Overview

Naomi Mitchison had travelled to India in 1951 and to Madras (Chennai) in 1958, after which she visited her brother Jack. He was by then living an Indian lifestyle in Calcutta (Kolkata) with which she found it difficult to empathise - in stark contrast to her own later immersion in a Botswana community. As was her habit, she sought to understand the country and her reactions to it by looking at the role of women, in their homes and in society. This led to the writing of Judy and Lakshmi. The developing friendship between two girls is the framework for an open and straightforward account of the ethnic and cultural issues across the country at an important time in its history. It captures with a deft touch the nuances of social interactions and their consequences. The style may be dated, but the message remains relevant.

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9781849212274

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Naomi Mitchison's stories always give life to her people and their setting. This is an entrancing picture of life in India. One can see the colour of the gorgeous saris, watch the ceremonial dances, share the Christmas-like festival of the Dipavalli. A wise and understanding book, this will captivate not only girls like Judy but anyone, young or old, who loves colour and vitality in writing. The Scotsman, on first publication of the story in 1959. I have read Naomi Mitchison's story with much pleasure. There is no better way of knowing a country than to look at it through the eyes of a child. Mrs. Mitchison has brought out the spirit of India in this story of the day-to-day life of its people. Mrs. Pandit, High Commissioner for India, on first publication of the story in 1959.

"""Naomi Mitchison's stories always give life to her people and their setting. This is an entrancing picture of life in India. One can see the colour of the gorgeous saris, watch the ceremonial dances, share the Christmas-like festival of the Dipavalli. A wise and understanding book, this will captivate not only girls like Judy but anyone, young or old, who loves colour and vitality in writing."" The Scotsman, on first publication of the story in 1959. ""I have read Naomi Mitchison's story with much pleasure. There is no better way of knowing a country than to look at it through the eyes of a child. Mrs. Mitchison has brought out the spirit of India in this story of the day-to-day life of its people."" Mrs. Pandit, High Commissioner for India, on first publication of the story in 1959."

Author Information

Moira Burgess is a novelist, short story writer and literary historian who lives in Glasgow, but was brought up in Kintyre, the setting of The Big House. She is the author of Mitchison's Ghosts (Humming Earth, 2008), on supernatural and mythical elements in the writing of Naomi Mitchison, and is working on a collected edition of Mitchison's essays and journalism to be published in several volumes by Kennedy & Boyd.

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