“I grew up in Kolkata in a traditional family. We had friends who lived in mansions just like the one in 'Oleander Girl.' Growing up, I was fascinated by the old house and the old Bengal lifestyle.”

Indian-born American author and poet

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-born American author and poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her work has reached readers across fiction and poetry, and 107 quotes from her appear on this site. She is best known for Arranged Marriage, her short story collection, which won an American Book Award in 1996. Two of her novels and one short story were adapted into films, extending her reach beyond the page into cinema.