Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy

A Video Talk

One of the longest novels ever published in a single volume, this story is set in post-independence, post-partition India. It sweeps through history, the caste system, love affairs, land reforms, religious strife and politics. Rich and complex, wide-ranging and moving, this book transports the reader so vividly to India.

How did Vikram Seth come to write his masterpiece, and which other writers inspired him? Which members of his own family were the models for his characters?

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This video is about 60 minutes full of intriguing information.

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“the book to restore the serious reading public’s faith in the contemporary novel,”
― Daniel Johnson, The Times

Compared to Tolstoy and Eliot

When Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy was published in 1993, it took the world by storm. It remains one of the longest novels ever to be published in a single volume (at nearly one and a half thousand pages) and it has a huge cast of characters, so can appear to many to be a daunting read. Vikram Seth has been compared with Tolstoy and to George Eliot, and his book has been listed as one of the ‘all-time great Asian novels’.

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Responsible for social change

A Suitable Boy is a love story, concerning Lata Mehra’s search for a ‘suitable boy’ to marry. Her mother is desperate to snare a son-in-law, but Lata would rather focus on studying English Literature. She meets three possible suitors and at the end of the novel, she makes her choice. Many other marriages and love relationships are discussed within this rich novel – young Maan Kapoor falls for the courtesan singer Saeeda Bai, but he is loved by his friend Firoz, and there are the marriages of Lata’s brother and of her sister which provide her with important matrimonial examples.

The novel is also the story of India, a newly independent country struggling through a general election and political choices. Much of it is set near the Ganges which is more than a river – it is the Holy Mother of India. Seth gives his readers festivals and ceremonies, traditions and laws, cricket and clothing, food and funerals – the book is a panoramic sweep through a densely populated, colourful and intriguing land. It’s a novel on a truly grand scale.

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Purchase the complete Video Talk (just $15 AU)

This Video Talk is a real treat! In it, I reveal intriguing stories about the author to help you understand what prompted this book to be written. I identify the main characters and their roles, analyse the themes behind the story, and describe the influence that the era, lifestyle and circumstances have on the book’s setting. It is illustrated with photographs, paintings, scenes from different film versions and book covers – you’ll have plenty to look at while you listen. Buy it now and view your video immediately. Just $15, purchase access here.

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Discuss it with me

How did Vikram Seth come to write his masterpiece, and which other writers inspired him? Which members of his own family were the models for his characters? And what chances are there of the promised sequel about ‘A Suitable Girl’? How faithful is the recent TV adaptation (which has been described as ‘the Crown in brown’) to the original book, and how did the series break new ground?

Join me in discussing this monumental novel and in examining its power to delight and impress. You can discuss it with me here.

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Featured image credit- Danesh Razvi & Tanya Maniktala, A Suitable Boy, 2020 BBC TV series adaptation, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10795574/

Comments (2)

  1. Gopal Rangra

    I happen to read vikram seths suitable boy it is indeed tolstoyean giving a sweeping range of human life its intricacies byvthat unfolding indisn life since indeprndence highlighting indias marriage process which the same today where the families choose boy and girl for marriage involving damning matrimonial agencies , newesoaper advertisements and word of mouth relations i thotoughly enjoyed the novel itcwas unputtable down and it will grow down in history as the greatest piecies of literature and generations to come will marvel at the lieral genius of vikram seth

    • Susannah Fullerton

      I agree – it is a great novel and will become a classic of literature. So full of detail, deep character analysis and a knowledge of history.

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