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“…an incisive, analytical and veritable account of the thematic matrices of the multicoloured Stoppardian play-world. A tempting read for all Stoppard lovers.”

– Prof. J. S. Jha, Dept. of English, Banaras Hindu University

“Anshuman’s Stoppardian Coconuts, as its title suggests, provides the “think description” worthy of Clifford Geertz’s historicism, so that the reader can fully appreciate the lucidly articulated insights that nourish and come to characterize its core… Needless to say, it is a must read for anyone interested in Stoppard.”

–Bryan Reynolds, Professor of Drama, California University

The book Stoppardian Coconuts: Soft Within Though Hard Without demonstrates the major thematic version of almost all his stage plays, some television and a few radio plays where Stoppard deals with issues arising—physical or metaphysical. All the chapters of the book are like coconuts that have grown on the tree of Stoppard’s Oeuvre. Very hard on the surface are they as Stoppard seems to invent things and tries to bring inferences for his inner voice to be understood. But on the other hand, these are the very coconuts which give an eternal taste from their intrinsic softie layer as he stands still in his exclusively inherent affirmation of certain realities that need no extrinsic corroboration. Thus, the book explores vicissitudes and confluences of Stoppard’s thoughts that have travelled a long journey of life and explored many greater truths and brought them on the fore front of social stage through his dramaturgical potency.

Dr. Praveen Kumar Anshuman is a Faculty at the Department of English, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. His research area of interest lies in the Modern British Drama, Indian English Literature, African American Literature, Subaltern Literature, Hindi Literature and Osho Literature. He is a great bibliophile. He has more than twenty five research articles published in International Journals of great repute. He is Member Editorial Board of nine International literary journals and also appointed as Brand Ambassador for TJPRC and Impact Journals. He was honoured with the Certificate of Merit for the best performance in the Refresher Course in English at Sambalpur University, Odisha. He has been invited as Guest Speaker to many International Conferences and Seminars. Simultaneously, He is working as Research Associate at IIAS, Shimla. Stoppardian Coconuts: Soft Within Though Hard Without is his first book dealing with major thematic understanding of the British playwright Stoppard’s dramas.