The Epic City

By Kushanava Choudhury ,

Book cover of The Epic City: The World on the Streets of Calcutta

Book description

'Witty, polished, honest and insightful, The Epic City is likely to become for Calcutta what Suketu Mehta's classic Maximum City is for Mumbai' William Dalrymple, Observer When Kushanava Choudhury arrived in New Jersey at the age of twelve, he had already migrated halfway around the world four times. After graduating…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Epic City as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

A cracking, thorough portrait of contemporary Kolkata as the Bengali capital is now known, by an Indian author who grew up in New Jersey (very much the flipside to Calcutta) and who returns to the city of his ancestors to work for a newspaper. The book is well-written, crammed with interesting anecdotes and historic trivia. Past and present are held against the light and the results are often funny. It’s as good as a book by a privileged outsider who speaks the language is likely to be. Perhaps in another decade, a non-fiction chronicle will be written by a resident…

From Tom's list on Kolkata (Calcutta India).

If you love The Epic City...

Ad

Book cover of The Beatles and the 1960s: Reception, Revolution, and Social Change

The Beatles and the 1960s by Kenneth L. Campbell,

The Beatles are widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history and their career has been the subject of many biographies. Yet the band's historical significance has not received sustained academic treatment to date. In The Beatles and the 1960s, Kenneth L. Campbell uses The…

Want books like The Epic City?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Epic City.

Browse books like The Epic City

Book cover of The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery
Book cover of Complete Adventures of Feluda Vol. 1
Book cover of Calcutta: A Cultural and Literary History

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,359

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Epic City, you might also like...

Book cover of Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on a Bicycle Through the Heartland

Heidi Across America by Heidi Beierle,

A memoir of homecoming by bicycle and how opening our hearts to others enables us to open our hearts to ourselves.

When the 2008 recession hit, 33-year-old Heidi Beierle was single, underemployed, and looking for a way out of her darkness. She returned to school, but her gloom deepened. All…

Book cover of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

Api's Berlin Diaries by Gabrielle Robinson,

Gabrielle found her grandfather’s diaries after her mother’s death, only to discover that he had been a Nazi. Born in Berlin in 1942, she and her mother fled the city in 1945, but Api, the one surviving male member of her family, stayed behind to work as a doctor in…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in India, home, and Kolkata?

India 528 books
Home 90 books
Kolkata 21 books