Actualizing Self In Amulya Malladi’s The Copenhagen Affair

Abstract

Amullya Malladi is a diasporic Indian writer in English born in Madhya Pradesh, India and currently living in Denmark. She has written seven novels which have got great appreciation from all over the world and her works have been translated into many languages like Dutch, German, Spanish, Danish, Romanian, Serbian and Tamil. Her famous novels include A Breath of Fresh Air (2002), Serving Crazy with Curry (2004), The Mango Season (2003), The Sound of Language (2007), Song of Cuckoo Bird (2005), A House for Happy Mothers (2016), and The Copenhagen Affair (2017). She has spent many years of her life in Copenhagen and her most recent novel, The Copenhagen Affair is a tribute to the city. She remarks that “I love Copenhagen and I miss the city. I miss the food, the ambience, the outdoor café culture, my friends […] I miss my life there. This book is my love letter to Copenhagen”(Garcia 2017).

The present research paper attempts to analyze the traces of Neo feminism in The Copenhagen Affair. The novel presents the journey of Sanya from depression to enlightenment leading self-identity. As a marked feature of progressive feminism, Neo feminism celebrates the evolution of new woman who is empowered in all walks of life. Women of this category do not demand for equal status with men instead they take pride in womanhood. The Copenhagen Affair emphasizes the need for women to focus on themselves. It is Sanya’s nature to think of the problems of everybody and make them happy. In course of time, she develops nervous breakdown and finds difficult to cope with her life. The novel balances personal transformation It is at this Copenhagen she finds her true self and her happiness. This city gives her a new dimension when she searches for happiness, love, balance and the meaning of life.