard in writing about cities, not just as a history of Mumbai but as an accessible history of any metropolis."-- Naresh Fernandes, Time Out Mumbai, "Utilizing popular literature, movies, comics, and art as metaphors for Mumbai's (Bombay's) history, historian Prakash interprets the history and allure of Mumbai from its early days as a collection of small islands containing an equally small population to its contemporary attempts to become a 'world class city.'"-- Choice, [I]n Mumbai Fables , Prakash has managed to write a riveting account, which is very much his own. . . . Each story is so well-told that it is impossible to put the book down., The real and rapid development currently taking place in India offers new hope, but it will take dreamers as well as business leaders to fashion a new modernity for the masses rather than just the elites. Mumbai Fables points to one good place to start. -- Dolan Cummings, CultureWars.org, "Princeton history professor Prakash weaves thrilling story lines about Bombay life depicted in movies, novels, and comic books with gripping true stories about the legendary Indian metropolis. . . . With an inviting style and inability to resist drama, Prakash creates lively portrayals of the major figures in the opium and cotton trades, the sensational reporting of the Blitz tabloid, and the horrific monsoons of the past decade."-- Publishers Weekly, A majestic work of history. . . . Search for a single dull paragraph or a mildly boring chapter and you will be frustrated and defeated. . . . There is serious history here, which is very readable, and there is serious history of sex, murder, and scams reminiscent of the works of the novelist James Ellroy., "Gyan Prakash chronicles Bombay with verve and panache. . . . [H]e has meshed different narratives of the city, and created a hybrid blend that is entirely in character with Bombay itself."-- Salil Tripathi, New Republic, "Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as fl'neur and walking the city's past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge."-- Rohit Chopra, Sunday Guardian, [An] excellent account of Mumbai. . . . This is an insider's view of one of India's most exciting and unusual cities. It is a reminder of how much deeper a local can go and how much more valuable such a guide can be. If you are planning a visit to Mumbai this is a superb introduction., " Mumbai Fables tells the moving history of this city through extended vignettes and personal stories that are a pleasure to read. Providing countless insights, this superb book moves through different neighborhoods, time periods, and individuals, and wonderfully depicts the living city--the modern city--through five centuries of its existence." --Eric D. Weitz, author of Weimar Germany, "Gyan Prakash chronicles Bombay with verve and panache. . . . [H]e has meshed different narratives of the city, and created a hybrid blend that is entirely in character with Bombay itself." --Salil Tripathi, New Republic, "[I]n Mumbai Fables , Prakash has managed to write a riveting account, which is very much his own. . . . Each story is so well-told that it is impossible to put the book down." --Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, Businessworld, "Reading Mumbai Fables , you can get the sense of the linear timeline, the Bombay to Mumbai, England to India, with a jagged Partition down the middle. . . . But going from A to B won't help you understand how that happened. Prakash uses the act of collage to give the reader a better perspective. . . . Masterful. . . . I think Prakash gets closer to a true picture of what Mumbai is--if a city is anything." --Jessa Crispin, Smart Set, " Mumbai Fables is an engaging narrative, and offers a different way for urban historians to write the biography of a city. But it will have more to offer for those familiar with the city, for whom the gleam of recognition will be a benefit." --Katrina Gulliver, Berlin Review of Books, "[Prakash] has been able to pull together an impressive amount of facts, figures, and fables by devoting himself to sources such as novels, poems, films, interviews, tabloid accounts and even comic-book illustrations."-- Bharti Kirchner, Seattle Times, "The book is . . . accessible and will interest even the lay reader with its stories that illumine Bombay's past. Essential reading for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Mumbai." --Ravi Shenoy, Library Journal, "[T]his is an immensely readable book. In a highly informative and innovative style Prakash presents both a popular urban history and a sophisticated interpretation of that history, without compromising content, style or concept." --Arnab Roy Chowdhury, Contemporary South Asia, "The best test of a city's biography, like [ Mumbai Fables ], is whether it makes the reader want to visit of not. Those who do, having read this book, will have a perceptive, if quirky, insight as their guide." -- Times Literary Supplement, "Prakash chronicles Bombay with verve and panache. . . . He has meshed different narratives of the city, and created a hybrid blend that is entirely in character with Bombay itself." ---Salil Tripathi, New Republic, The book is . . . accessible and will interest even the lay reader with its stories that illumine Bombay's past. Essential reading for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Mumbai., " Mumbai Fables is a wonderfully entertaining introduction to the city's rich cultural history."-- Lisa Kaaki, Arab News, The book is . . . accessible and will interest even the lay reader with its stories that illumine Bombay's past. Essential reading for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Mumbai. -- Ravi Shenoy, Library Journal, "Blending historical research with a novelistic spirit, Mumbai Fables fluidly unfolds the development of the city in a rich narrative that makes the story come alive. Prakash challenges our understanding of Mumbai's cosmopolitanism and his colorful descriptions enhance our view of the city in manifold ways. This is a great book." --Rahul Mehrotra, RMA Architects and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mumbai Fables is an engaging narrative, and offers a different way for urban historians to write the biography of a city. But it will have more to offer for those familiar with the city, for whom the gleam of recognition will be a benefit., "The book is . . . accessible and will interest even the lay reader with its stories that illumine Bombay's past. Essential reading for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Mumbai."-- Ravi Shenoy, Library Journal, "A delight. . . . Mumbai's history is almost as full of crime, corruption, terror, and chauvinism as of fabulous creativity. In Prakash's account, rightly, it is the latter which predominates."-- Stephen Howe, Independent (UK), Utilizing popular literature, movies, comics, and art as metaphors for Mumbai's (Bombay's) history, historian Prakash interprets the history and allure of Mumbai from its early days as a collection of small islands containing an equally small population to its contemporary attempts to become a 'world class city.' -- Choice, " Mumbai Fables is an engaging narrative, and offers a different way for urban historians to write the biography of a city. But it will have more to offer for those familiar with the city, for whom the gleam of recognition will be a benefit."-- Katrina Gulliver, Berlin Review of Books, "Reading Mumbai Fables , you can get the sense of the linear timeline, the Bombay to Mumbai, England to India, with a jagged Partition down the middle. . . . But going from A to B won't help you understand how that happened. Prakash uses the act of collage to give the reader a better perspective. . . . Masterful. . . . I think Prakash gets closer to a true picture of what Mumbai is--if a city is anything."-- Jessa Crispin, Smart Set, Etching out the cultural history of one of the world's most important urban centers, Gyan Prakash views Mumbai through its turning points and kaleidoscopic ideas, comic book heroes, and famous scandals. Shedding light on the city's past and present, Mumbai Fables offers an unparalleled look at this extraordinary metropolis. -- Srirekha Chakravarty, India Post, The strength of Mumbai Fables is its treasury of cultural references about the city, and in this, it excels. Novels, short stories, newspapers, films, poems, paintings; the unique flavor of the place comes through powerfully. -- Roderick Matthews, Literary Review, "[Prakash] has been able to pull together an impressive amount of facts, figures, and fables by devoting himself to sources such as novels, poems, films, interviews, tabloid accounts and even comic-book illustrations." --Bharti Kirchner, Seattle Times, " Mumbai Fables is a wonderfully entertaining introduction to the city's rich cultural history." --Lisa Kaaki, Arab News, "[An] excellent account of Mumbai. . . . This is an insider's view of one of India's most exciting and unusual cities. It is a reminder of how much deeper a local can go and how much more valuable such a guide can be. If you are planning a visit to Mumbai this is a superb introduction."-- Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald, Reading Mumbai Fables , you can get the sense of the linear timeline, the Bombay to Mumbai, England to India, with a jagged Partition down the middle. . . . But going from A to B won't help you understand how that happened. Prakash uses the act of collage to give the reader a better perspective. . . . Masterful. . . . I think Prakash gets closer to a true picture of what Mumbai is--if a city is anything., "Etching out the cultural history of one of the world's most important urban centers, Gyan Prakash views Mumbai through its turning points and kaleidoscopic ideas, comic book heroes, and famous scandals. Shedding light on the city's past and present, Mumbai Fables offers an unparalleled look at this extraordinary metropolis." --Srirekha Chakravarty, India Post, "[T]he most masterful history yet written about this celebrated, struggling city, a riveting narrative that reaches back to 1498 to explore the stories the metropolis has conspired to tell itself--and spun out for the world. . . . Prakashs Mumbai Fables sets a new standard in writing about cities, not just as a history of Mumbai but as an accessible history of any metropolis."-- Naresh Fernandes, Time Out Mumbai, Princeton history professor Prakash weaves thrilling story lines about Bombay life depicted in movies, novels, and comic books with gripping true stories about the legendary Indian metropolis. . . . With an inviting style and inability to resist drama, Prakash creates lively portrayals of the major figures in the opium and cotton trades, the sensational reporting of the Blitz tabloid, and the horrific monsoons of the past decade. -- Publishers Weekly, "A majestic work of history. . . . Search for a single dull paragraph or a mildly boring chapter and you will be frustrated and defeated. . . . There is serious history here, which is very readable, and there is serious history of sex, murder, and scams reminiscent of the works of the novelist James Ellroy." --Arthur J. Pais, India Abroad, "[T]he most masterful history yet written about this celebrated, struggling city, a riveting narrative that reaches back to 1498 to explore the stories the metropolis has conspired to tell itself--and spun out for the world. . . . Prakash's Mumbai Fables sets a new standard in writing about cities, not just as a history of Mumbai but as an accessible history of any metropolis." --Naresh Fernandes, Time Out Mumbai, I recommend you read Mumbai Fables . And then, crack a beer and watch a Hindi film. -- Amitava Kumar, Bookslut.com, "The most masterful history yet written about this celebrated, struggling city, a riveting narrative that reaches back to 1498 to explore the stories the metropolis has conspired to tell itself--and spun out for the world. . . . Prakash's Mumbai Fables sets a new standard in writing about cities, not just as a history of Mumbai but as an accessible history of any metropolis." ---Naresh Fernandes, Time Out Mumbai, "Etching out the cultural history of one of the world's most important urban centers, Gyan Prakash views Mumbai through its turning points and kaleidoscopic ideas, comic book heroes, and famous scandals. Shedding light on the city's past and present, Mumbai Fables offers an unparalleled look at this extraordinary metropolis."-- Srirekha Chakravarty, India Post, Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as fl neur and walking the city's past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge. -- Rohit Chopra, Sunday Guardian, "The strength of Mumbai Fables is its treasury of cultural references about the city, and in this, it excels. Novels, short stories, newspapers, films, poems, paintings; the unique flavor of the place comes through powerfully." --Roderick Matthews, Literary Review, A delight. . . . Mumbai's history is almost as full of crime, corruption, terror, and chauvinism as of fabulous creativity. In Prakash's account, rightly, it is the latter which predominates. -- Stephen Howe, Independent, "[I]n Mumbai Fables , Prakash has managed to write a riveting account, which is very much his own. . . . Each story is so well-told that it is impossible to put the book down."-- Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, Businessworld, Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as fl'neur and walking the city's past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge., "[T]his is an immensely readable book. In a highly informative and innovative style Prakash presents both a popular urban history and a sophisticated interpretation of that history, without compromising content, style or concept."-- Arnab Roy Chowdhury, Contemporary South Asia, Utilizing popular literature, movies, comics, and art as metaphors for Mumbai's (Bombay's) history, historian Prakash interprets the history and allure of Mumbai from its early days as a collection of small islands containing an equally small population to its contemporary attempts to become a 'world class city.', Gyan Prakash chronicles Bombay with verve and panache. . . . [H]e has meshed different narratives of the city, and created a hybrid blend that is entirely in character with Bombay itself., "In Mumbai Fables , Prakash has managed to write a riveting account, which is very much his own. . . . Each story is so well-told that it is impossible to put the book down." ---Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, Businessworld, "A fascinating exploration of my favorite city, full of insider knowledge and sharp insights." --Salman Rushdie, "A majestic work of history. . . . Search for a single dull paragraph or a mildly boring chapter and you will be frustrated and defeated. . . . There is serious history here, which is very readable, and there is serious history of sex, murder, and scams reminiscent of the works of the novelist James Ellroy."-- Arthur J. Pais, India Abroad, "Gyan Prakash brilliantly combines the historian's savoir faire with the savvy seductions of the urban raconteur. Mumbai Fables splendidly explores the shape-changing, scene-setting experience of a city that dares to restlessly reinvent its horizons. It is the challenge of the 'present' and the survival of the everyday, Prakash argues, that gives Mumbai its myth and reality. 'It's now or never,' the city seems to sing, 'tomorrow will be too late.'" --Homi K. Bhabha, Harvard University, "[An] excellent account of Mumbai. . . . This is an insider's view of one of India's most exciting and unusual cities. It is a reminder of how much deeper a local can go and how much more valuable such a guide can be. If you are planning a visit to Mumbai this is a superb introduction." --Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald, Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as fl'neur and walking the city's past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge. -- Rohit Chopra, Sunday Guardian, The strength of Mumbai Fables is its treasury of cultural references about the city, and in this, it excels. Novels, short stories, newspapers, films, poems, paintings; the unique flavor of the place comes through powerfully., "Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables is a thing of beauty. Trawling the archives as flneur and walking the city's past as historian, Prakash reads the city as palimpsest. He pays homage to the seductive power of myths about Mumbai and its earlier avatar Bombay--the city of free enterprise, the efficient city, the cosmopolitan city, the liberal city, the modern city--while illuminating the troubled histories and lowly origins from which the myths emerge." --Rohit Chopra, Sunday Guardian, Mumbai Fables is an engaging narrative, and offers a different way for urban historians to write the biography of a city. But it will have more to offer for those familiar with the city, for whom the gleam of recognition will be a benefit. -- Katrina Gulliver, Berlin Review of Books, A majestic work of history. . . . Search for a single dull paragraph or a mildly boring chapter and you will be frustrated and defeated. . . . There is serious history here, which is very readable, and there is serious history of sex, murder, and scams reminiscent of the works of the novelist James Ellroy. -- Arthur J. Pais, India Abroad, [T]he most masterful history yet written about this celebrated, struggling city, a riveting narrative that reaches back to 1498 to explore the stories the metropolis has conspired to tell itself--and spun out for the world. . . . Prakash's Mumbai Fables sets a new standard in writing about cities, not just as a history of Mumbai but as an accessible history of any metropolis., "This fabulous book is lively and engaging, as well as profound and important. In clear and compelling prose Prakash unearths dynamic features of one of the most important cities in the world, achieving a large-scale portrait, from its origins to today. Rich with stories, this is a masterful sweep through a great city's history." --Philip J. Ethington, University of Southern California, Gyan Prakash chronicles Bombay with verve and panache. . . . [H]e has meshed different narratives of the city, and created a hybrid blend that is entirely in character with Bombay itself. -- Salil Tripathi, New Republic, "There is a fabulous element to his account, the retrieving of childhood awe, and a very real enchantment which much writing about Mumbai shares." --Andrew Whitehead, Raritan, "I recommend you read Mumbai Fables . And then, crack a beer and watch a Hindi film."-- Amitava Kumar, Bookslut.com, [T]his is an immensely readable book. In a highly informative and innovative style Prakash presents both a popular urban history and a sophisticated interpretation of that history, without compromising content, style or concept., [An] excellent account of Mumbai. . . . This is an insider's view of one of India's most exciting and unusual cities. It is a reminder of how much deeper a local can go and how much more valuable such a guide can be. If you are planning a visit to Mumbai this is a superb introduction. -- Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald, [Prakash] has been able to pull together an impressive amount of facts, figures, and fables by devoting himself to sources such as novels, poems, films, interviews, tabloid accounts and even comic-book illustrations. -- Bharti Kirchner, Seattle Times, Prakash weaves thrilling story lines about Bombay life depicted in movies, novels, and comic books with gripping true stories about the legendary Indian metropolis. . . . With an inviting style and inability to resist drama, Prakash creates lively portrayals of the major figures in the opium and cotton trades, the sensational reporting of the Blitz tabloid, and the horrific monsoons of the past decade., Etching out the cultural history of one of the world's most important urban centers, Gyan Prakash views Mumbai through its turning points and kaleidoscopic ideas, comic book heroes, and famous scandals. Shedding light on the city's past and present, Mumbai Fables offers an unparalleled look at this extraordinary metropolis., "The best test of a city's biography, like [ Mumbai Fables ], is whether it makes the reader want to visit of not. Those who do, having read this book, will have a perceptive, if quirky, insight as their guide."-- Times Literary Supplement, Reading Mumbai Fables , you can get the sense of the linear timeline, the Bombay to Mumbai, England to India, with a jagged Partition down the middle. . . . But going from A to B won't help you understand how that happened. Prakash uses the act of collage to give the reader a better perspective. . . . Masterful. . . . I think Prakash gets closer to a true picture of what Mumbai is--if a city is anything. -- Jessa Crispin, Smart Set, A delight. . . . Mumbai's history is almost as full of crime, corruption, terror, and chauvinism as of fabulous creativity. In Prakash's account, rightly, it is the latter which predominates., The best test of a city's biography, like [ Mumbai Fables ], is whether it makes the reader want to visit of not. Those who do, having read this book, will have a perceptive, if quirky, insight as their guide.

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal954/.792

SynopsisA place of spectacle and ruin, Mumbai exemplifies the cosmopolitan metropolis. It is not just a big city but also a soaring vision of modern urban life. Millions from India and beyond, of different ethnicities, languages, and religions, have washed up on its shores, bringing with them their desires and ambitions. Mumbai Fables explores the mythic inner life of this legendary city as seen by its inhabitants, journalists, planners, writers, artists, filmmakers, and political activists. In this remarkable cultural history of one of the world's most important urban centers, Gyan Prakash unearths the stories behind its fabulous history, viewing Mumbai through its turning points and kaleidoscopic ideas, comic book heroes, and famous scandals--the history behind Mumbai's stories of opportunity and oppression, of fabulous wealth and grinding poverty, of cosmopolitan desires and nativist energies. Starting from the catastrophic floods and terrorist attacks of recent years, Prakash reaches back to the sixteenth-century Portuguese conquest to reveal the stories behind Mumbai's historic journey. Examining Mumbai's role as a symbol of opportunity and reinvention, he looks at its nineteenth-century development under British rule and its twentieth-century emergence as a fabled city on the sea. Different layers of urban experience come to light as he recounts the narratives of the Nanavati murder trial and the rise and fall of the tabloid Blitz , and Mumbai's transformation from the red city of trade unions and communists into the saffron city of Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena. Starry-eyed planners and elite visionaries, cynical leaders and violent politicians of the street, land sharks and underworld dons jostle with ordinary citizens and poor immigrants as the city copes with the dashed dreams of postcolonial urban life and lurches into the seductions of globalization. Shedding light on the city's past and present, Mumbai Fables offers an unparalleled look at this extraordinary metropolis., A sweeping cultural history of India's largest city A place of spectacle and ruin, Mumbai exemplifies the cosmopolitan metropolis. It is not just a big city but also a soaring vision of modern urban life. Millions from India and beyond, of different ethnicities, languages, and religions, have washed up on its shores, bringing with them their desires and ambitions. Mumbai Fables explores the mythic inner life of this legendary city as seen by its inhabitants, journalists, planners, writers, artists, filmmakers, and political activists. In this remarkable cultural history of one of the world's most important urban centers, Gyan Prakash unearths the stories behind its fabulous history, viewing Mumbai through its turning points and kaleidoscopic ideas, comic book heroes, and famous scandals--the history behind Mumbai's stories of opportunity and oppression, of fabulous wealth and grinding poverty, of cosmopolitan desires and nativist energies. Starting from the catastrophic floods and terrorist attacks of recent years, Prakash reaches back to the sixteenth-century Portuguese conquest to reveal the stories behind Mumbai's historic journey. Examining Mumbai's role as a symbol of opportunity and reinvention, he looks at its nineteenth-century development under British rule and its twentieth-century emergence as a fabled city on the sea. Different layers of urban experience come to light as he recounts the narratives of the Nanavati murder trial and the rise and fall of the tabloid Blitz , and Mumbai's transformation from the red city of trade unions and communists into the saffron city of Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena. Starry-eyed planners and elite visionaries, cynical leaders and violent politicians of the street, land sharks and underworld dons jostle with ordinary citizens and poor immigrants as the city copes with the dashed dreams of postcolonial urban life and lurches into the seductions of globalization. Shedding light on the city's past and present, Mumbai Fables offers an unparalleled look at this extraordinary metropolis.

LC Classification NumberDS486.B7P73 2011