PADMAVATI THE HARLOT & OTHER STORIES

One of the pioneers of feminist writing in India, Kamala Das is known for her
provocative writing on female sexuality and desire. Padmavati the Harlot and Other
Stories includes some of her very best fiction. In 'A Little Kitten', a newly married
woman finds her life turning dull and insipid as the tedium of marriage begins to
settle in. An old woman believes she is a princess and is delighted to be courted
by three suitors in 'The Princess of Avanti'. A man realizes, too late, that he is in
love with the woman he is breaking up with in 'The Sea Lounge'. In these and other
stories, Kamala Das is bold and unflinching in her exploration of themes such as
violence, desire, sex, marriage, family, communalism, and death.