KIRAN DESAI was born in India in 1971. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and the Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The Inheritance of Loss. Educated in India, England, and the United States, she received her M.F.A. from Columbia University.

Praise for Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard:

A Book Sense 76 Selection

"Delectable--with this sprightly first novel, Kiran Desai takes her place among the pack of gifted young Indian writers." --The Wall Street Journal

"So fresh and funny and delicious that it defies comparison." --The Times (London)

"A finely tuned fable that attests to the author's pitch-perfect ear. . . . The author delineates [the characters] with such with and bemused affection that they insinuate themselves insidiously in our minds." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"With remarkably complex characters, unpredictable plot twists and vivid descriptions . . . a spectacularly fresh vision." --Reena Jana, San Francisco Chronicle

"Crackling, witty, sharply visual prose . . . She is a delightfully funny, amiable satirist." --The Atlantic Monthly

"There is so much to admire in this charming book, dainty in its construction but ballasted by real emotion, that to call Desai a young writer of promise would do her a disservice. On this showing she is already a finished article." --The Sunday Telegraph

"A charming, lyrical fable." --Harper's Bazaar

"A delicious blend of humor and magic, hilarity and wisdom--and unexpected poetry. Kiran Desai's language will continue to delight you long after you turn the last page." --Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

"[Desai's] novel exudes charisma, poetry and joy in language and life. It's a sparkling debut." --Donna Rifkind, The Baltimore Sun

"This is a beguiling novel, fresh and funny and warmhearted." --Roxana Robinson

"Kiran Desai has two remarkable gifts--of comedy and fantasy. Add to this a flair for storytelling and you have the uproarious, whimsical and occasionally stinging Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard." --Bhaswati Chakravorty, The Telegraph Calcutta

"Desai's writing is funny, often hilarious, and richly imaginative." --Globe & Mail

"Desai is a lavish, sharp-eyed fabulist whose send-up of small-town culture cuts to the heart of human perversity." --The New Yorker

"Clearly envisioned and opulently told . . . Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard is as memorable as its title. With it, Desai joins the ranks of Anglo-Indian writers who have energized English literature with their imaginative, complex storytelling." --Tammie Bob, Chicago Tribune

"Lush and intensely imagined. Welcome proof that India's encounter with the English language continues to give birth to new children, endowed with lavish gifts." --Salman Rushdie

"A delicious blend of humor and magic, hilarity and wisdom--and unexpected poetry. Kiran Desai's language will continue to delight you long after the last page." --Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

"With this radiant novel, Kiran Desai parts the waters. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard evokes a bright, buoyant world, and the warmth and generosity of her writing makes for a joyous debut." --Junot Díaz

"A hullabaloo of a debut from a vibrant, creative imagination.&rdqu