Ardha Narishwara- Sahitya Akademi Award-Winning Hindi Novel

About the Book Ardhanarishwar is the story of the age-old problems of man and woman, but in a contemporary context. It is a tale of the complexities of human relationship of exploitation of men and women in different cross sections of society. It is also a story of the decay of socio-cultural institutions evolved over centuries, and also of the decadence of human values.

The characters range from a woman who offers herself to a man to save her sister-in-law to males who are otherwise of an ascetic temperament but one fatal flaw, to a demoralized septuagenarian who rapes a child. But there runs through all of them a common frailty - slavery to ego and the desire for liberation from it.

About the Author Vishnu Prabhakar (1912-2009) began his career from a government job and later joined the All India Radio. Later on he gave it up and flourished as a creative writer. Apart from original works in the genres of drama, story and novel, he has edited more than 60 works. He emerged as a great biographer after the publication of Awara Masiha a biography of the great Bengali novelist Sharat Chandra Chatterjee.

Vishnu Prabhakar was deeply influenced by Gandhi, Karl Marx, Khalil Gibran and Dr. Ambedkar, whose thoughts are artistically reflected in his writings. His literary vision encompasses a vast cross section of contemporary Indian society and his characters are real men and women whom we come across every day. The portraiture is marked with marvellous insights into the human psyché, which he paints with a diction that is simple and eloquent and yet colourful.

Vishnu Prabhakar was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award, Moortidevi Award and International Humanist Society, among a lot more.

**Contents and Sample Pages**