| Amish Tripathi, author of The Shiva Trilogy, has been dubbed by reviewers “India’s
Tolkien” on account of his three bestselling, English-language novels published in India, which
reimagine the adventures of the titular Hindu deity. This thesis proposes to examine such a label,
not in the light of its marketing appeal to Western readers, but in light of its implications, to
argue that Tripathi is engaging in mythopoeia, and effectively creating a new myth for his
country out of preexisting traditions. Critics’ comparison to Western mythic adaptations
ultimately implies that the trilogy construes Tripathi’s Hindu beliefs in a fashion that is
effectively colonialist. To address this problematic reading, I apply a postcolonialist perspective
to his reworking of traditional stories, seeing them instead as faith-centered works that ultimately
defy Western forms of categorization. Tripathi’s novels, in other words, are an act of
postpostcolonial mythopoeia.
Key Words: Amish Tripathi, Shiva Trilogy, Mythopoeia, Postcolonial, J.R.R. Tolkien, Fantasy |