Shobha De

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Shobha De

Shobhaa Dé (b. 7 January 1947) is an Indian columnist and novelist often called as India's Jackie Collins. Born Anuradha Rajadhyakshya in a Maharashtrian Saraswat Brahmin^{[citation needed]} family, she graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai with a degree in psychology. She began a career in journalism in 1970 in the course of which she founded and edited three popular magazines – Stardust, Society, and Celebrity. At present, she is a freelance writer and columnist for several newspapers and magazines. She lives with her second husband, Dilip De and their six children in South Mumbais posh area the Cuff Parade which is the costliest residential area in India and Mumbai

[edit] Writing style

She writes racy thrillers which are set in urban India which are invariably bestsellers. The erotic content of her novels has been somewhat controversial, with some reviewers being contemptuous of her work while others suggest that she is countering the taboos held by many women writers. She has also written the script for several successful television soaps such as Swabhimaan.

She currently writes a fortnightly column called "The Sexes" in the Indian magazine called The Week where she writes about women, social taboos, social and media's mediocracy, and regularly flays men for being sexist and chauvinist. Although she initially gained recognition for her status as a rebel her writings currently sound matronly and even somewhat prudish. She often criticizes her dissatisfaction with the behavior and morals of the current generation, although she in large part can be held responsible for the speeding up of the pace and promotion of the sexual revolution in India with her sensuous novels and Western outlook.

[edit] Books

Starry nights - Penguin, New Delhi, 1991. (A look at a girl's struggle to survive in the Bollywood industry.)
Socialite Evenings - Penguin, New Delhi, 1989. (The story of a Bombay socialite trying to drown the sorrows of a failed marriage and failed relationships and a schizophrenic sister in the party life of Bombay.)
Shooting from the hip - UBS, Delhi, 1994.
Sultry Days - Penguin, New Delhi. 1994. (A story of lust and passion in the world of pseudo-art, yellow journalism, poetry for hire and junk culture.)
Sisters - Penguin, New Delhi. 1992. (A story of two sisters, both well off and good-looking, but at emotional war with each other.)
Small betrayals - UBS Publishers' Distributors, 1995
Second Thoughts - Penguin, New Delhi. 1996.
Selective Memory - Penguin, New Delhi. 1998.
Speedpost - Penguin, New Delhi. 1999.
Surviving Men - Penguin, New Delhi, 1998
Strange Obsession – A story about sexual obsession set in Bombay's fashion world.
Snapshots – A story about the reunion of six women forced to confront dark secrets from their pasts.
Spouse: The truth about marriage - A best-selling book about how marriages work and why they fail.
Uncertain Liaisons - Penguin, New Delhi. 1993.