{"product_id":"lakshmis-secret-diary-hardcover","title":"Lakshmi's Secret Diary - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSheela Mahadevan\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eAri Gautier\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeeking to escape captivity, Lakshmi the temple elephant sets out on a stirring journey toward freedom. On her way, she briefly experiences life as a film star and encounters a colorful cast including a three-legged dog named Tripod Dog Baba, other elephants in the Bandipur Forest, a chameleon facing an existential crisis, a moon who dances with an elephant, and a flying fish called Alphonse. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eLakshmi's Secret Diary\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable Indian Francophone novel set in Pondicherry, the former capital of French India. Blending philosophical meditations, retellings of Sanskrit mythology, and social critique, Ari Gautier tells the story of Lakshmi's attempt to escape her fate. From the point of view of animals, the novel explores concepts of destiny, freedom, and identity. It illuminates the paradoxes of animal-human relations in India, where animals are both abused and worshiped, and provides an imaginative critique of the caste system. Gautier's vivid portrait of Pondicherry brings to life the religious, cultural, culinary, and visual diversity of the city's districts and sheds light on the little-known history of French colonialism in India. An afterword explores issues such as reincarnation and Indian translation traditions in relation to the novel. At once tragic and comic, satirical and surreal, \u003ci\u003eLakshmi's Secret Diary\u003c\/i\u003e is a surprising, compelling, and moving novel from a gifted storyteller.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAri Gautier is an Indian Francophone writer and poet from the former French Indian territory of Pondicherry, now based in Norway. One of the few contemporary Indian writers who adopts French as a primary literary language, he is also the author of the novel \u003ci\u003eLe Thinnai\u003c\/i\u003e and the short story collection \u003ci\u003eNocturne Pondichéry\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSheela Mahadevan is lecturer in French and Francophone studies at the University of Liverpool.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 296\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.81 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 10, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51774946312480,"sku":"9780231212045","price":180.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/e8dee4a9a3d6002fa0552e197a9bb67f.webp?v=1780456630","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/lakshmis-secret-diary-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}