The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.jpg
first edition
Author Arundhati Roy
Cover artistMayank Austen Soofi
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
Set inIndia
Publisher Hamish Hamilton (UK & India)
Alfred A. Knopf (US)
Publication date
6 June 2017
Publication placeIndia
Pages449
ISBN 9781524733155
Preceded by The God Of Small Things  
Website theministryofutmosthappiness.com

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is the second novel by Indian writer Arundhati Roy, published in 2017, twenty years after her debut, The God of Small Things . [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

The novel weaves together the stories of people navigating some of the darkest and most violent episodes of modern Indian history, from land reform that dispossessed poor farmers to the Bhopal disaster, 2002 Godhra train burning and Kashmir insurgency. [3] Roy's characters run the gamut of Indian society and include an intersex woman (hijra), a rebellious architect, and her landlord who is a supervisor in the intelligence service. [4] The narrative spans across decades and locations, but primarily takes place in Delhi and Kashmir.

Characters

Other characters

Awards and honors

See also

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References

  1. Kakutani, Michiko (5 June 2017). "Arundhati Roy's Long-Awaited Novel Is an Ambitious Look at Turmoil in India". The New York Times . Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  2. Mahajan, Karan (9 June 2017). "Arundhati Roy's Return to the Form That Made Her Famous". The New York Times . Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  3. Clark, Alex (11 June 2017). "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy review – a patchwork of narratives". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  4. Van Niekerk, Annemarie (25 June 2017). "Arundhati Roy beschrijft de zwartste bladzijden van de Indiase geschiedenis". Trouw (in Dutch).
  5. Singh, Gurpreet (24 June 2017). "Gurpreet Singh: Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness gives voice to the other India". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  6. Clark, Alex (11 June 2017). "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy review – a patchwork of narratives". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  7. "The Hindu Prize 2017 shortlist is out". The Hindu. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  8. "Man Booker Prize announces 2017 longlist - The Man Booker Prizes". Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  9. Press Trust of India (23 January 2018). "Arundhati Roy and Mohsin Hamid among five finalists for top US book critics award". Hindustan Times.