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February092009

Book Giveaway: Daniyal Mueenuddin's "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders"

Filed under: Letters & Challenges   Tagged:

Martin Schneider writes:

Emdashes is pleased to be hosting a book giveaway this week, for In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, Daniyal Mueenuddin's first collection of short stories, which is being released today. Mueenuddin has had three stories in The New Yorker over the last two years, and there's every reason to think that he will be a writer to watch for some time to come. As an example, here's Publishers Weekly's review of the book:

In eight beautifully crafted, interconnected stories, Mueenuddin explores the cutthroat feudal society in which a rich Lahore landowner is entrenched. A complicated network of patronage undergirds the micro-society of servants, families and opportunists surrounding wealthy patron K.K. Harouni. In "Nawabdin Electrician," Harouni's indispensable electrician, Nawab, excels at his work and at home, raising 12 daughters and one son by virtue of his cunning and ingenuity-qualities that allow him to triumph over entrenched poverty and outlive a robber bent on stealing his livelihood. Women are especially vulnerable without the protection of family and marriage ties, as the protagonist of "Saleema" learns: a maid in the Harouni mansion who cultivates a love affair with an older servant, Saleema is left with a baby and without recourse when he must honor his first family and renounce her. Similarly, the women who become lovers of powerful men, as in the title story and in "Provide, Provide," fall into disgrace and poverty with the death of their patrons. An elegant stylist with a light touch, Mueenuddin invites the reader to a richly human, wondrous experience.

Here are the rules: Drop us an email, subject line "NAWABDIN ELECTRICIAN" and please include your name and full mailing address. We'll take all entries until 8:00 pm EST on Friday, February 13, and then the Random Number Generator will make its merciless decision. And good luck to all entrants!

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