Mukherjee is the author of nine books, one screenplay and a contributor toseveral periodicals, including Saturday Night. She won the NationalBook Critics Circle award for fiction in 1988 for her book The Middleman andOther Stories. The work documents the adventures and struggles ofimmigrants in America. It was praised as a literary achievement that liftedMukherjee to "the top ranks of all writers past and present." A reviewer forMother Jones said of Mukherjee, "Such abilities open the way to afictional world few writers have tackled."
Blaise has authored five books and contributed more than 40 stories tomagazines, including Shenandoah, Tri-Quarterly and AmericanReview. John Yohalem, writing for The New York Times Book Reviewsaid of Blaise, "[He] is a thoughtful and entertaining writer, a rediscovererof childhood with a good memory for his reactions the first time he passedthrough...[He] is a born storyteller and an easy writer to like, to savor.
Mukherjee and Blaise collaborated on the nonfiction Days and Nights inCalcutta, the result of a trip they took to India. Each wroteapproximately half of the book, reflecting their two very different points ofview. The book was later adapted into a screenplay.
For more information on the reading contact the Hamilton College EnglishDepartment at 859-4370.
