is the first novel and the second work of fiction by Rana Dasgupta, the British-born author and son of an Indian father and an English mother. The book, which won the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Award, is a novel of great power and originality which constantly plays with the ideas of parallel realities and alternative universes, while also capturing the upheavals of history through a single individual’s life. The main protagonist, Ulrich, is a blind, 100 year old Bulgarian, living in Sofia where he was born under straitened circumstances, though once his family had enjoyed considerable affluence. Ulrich’s tale of solitude is also a contemplation of the words “identity”, “belonging” and “exile” and is interwoven with Bulgaria’s quest for a post-Ottoman identity across…
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Citation: Shamsie, Muneeza. "Solo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 June 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=30304, accessed 26 November 2024.]
