Socialite Evenings
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| Author | Shobha De |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Released | 1989 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-14-012267-2 |
| Followed by | Starry Nights |
Socialite Evenings is Shobha De's first novel. It describes a backdrop of Bombay high society and the lives of bored, rich housewives trapped in loveless marriages and engaging in ill-fated extramarital affairs, smug selfish husbands who use their wives more for social respectability than for love, fashionable parties, false spiritual leaders, and a portrait of the general moral, spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy and decadence of the Mumbai Elite who have traded in their traditional culture for near total Westernization and the discarding of any discernable values other than materialism.
[edit] Plot summary
Karuna, the main protagonist and narrator is caught up in a drab, boring life and she seeks to escape by writing her memoirs. Her memoirs are successful and she achieves a measure of fame and pride in herself as she becomes an active socialite and eventually uses her newfound prominence as a celebrity to get herself a position as an advertising copywriter and creator of a television series.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
Socialite Evenings was a critical disaster but a commercial success, likely due in part to its racy and controversial content, something that was fairly new in India at the time.[citation needed] Obviously written to shock, it has been widely criticized by many traditional elements in Indian society, De seems to have struck a nerve with many people and it is clear that many, particularly women, in India seem to be able to relate well to the novel. Although a novel, it closely parallells Shobha De's own rise to fame and some consider it to be partially autobiographical.[citation needed]
[edit] Release details
- 1989, India, Penguin, New Delhi ISBN 0-14-012267-2, Pub date ? ? 1989, paperback
- 1995, India, Penguin, New Delhi ISBN ?, Pub date ? ? 1995, paperback (as part of The Shobha De Omnibus)
| Shobha Dé |
| Socialite Evenings • Starry Nights • Shooting From the Hip • Sultry Days • Sisters • Small Betrayals • Second Thoughts • Selective Memory • Speedpost • Surviving Men • Strange Obsession • Snapshots • Spouse: The Truth About Marriage • Uncertain Liaisons • The Sexes • Swabhimaan • Stardust |
