Relationship : Extracts from a Correspondence

The letters speak of a growing and passionate involvement, of the authors joy and pain at discovering an intellectual companionship while at the same time being forced to face the realities of their own lives and positions. They reflect on the dilemmas and compulsions that bind men and women into particular relationships, and the exigencies of public life and its implications for the private sphere.

Honest and clear, these letters provide a mirror of the times when a kind of idealism and commitment still seemed possible. They give the reader an insight into the life and thoughts of one of India’s most successful writers, and one of the most distinguished civil servants of his generation. While the correspondence highlights one woman’s endeavour to remain true to herself, her writing, her ideals and relationships, both within marriage and outside it, it as powerfully reflects the personality, vision and dedication of the man with whom she shared it.

Nayantara Sahgal, daughter of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and niece of Jawaharlal Nehru, is best known for her eight novels. She also writes non-fiction, including political commentary.