Taylor, Kamala (1924–2004)
Taylor, Kamala (1924–2004)
British novelist. Name variations: Kamala Purnaiya Taylor; (pseudonym) Kamala Markandaya. Born Kamala Purnaiya in 1924 (one source cites 1923), in Chimakurti, Mysore, India; died at home, May 16, 2004, in London, England; her family was Brahmin, the highest Hindu caste; graduate of University of Madras; m. Bertrand Taylor (died 1986); children: Kim.
One of the 1st women writers from the Indian subcontinent to achieve renown, studied history at Madras University and became a journalist; moved to Britain (1948); came to prominence with 1st novel, Nectar in a Sieve (1954), which was a bestseller, particularly in US, followed by Some Inner Fury (1955) and A Silence of Desire (1960), considered one of her best works; wrote 7 other novels, including A Handful of Rice (1966), The Nowhere Man (1972), Two Virgins (1973), The Golden Honeycomb (1977), and Pleasure City (1982, published as Shalimar in US, 1983).
See also Women in World History.