Anita Desai

Nur is considered the greatest living Urdu poet and Deven hopes to rekindle interest in the language by recording Nur reciting his magical verse. But multiple problems block Deven's path, the greatest being Nur's two shrewish wives, his love of drink, and the vastly bloated poet himself. Deven's monstrous task quickly turns into a cultural odyssey that follows a humorous path to an unexpected conclusion.