“stephen alter”

In India the border represents a source of national regret…In Pakistan it is a symbol of identity and pride.’ Amritsar to Lahore describes a journey across the contentious border—‘an artificial fault line’—that lies between India and Pakistan, two countries whose destinies remain inextri... More

A spiritual journey up India’s most sacred river This is an account of a journey taken in India. The destination is the origin of the Ganga, the holiest and most famous of Indian rivers. It is a physical journey, involving months of trekking through forested valleys and snow-covered mountains. It ... More

A tale of a hunter and a courtesan: The brave, noble Vanu, huntsman of the forest and the beautiful, graceful Aranyani, child of the mountains. Theirs is a love that reverberates through time, a story that remains as eternal as the waters of the Ganga.... More

A loving tribute to a unique upbringing When Stephen Alter is asked the simple question Where are you from, originally? he hesitates. Although he is in almost every way an American—granted with a trace of British accent—he has an unexpected reply: My real home was in India, a hill station called... More

Lionel 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... More

The 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 wi... More

"Having observed my fair share of elephants, I've found them to be almost ineffably heart-wrenching. So I salute Stephen Alter for persisting, prevailing in the task. These radiant, galumphing, expressive animals are vanishing in the wild. But Alter has been to see them and telepathize." - Edward Ho... More

Bollywood movies are glorious, colorful spectacles of romance, action, drama, song, and dance. The biggest film industry in the world, Bollywood puts out some nine hundred movies a year, which are watched by passionate fans around the globe. Stephen Alter--a writer who grew up in India and has insid... More

"During the course of my journey, many of the people I met in Pakistan and India expressed a curious combination of affection, indifference, and animosity toward their neighbors across the border. . . . The border divides them but it is also a seam that joins the fabric of their cultures." On 15 Aug... More

When Ming, Orion, and Courtney read an incantation from the pages of "The Compleat Necromancer," they have no way of knowing they are about to conjure up the ghosts of an entire island nation. Illustrations.When three sixth-graders break into the town library to read aloud from a book of sorcery, li... More