Growing up in India in the 1960s, I knew that America gave us wheat, and Britain gave us literature. One of my most vivid childhood memories is of watching Geoffrey Kendall’s Shakespearana troupe performing in my home town of Dehradun. Visiting my uncle in New Delhi, I saw a stack of elegant hardcovers on a table in his study, borrowed from the library of the British Council. Later, as a student at Delhi University, my own education in literature and history was largely shaped by the books from the same library. My uncle read V.S. Pritchett and A.J.P. Taylor. My preferences were for Anthony Powell and E.P. Thompson.
我成长于上世纪60年代的印度，我知道是美国人给了我们小麦，而英国人给了我们文学。我最深刻的童年记忆之一，便是在我的家乡德拉敦观看杰弗里•肯德尔(Geoffrey Kendall)莎士比亚剧团的演出。去新德里看我叔叔时，我在他书房的桌上看到了一摞包装考究的精装书，这是他从英国文化协会(British Council)的图书馆里借来的。后来，作为一名德里大学(Delhi University)学生，我自学文学和历史时主要就是依靠同一所图书馆的藏书。我的叔叔喜欢V.S 普里切特(V.S. Pritchett)和A.J.P. 泰勒(A.J.P. Taylor)。而我更钟爱安东尼•鲍威尔(Anthony Powell)和E.P.汤普森(E.P. Thompson)。