Novelist Markandaya dead

Born in Mysore, Markandaya studied history at Madras University and from 1940 to 1947, she worked as a journalist and published a number of short stories in Indian newspapers. She moved to Britain in 1948, after Independence, but wrote later that 8216;8216;the eyes I see with are still Indian eyes.8217;8217;

Nine other novels followed Nectar, including A Handful of Rice 1966, The Nowhere Man 1972, Two Virgins 1973, The Golden Honeycomb 1977 and Pleasure City 1982.

A Silence of Desire 1960, about a nervy government clerk who struggles to deal with his wife8217;s unexplained absences, is considered one of her most polished works.

Markandaya8217;s husband, Bernard Taylor, died before her; she is survived by a daughter. A private cremation service was held on May 26. 8212;PTI