Sunlight on a Broken Column

An extraordinary novel, with an extraordinary heroine. Laila is a sharp observer of the tumultuous politics, and the cultural, racial, and religious conflicts of the dying days of the Raj. There is such richness here, waiting to be rediscovered – Monica AliAs if one had parted a curtain, or opened a door, and strayed into the past … Hosain’s greatest strength lies in her ability to draw a rich, full portrait of her society - ignoring none of its many faults and cruelties – Anita DesaiA masterful examination of class, culture, family and women’s lives set against the backdrop of Partition – Kiran Millwood HargraveThe deftness with which Attia Hosain handles the interplay of manners, class, culture and different forms of female power is gorgeously done … Laila is such a remarkable heroine - sharp, spirited and passionate – Kamila ShamsieDespite Sunlight on a Broken Column being sixty years old, this book is still so relevant, for its themes of privilege, patriarchy, and the effects of Empire. It deftly handles themes that in lesser hands could feel heavy, and delivers a beautiful story that leaves a lasting impression. – Saima Mir

Attia Hosain (1913-1998) was born in Lucknow and educated at La Martiniere and Isabella Thoburn College. She blended an English liberal education with that of a traditional Muslim household where she was taught Persian, Urdu and Arabic. She was the first woman to graduate from among the feudal ‘Taluqdari’ families into which she was born.

Influenced in the 1930s by the nationalist movement and the Progressive Writers’ Group in India, she became a journalist, broadcaster and writer. In 1947, she moved to England and presented her own women’s programme on the BBC Eastern Service for many years, and appeared on television and the West End stage. She is the author of Phoenix Fled (1953) and Sunlight on a Broken Column (1961).

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