A literary colossus - THE NEW YORK TIMES One of the greatest Indian writers of the last century - PANKAJ MISHRA A masterpiece that will continue to speak to generations - K. SATCHIDANANDAN First published in Kannada in 1978, Avasthe is U.R. Ananthamurthy's tour de force. In a nation struggling with corruption and the corrosion of human values, the prime minister is all set to become a ruthless dictator. From his sickbed, Krishnappa Gowda, revolutionary leader of the peasants, grapples with his conscience, the schemes of partymen and flattery from hangers-on. Memories come and go as his mind, tethered to a failing body, reaches for the true meaning of life. In Ananthamurthy's hands, life's cruel negations - caste, poverty, pettiness - are delicately balanced with its triumphs - the splendour of nature, the majesty of poetry, the delight of friendship, the deliverance of love. The quintessential Indian novel, Avasthe is a masterpiece whose meanings will continue to resonate and reveal themselves long after it has been read.