The Mountain King

A mysterious letter shows up from Jane Farrington postmarked Calcutta; that's the last anyone has heard from her. Nicholas Bowman, a 'useless' heir to the family fortune, is sent by Jane's mother to rescue her from India. Unemployed and unmotivated, Nicholas decides to take the bait. He ends up finding Jane-and losing her, and finding her-and much, much more. With his deep knowledge of Indian culture and philosophy, David Rubin creates a fantastical world filled with political and social criticism set beside the eternal quest for meaning humans have engaged in as long as we've been on this planet. -- The David Rubin Collection seeks to assemble the fiction, non-fiction, translations and poetry of the late American novelist and scholar David Rubin. While best known for his translations of Indian writers Premchand and Nirala, David was also a master storyteller. His 1963 novel, The Greater Darkness, won the British Authors' Club award for that year's best first novel. He remained a prolific writer until his death in 2008. His works are archived at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.

David Rubin (1924-2008) is best known for his elegant translations of works by Indian writers Premchand and Nirala. But he was also a masterful writer of novels, short stories and poetry. His 1963 novel, The Greater Darkness, won the British Authors’ Club award for that year’s best first novel. The aim of his website, davidrubinsindia.com, is to capture, chronicle and continue to celebrate his life’s work. David remained a prolific writer until his death in 2008 from a stroke. In novels, novellas and short stories, the urbane materialism of Manhattan high society collides with Asian idealism, which is debated, debunked and passionately embraced by characters journeying across America, India and Nepal. David taught comparative literature at Sarah Lawrence College and Hindi language and literature at Columbia University. Fluent in at least six European languages as well as Hindi and Nepali, he was one of the most accomplished linguists and literary translators of the late twentieth century.