Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and the India connection!

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Apr 04 2013 | 1:05 AM IST
Oscar and Booker winning writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who died in the US today, had a strong India connection.
Born in Germany, she married Cyrus H Jhabvala, an Indian Parsi architect. In 1951 the couple moved to Delhi.
Twenty-four years later, she went to New York and divided her time between India and the US. In 1986, she became a naturalised citizen of the US.
In 1975, she was awarded the Booker Prize for her work "Heat and Dust", which views India through the lives of two English women living 50 years apart.
While living in India, she wrote novels about her life and experiences in the country -- "To Whom She Will" (1955), "Nature of Passion" (1956), "Esmond in India" (1957), "The Householder" (1960) and "Get Ready for the Battle" (1962).
In 1963, Jhabvala was approached by filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant to write a screenplay of her 1960 novel "The Householder".
Merchant once commented about his collaboration with Jhabvala, "It is a strange marriage we have at Merchant Ivory... I am an Indian Muslim, Ruth is a German Jew, and Jim is a Protestant American. Someone once described us as a three-headed god.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 04 2013 | 1:05 AM IST

Next Story