Memoirs: Habib Tanveer

As the man who brought the popular and the demotic into modern Indian theatre, Habib Tanvir is one of Asia’s most important and gifted theatre directors. In this memoir, touching on both the private and the public aspects of his life with startling candour, he takes us on a journey from his childhood in Raipur to the Bombay film world of the 1940s and thence to the Indian Theatre People’s Association, offering an invaluable window into twentieth-century India.

Whether he is describing his family members, friends or actors, Habib Tanvir is superbly observant and sharply insightful, capturing both the quotidian and the quirky in his distinct style and delightful voice. Written with great warmth and humour, these memoirs provide a memorable portrait of an extraordinary man.