Clarinda, a Historical Novel

Book excerpt: The Book Written In English Is A Novel Set In The Mid-18Th Century. The Story Is Based On A Historical Figure, A Real Clarinda, The Widow Of A Maratha Brahmin, Who Had Been One Of The KingýS Servants In Tanjore, And After Her HusbandýS Death Became The Concubine Of An English Officer Of The Name Of Lyttleton. The Imagined Story Of This Unusual Woman, Who Gradually Takes Control Of Her Life, Gives Madhaviah The Opportunity To Work Out Some Of His Favourite Themes: WomenýS Education, The Questions Of Sati And Widow Remarriage, And The Encounter Between Hinduism And Christianity. The Cross-Cultural, Inter-Religious Relationship Which Is At The Heart Of The Novel Is Unusual And Profoundly Interesting.