South Asian Popular and Pulp Fiction Collection

The University of Texas at Austin Libraries has a nationally-unique collection of popular and pulp fiction in the regional languages of South Asia? Have you ever wondered what makes it into library collections, and how? Watch a short video to learn about the efforts of Darsana Manayathu Sasi (UT Austin Malayalam Lecturer), Mary Rader (UT Austin South Asia Librarian), and Laura Brueck (Associate Professor of Asian Studies, Northwestern University) to bring an academic focus onto Indian and Pakistani pulp fiction while building a unique library collection.

The discussion will focus on popular novels from Inda and Pakistan.  These novels, novellas and serialized stories help us challenge what qualifies as “worthy” both in terms of style and substance while also providing a unique lens through which themes of gender, sexuality, caste & religion, and authority can be explored. Beyond their literary content, however, the graphic covers are also of great interest. In this short video, you will learn about how UT came to develop this collection and also hear about the impact of these books on readers and researchers alike.