A deserted woman has an affair with a Hindu god while her husband lusts for jewels that are guarded by cobras. A widower retraces the last European holiday he took with his wife. Excursions are made into the personal and political absurdities of language and naming. Whether it’s a bus tour in Mumbai, a café stop in Lausanne, or a sunset walk along the Bay of Bengal—Ven Begamudré’s journeys are filled with longing, desire and a tenderness that persists beyond reason. This is The Lightness Which Is Our World, Seen from Afar.

Ven Begamudré was born in South India and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was six. Among his publications are a novel, Van de Graaff Days, a collection of poetry, The Lightness Which is Our World Seen from Afar, and a biography, Isaac Brock: Larger Than Life. His short-story collection Laterna Magika was a best book finalist in the Commonwealth Prize Canada-Caribbean division. Begamudré has completed numerous writer-in-residence appointments, most recently at Iowa State University. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Ven Begamudre's profile page

• Short-listed, Saskatchewan Book Awards Poetry Award
• Short-listed, Commonwealth Writer's Prize