Bapsi Sidhwa (1938 - ) is an important author of Pakistani origin who writes in English. She is of Parsi Zoroastrian background, and has depicted Parsi life, customs, and the Zoroastrian religion in great detail in most of her works. She is also the recipient of many awards, including the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest honor. 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... A Parsi is: A person from Pars (the middle-Persian word for Fars), a region now within the geographical boundaries of Iran, and is roughly the original homeland of the Persian people. ... Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ...

Sidhwa was born in Karachi, Pakistan, but her family moved shortly thereafter to Lahore. She currently resides in Houston, Texas (where she has lived for the past several decades) and maintains a rigorous schedule of conference speaking. She has previously taught at the University of Houston, Rice University, Columbia University, Mount Holyoke College, and Brandeis University. Partial view of the University of Houston campus looking northwest to Downtown Houston Motto Founded 1927 School type Flagship State University President Jay Gogue, Ph. ... Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly called Rice University, but formerly known as Rice Institute, is located in the Museum District of Houston, Texas. ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. ... Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is the oldest womens college in the United States, and the oldest continuing institution of womens higher education in the world. ... Brandeis University is a small, private university in Waltham, Massachusetts. ...

A vocal proponent of women's rights in South Asia, she has also infused her works with strong female characters. Her best known work is Ice-Candy-Man (1988; later published as Cracking India, 1991). This novel depicts 1947, the year that India and Pakistan became two separate nations, and its bloody Partition, as seen through the eyes of a young Parsi Zoroastrian girl. The book was later adapted as the 1998 film Earth by director Deepa Mehta. In general, a partition is a splitting into parts. ... A Parsi is: A person from Pars (the middle-Persian word for Fars), a region now within the geographical boundaries of Iran, and is roughly the original homeland of the Persian people. ... Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ... Bapsi Sidhwas novel Ice-Candy-Man (1988; later published as Cracking India, 1991) was released as the 1998 film Earth (1947 in India), directed by Deepa Mehta. ... Deepa Mehta (born 1950 in Amristar, India) is an Indian born Canadian film director and screenwriter, based in Toronto. ...

Sidhwa is currently editing an anthology of stories about Lahore and is writing the book version of Deepa Mehta's film, "Water," the third part of her trilogy (which also includes, "Fire," and "Earth"). Deepa Mehta (born 1950 in Amristar, India) is an Indian born Canadian film director and screenwriter, based in Toronto. ...

Works

• Ice-Candy-Man (later published as Cracking India)
• An American Brat
• The Crow Eaters
• The Bride
• Bapsi Sidhwa Omnibus

External links

• Official website
• Literary Encyclopedia
• Voices from the Gaps
• SAWNET
• IMDB
• Biography
• Profile of Bapsi Sidhwa