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| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Aleph Book Company |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type |
Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer is a 2012 novel by Indian author Cyrus Mistry, published by Aleph Book Company. It showcases a story of a small group of people called khandhia who perform last rites within the minority Parsi community of Bombay. Mistry won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2014 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in English category in 2015 for the novel.
Plot
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Phiroze 'Elchi' Elchidana is son of a Parsi priest, not very good in academics and hence a disappointment to his father, living in Bombay. The narrative is based in the years just after the Independence of India. His father hopes that Phiroze would one day become a priest as well. Wandering aimlessly in the Tower of Silence area when he sees Sepideh 'Seppy', and falls in love with her. Sepideh is daughter of Temoorus, a corpse bearer (khandhia), a small community within Parsis who perform the last rites and purification processes after the death of fellow Parsi. Phiroze's love is opposed by his family as khandhia community is considered untouchable and he has to hence bid adieu to his family for pursuing her. He renounces everything and himself becomes a khandhia, performing all the duties like washing the corpse with bull's urine, carrying it to the Tower of Silence and feeding it to vultures. Soon, Sepideh dies from snakebite and leaves Phiroze broken hearted and with a young baby girl Farida. The book goes on chronicling the new adopted life of Phiroze.
Publication and development
editReviews and reception
editIn 2015, Mistry won the Sahitya Akademi Award in English category.[1]
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2014 with monetary association of 50,000 USD[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "Akademi Awards (1955-2016)". Sahitya Akademi. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ Rhema Mukti Baxter (22 January 2014). "BETWEEN THE LINES - Cyrus Mistry says he hopes to get back to writing soon". Live Mint. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Shahnawaz Akhtar (18 January 2014). "Author Cyrus Mistry wins $50,000 DSC Prize for 'Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer'". Rediff. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Anvar Alikhan (27 July 2012). "Lord of the Untouchable". India Today. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Mahvesh Murad (30 September 2012). "REVIEW: Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer". Dawn. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Aditi Seshadri (2 September 2012). "Book review: 'Chronicle Of A Corpse Bearer'". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Lopamudra Chatterjee (1 May 2014). "Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer: Haunting, Poignant and Stark". News 18. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Roanna Gonsalves, Claudia Taranto (30 January 2014). "Corpse bearer's tale a hit at Jaipur Literature Festival". Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Apoorva Sripathi (18 December 2015). "Chronicler of a community". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Rising from the Ashes". Indian Express. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ Bakhtiar K. Dadabhoy (13 August 2012). "In The Shadow Of The Dakhma". Outlook India. Retrieved 4 April 2017.