Penguin Books acquires 'Democrats and Dissenters' by Ramachandra Guha

Historian and biographer Ramachandra Guha's new collection of essays "Democrats and Dissenters" has been acquired by Penguin Random House, the publisher said today.

The book covers a wide range of themes: from the varying national projects of India's neighbours to political debates within India itself, from the responsibilities of writers to the complex relationship between democracy and violence.

It contains essays critically assessing the work of Amartya Sen and Eric Hobsbawm, essays on the predicament of tribals in India and on the peculiar absence of a tradition of conservative intellectuals in India.

Scheduled to be published in 2016, the book according to publishers "shines a sharp, provocative spotlight on major debates in Indian history and politics."

"Penguin Random House have published my 'Makers of Modern India', the first volume of my Gandhi biography, as well as several new editions from my back-list. They shall also publish the second volume of my Gandhi biography in 2018. Meanwhile, I am delighted that they have bought the rights to 'Democrats and Dissenters,'" Bengaluru-based Guha said in a statement.

Meru Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief, who acquired rights for the book from Gill Coleridge at Rogers, Coleridge and White, said: "This is an important time in India's history to examine its diverse political and intellectual landscape. No one is better placed to do this than Ramachandra Guha. I am very much looking forward to working with him on the publication of his new book of essays."

Guha's books include a pioneering environmental history, "The Unquiet Woods", and an award-winning social history of cricket, "A Corner of a Foreign Field". He has authored a collection of columns "Partisans and Patriots", and his most recent book is "Gandhi Before India.