Amit Chaudhuri

Amit Chaudhuri was born in Kolkata, India, just 15 years after the country gained independence from Great Britain. His father was a CEO of an Indian food products company, and his mother was a singer. He grew up in Bombay, attending a prestigious English-language school, and traveled to England to attend university and pursue a PhD in English literature. From then on, he divided his time and intellectual efforts between England and India, teaching at universities in both countries and writing for English publications such as The London Review of Books. He published his first novel, A Strange and Sublime Address, in 1991 and went on to write seven more novels, several works of nonfiction, and a collection of short stories in which “Real Time” is included. His work has explored Indian history, tensions between the country’s Hindu and Muslim communities, and the experiences of Indians who live or travel abroad. He currently teaches at India’s Ashoka University.