Accession 2009-1 - Saros Cowasjee

Saros Cowasjee was born in Secundrabad, India, in 1931. Educated at the Universities of Agra (M.A., 1955) and Leeds, UK, (Ph.D. 1960), he came to teach English at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, the forerunner of the University of Regina, in 1963. Prior to that he worked as a Lecturer in English at Agra College, Agra 1955-57) and Assistant Editor with the Times of India Press (1961-63).

Cowasjee joined Regina Campus as an instructor and was promoted to full professor in 1971. He retired in 1995 and was appointed Professor Emeritus.

During his long teaching career, Cowasjee spent a semester at Darwin College, Cambridge, a sabbatical as Research Associate at University of Berkeley, California, and another sabbatical as Professor of Commonwealth Literature at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He has presented papers and been a guest lecturer at several universities in Europe, Australia, North America, Fiji and India.

Cowasjee has been a prolific writer. His publications include five books of criticism, two novels, two volumes of short stories and a screenplay. In addition to these he has edited and written introductions to some thirty titles on Indian and Raj fiction. There are also his research articles published as chapters in books and in various journals and magazines in Canada, Great Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere.

Of particular interest in the extensive documentation is his research and writing on the Irish playwright Sean O’Casey and the Indian novelist Mulk Raj Anand. The collection contains substantial correspondence with Anand covering over thirty years. His detailed correspondence with various publishers provides insight into the writing and editing process and the business of book publishing.