New York Times has an obituary of novelist Kamala Markandaya who died on May 16 in London.

According to the NYT, she is best known for her first book, "Nectar in a Sieve," which introduced millions of readers to rural life in an industrialized India through the eyes a peasant woman named Rukmani. Apparently, most Americans' perception of India came through her books. And at least twelve Ph.D. theses have been written in American and British universities analyzing Markandaya's writings.

Pretty amazing!

She was very influential and prolific till the early 80s and then seems to have dropped off the literary scene. This explains why I have never heard of her.

Additional link: An homage to her in Outlook magazine.