Partition Voices

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Partition Voices written and read by Kavita Puri.

UPDATED FOR THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF PARTITION

‘Puri does profound and elegant work bringing forgotten narratives back to life. It’s hard to convey just how important this book is’ Sathnam Sanghera

‘The most humane account of partition I’ve read ... We need a candid conversation about our past and this is an essential starting point’ Nikesh Shukla, Observer

'Thanks to Ms. Puri and others, [that] silence is giving way to inquisitive—and assertive—voices. In Britain, at least, the partitioned have learned to speak frankly of the past—and to search for ways to reckon with it' Wall Street Journal
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Newly revised for the seventy-fifth anniversary of partition, Kavita Puri conducts a vital reappraisal of empire, revisiting the stories of those collected in the 2017 edition and reflecting on recent developments in the lives of those affected by partition.

The division of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 into India and Pakistan saw millions uprooted and resulted in unspeakable violence. It happened far away, but it would shape modern Britain.

Dotted across homes in Britain are people who were witnesses to one of the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century. But their memory of partition has been shrouded in silence. In her eye-opening and timely work, Kavita Puri uncovers remarkable testimonies from former subjects of the Raj who are now British citizens – including her own father.

Weaving a tapestry of human experience over seven decades, Puri reveals a secret history of ruptured families and friendships, extraordinary journeys and daring rescue missions that reverberates with compassion and loss. It is a work that breaks the silence and confronts the difficult truths at the heart of Britain’s shared past with South Asia.

Critics Review

Puri does profound and elegant work bringing forgotten narratives back to life. It’s hard to convey just how important this book is
Sathnam Sanghera
Probably the closest thing to a partition memorial … Heartfelt and beautifully judged
Literary Review
Kavita Puri's book is the most humane account of partition I've read … Partition Voices is important because Puri does not flinch as she dissects the tumultuous event, never shying away from the trauma … We need a candid conversation about our past and this is an essential starting point
Observer
Opens a fascinating and necessary conversation about contemporary Britain and its people – where they have come from, what they have done, and who they may now want to be
Times Literary Supplement
An original and moving collection of testimonies from British Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus about the transformative era of India's partition
Guardian, 50 Best Books of the Summer
Thanks to Ms. Puri and others, [that] silence is giving way to inquisitive—and assertive—voices. In Britain, at least, the partitioned have learned to speak frankly of the past—and to search for ways to reckon with it - Wall Street Journal
With a masterful mix of history, biography and contemporary reportage, Puri crafts a fascinating account of the living memory of South Asia in modern Britain. This book brings together a rich and disparate chronicle of lives ripped apart and remade by the trauma of partition, and deftly traces how the diaspora of post-colonial India and Pakistan helped to reshape the UK. Perceptive, enriching, shocking and joyful, Puri’s is a powerful and courageous book for multicultural Britain
Tristram Hunt
Confronts the difficult truths at the heart of Britain’s shared – and often ignored – shared history with South Asia
Stylist, Best non-fiction books of 2019
One of my favourite books and an important one ... Changed the way I see the world
Jeremy Vine
An intimate, moving and important book by a daughter of partition. Kavita Puri reveals untold stories of those who lived through one of the most violent political earthquakes of the twentieth century. These are stories we need to hear
Kirsty Wark
This collection reveals how families are still impacted generations down the line and is a crucial read for understanding South Asian history
Cosmopolitan
An amazing, deeply moving book
Dan Snow
The most extraordinary book. The prologue already had me in tears. This is history – often being told out loud for the very first time ... The book of 2019 that opened my eyes more than anything else. Seminal work, beautifully told
Emily Maitlis
A powerful and timely work. Kavita Puri coaxes often unspeakable and unspoken memories from a time of unimaginable trauma. A must-read for those interested in the fault lines in today's geopolitics
Anita Anand
Powerful, compelling and heartbreaking – these are stories of division and conflict rescued from the past that offer valuable lessons for the present
Sarfraz Manzoor
Partition Voices takes its place alongside other valuable books on partition such as Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan and Urvashi Butalia's The Other Side of Silence
Eastern Eye
An evocative book that leaves you breathless with its human predicament and gives voice to stories long held prisoner to silence ... Nobody has ever brought out the stories of South Asians now settled in the United Kingdom ... Kudos to Kavita Puri for documenting Partition’s lasting legacy in Britain, an irony in itself. It is a unique book, one that lives with you long after the stories end
Frontline Magazine
Puri’s excellent book is a welcome antidote to British amnesia over its colonial legacy. Partition is not just an Indian story, it is a British one too
All About History
An important document of those turbulent times - raw and unbiased
The Hindu
This is an essential book, remarkable in its reach and power. It brings the difficulty of how we pass on stories across generations into a moving and beautiful focus. Partition Voices is a book of witness and testimony that should have the widest readership possible.
Edmund de Waal

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