{"title":"Stephen Alter","description":"\u003cp\u003eStephen Alter\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"silk-and-steel","title":"Silk And Steel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44785242734771,"sku":"9788119635047","price":399.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/9788119635047.jpg?v=1762796686"},{"product_id":"the-secret-sanctuary","title":"The Secret Sanctuary","description":"\u003cp\u003eLost in the jungle... surrounded by wildlife and magic!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the Secret Sanctuary\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA magical jungle where laughing thrushes brush against your cheek and barking deer stop to be petted; an enchanting wilderness where you can tug a monkey's tail or share a den with a mountain bear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOr go in search of a rare mountain quail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOr listen to a concert at dawn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOr walk through a spider's web as if it wasn't there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOr follow a blood trail through the jungle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis idyllic world is a natural paradise. There is only one catch. Once you enter, you may never be able to go back.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45073556996275,"sku":"9780143333982","price":160.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/718RY0fGTvL.jpg?v=1762870582"},{"product_id":"becoming-a-mountain-himalayan-journey-pb","title":"Becoming A Mountain - Himalayan Journey (Pb)","description":"\u003cp\u003eStephen Alter was born and raised in the hill station of Mussoorie, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where he and his wife, Ameeta, now live. Their idyllic existence was shattered when four armed intruders invaded their home and viciously attacked them, leaving them for dead. The violent assault and the trauma of almost dying left the author questioning assumptions he had lived by since childhood. For the first time, he encountered the face of evil and the terror of the unknown. He felt like a foreigner in the land of his birth.This book is an account of a series of treks he took in the high Himalayas following his convalescence—to Bandarpunch (monkey’s tail); Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India; and Mount Kailash in Tibet. He set himself this goal to prove that he had healed mentally as well as physically and to re-knit his connection to his homeland. Undertaken out of sorrow, the treks become a moving personal quest, a way to rediscover mountains in his inner landscape. Weaving together observations of the natural world, Himalayan history, folklore and mythology, as well as encounters with other pilgrims along the way, Stephen Alter has given us a moving meditation on the solace of high places and on the hidden meanings and enduring mystery of the mountains.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45082420936883,"sku":"9789386021564","price":400.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/8158ZnuRgDL.jpg?v=1762900897"},{"product_id":"wild-himalaya-hb","title":"Wild Himalaya (Hb)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Himalaya span a distance of roughly 2, 500 kilometres in length and between 350 and 150 kilometres in breadth, rising to a maximum height of almost 9 kilometres above sea level. In wild Himalaya, award-winning author Stephen alter brings alive the greatest mountain range on Earth in all its terrifying beauty, grandeur and complexity. Travelling to all the five countries that the Himalayan range traverses—india, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and China— alter braids together on-the-ground reports with a deep understanding and study of the history, Science, Geology, environment, Flora, fauna, myth, folklore, spirituality, climate and human settlements of the region to provide a nuanced and rich portrait of these legendary mountains. Adding colour to the narrative are riveting tales unearthed by the author of some of the range’s most storied peaks—everest or chomolungma, kanchenjunga, Annapurna, dhaulagiri, nanga Parbat and others. The book is divided into eight sections which delve deep into particular aspects of the Himalaya. ‘Orogenesis’ explores the origin, evolution, Geology, Geography and other such core aspects of these mountains; ‘the third pole’ concerns itself with weather, glaciers, wetlands and rivers; ‘Flora himalensis’ details extraordinary Himalayan plants and trees; ‘winged migrants’ goes deep into the world of Himalayan birds and insects; in ‘mountain mammals’ we cross high passes and go above the tree line in search of Brown bears, Blue sheep and snow leopards; ‘ancestral journeys’ takes a close look at human settlement in the Himalaya and stories of origin and migration, both ancient and contemporary; ‘at the edge of beyond’ recounts epic adventures and great mountaineering feats; and, finally, ‘in a thousand ages of the gods’ the author examines the essence of Himalayan art, folklore and mythology as well as enigmatic mysteries such as the existence of the Yeti, along with key questions of conservation. Although there have been hundreds of books and some masterpieces, about one or the other aspect of the Himalaya, not one of them has come close to capturing the incredible complexity and majesty of these mountains. Until now. In wild Himalaya, Stephen alter, who considers himself an endemic species (having spent most of his life in these mountains), gives us the definitive natural history of the greatest mountain range on Earth.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45082435616947,"sku":"9789388292771","price":800.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/81NdmB4SfaL.jpg?v=1762901276"},{"product_id":"the-cloudfarers","title":"The Cloudfarers","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Those footprints tell us of our origins, recalling the first Cloudfarers who came to earth, exiled from the sky.'\u003cbr\u003e\nParamount Academy is nothing short of a prison. As Kip comes to terms with this awful military-style school, he makes new friends who have a terrible secret: they are Cloudfarers-a lost tribe of beings from another planet, who have been exiled on earth. And they need his help to get back to their land, away from Principal Captain Lovelock, who is on to them. But time is running out . . .\u003cbr\u003e\nJoin Kip and his friends as they embark on a stormy adventure on the clouds and through dangerous cliffs and mountains to reach a safe haven.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45231257616563,"sku":"9780143442189","price":200.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/51WVMP1rWCS.jpg?v=1768992768"},{"product_id":"amritsar-to-lahore","title":"Amritsar to Lahore","description":"\u003cp\u003eTravel account on the Indo-Pakistan border. a beautiful study of individuals, remembrances of the partition, current politics. a good read, with excellent reviews.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45637333680307,"sku":"9780140296648","price":280.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/41bq2XO_wTL.jpg?v=1783076074"},{"product_id":"elephas-maximus","title":"Elephas Maximus","description":"\u003cp\u003eA vivid portrait of an animal that has captured the imagination of humans for millennia Elephas maximus, the majestic Asian elephant, is still revered in Indian religion and culture. Yet, unabated ivory poaching conjures up fears of a future when tuskless males may be all that survive and conservationists are fighting to preserve its endangered habitat as settlements expand. Fascinated by this regal animal and its unique relationship with humankind, Stephen Alter travelled extensively across India to explore its natural home, and its place in history and myth. Alter's search takes him from national parks where he observes elephants in the wild to the annual Sonepur Mela where they are bought and sold, to Kota where they once played a unique role in royal festivals. He charts the elephant in art, religion, folklore and the everyday world of India, bringing to life the complex past and troubled present of this majestic creature while offering hope for its future.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45637336039603,"sku":"9780143031741","price":319.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/81itPtbd7bL.jpg?v=1783076188"},{"product_id":"neglected-lives","title":"Neglected Lives","description":"\u003cp\u003eLionel arrives in Debrakot on horseback, escaping a reckless love affair in Lucknow. Brigadier and Mrs Augden take him into their home. The picturesque surroundings help Lionel find a measure of peace, though he finds himself trapped within an isolated, aging Anglo-Indian community who struggle with ghosts of the British Raj. He discovers troubling secrets of personal history, questions that arise from a legacy of mixed parentage, and encounters disturbing and fascinating characters like Farleigh, an eccentric recluse who raises leeches, and Salim, the overweight heir to a decrepit hotel??? Stephen Alter's debut novel, Neglected Lives, was first published in 1978. It remains an elegiac work of fiction that leads us into a part of India that is seldom visited. Told through the voices of different characters, this story explores themes of identity, love and youth, weaving together moments of violence and tenderness to create a resilient fabric of human experience. ???Neglected Lives is a short novel of unusual and exquisite quality???Mr Alter has a rare narrative zest, a surging feeling for the physical world, a strongly individual grasp of character, and an agreeable bite of wit'??\\\"The New Yorker ???Paul Scott???Ruth Jhabvala???M.M. Kay???Stephen Alter is by no means out of place in this company'??\\\"Daily Telegraph (London) Books by Stephen Alter Renuka Neglected Lives Amritsar to Lahore: Crossing the Border Between India and Pakistan All the Way to Heaven: An American Boyhood in the Himalayas Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage to the Many Sources of the Ganga Elephas Maximus: A Portrait of the Indian Elephant Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking The Penguin Book of Modern Indian Short Stories (co-edited) ???Neglected Lives depicts a hill station and its residents on the decline, reminding one of Paul Scott's Staying On'??\\\"Ruskin Bond\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45637342101683,"sku":"9780143063735","price":239.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/511qtISh7gL.jpg?v=1783076447"},{"product_id":"renuka","title":"Renuka","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe friendship between Renuka, a Bengali poet, and Rachel, an American missionary, lies at the heart of this novel. Two women from entirely different backgrounds, they share a bond that overcomes the barriers of nationality, race and religion. Both are exiled to a hill station, which is populated with provincial and prudish memsahibs, who adjust their recipes to compensate for the altitude and substitute ingredients from home. While Rachel’s husband works at a psychiatric hospital in the plains, in Ranchi, she looks after their sons who attend a mission school in the hills. While editing a cookbook, Rachel begins to realize the contradictions within her community. She also discovers the seductive voice of Renuka’s poetry. Renuka, Stephen Alter’s fourth novel, builds to a startling climax, while uncovering hidden truths about love, sexuality and passion. ‘In Renuka, Alter has drawn a remarkable portrait of a totally credible woman he captures exactly the love-hate attitudes of Westerners who spend time in the subcontinent. A rare achievement to use a simple framework so effectively’—Sarah Curtis, Times Literary Supplement ‘Renuka is a most accomplished, utterly convincing study of two women of different backgrounds and contrasting temperaments. The book rises to a moving climax, followed by an adagio of “lingering sadness” like the aftermath of a “disturbing dream” by far [Alter’s] best’—John Mellors Books by Stephen Alter Renuka Neglected Lives Amritsar to Lahore: Crossing the Border Between India and Pakistan All the Way to Heaven: An American Boyhood in the Himalayas Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage to the Many Sources of the Ganga Elephas Maximus: A Portrait of the Indian Elephant Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief: Inside the World of Indian Moviemaking The Penguin Book of Modern Indian Short Stories\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxfordbookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45637342134451,"sku":"9780143063742","price":239.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0718\/4164\/4723\/files\/910C9vdI06L.jpg?v=1783076446"}],"url":"https:\/\/oxfordbookstore.com\/collections\/stephen-alter.oembed","provider":"Oxfordbookstore ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}