When the East is a Career: The Question of Exoticism in Indian Anglophone Literature

Abstract

This essay defends the critical position that there is a strong element of exoticism in Indian Anglophone literature. I do so by offering a rebuttal of two recent articles, written in each case by a prominent writer, defending Indian Anglophone literature against its detractors. Amit Chaudhuri's article, 'The East as a Career,' in the New Left Review, challenges head-on the charges levied against Anglophone literature. Vikram Chandra, in his piece 'The Cult of Authenticity' in the Boston Review similarly decries the critics of Indian Anglophone literature. I choose to discuss Chaudhuri and Chandra's pieces as they are established writers of the genre, their views are aired in prestigious journals and they are therefore in a position to mold critical opinion. I begin with an overview of Chaudhuri and Chandra's position and then proceed to interrogate some of their central assumptions. I contend that the writers choose to misread the political character of the exoticism critique. Contrary to what they suggest, the particular skepticism towards Indian Anglophone literature is not grounded in a nativistic position; instead, it is rooted in the legitimate concerns about the place of English in social reproduction.