Love Stories # 1 to 14

Curious villagers stopped to stare at this shameless man and woman whose fingers were wound in each others hair, and whose lips were stretched with impossible smiles, and faces were glowing like warm red wax in the late afternoon. But after a minute or two, they too walked away, because looking at the two any longer became unbearable.

A woman who wont let the shadow of death disrupt her love life, another who falls irrevocably in love with a dead police officer, a devoted wife who steps out twice a week for Narcotics Anonymous meetings, friends who should have been lovers, the woman who offers all her pent-up love to a railway announcers voice ... Annie Zaidis stories are at once warm and distant, violent and gentle and, above all, untroubled by cynicism. This is a look at love, straight in the eye, to understand the alluring nature of the beast.

About the Author
Annie Zaidi writes poetry, essays, fiction of varying lengths, and scripts for the stage and the screen. She is the author of Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales, a collection of essays that was shortlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award (non- fiction, 2011), and the co-author of The Bad Boys Guide to the Good Indian Girl. Crush, a series of illustrated poems, was made in collaboration with artist Gynelle Alves. Her work has appeared in various anthologies, including Mumbai Noir; Women Changing India; India Shining, India Changing, and literary journals like Pratilipi, The Little Magazine and Desilit. She currently lives in Mumbai.